Chinese purchase of wind farms in Oregon blocked by President Obama

For the first time in 22 years, a U.S. president has stopped a foreign business from locating in the United States. National security risks is the reason given for blocking four wind farm projects slated for northern Oregon near a Navy installation used to base unmanned drones and electronic warfare planes on training missions, according to the Huffington Post.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have been increasing and this is bound to be another aggravation. Obama ordered Ralls Corporation which is owned by Chinese nationals to relinquish its interest in the wind farms that it had purchased earlier this year.

The president has the final authority to prohibit foreign activities, and they did not reveal the risks after receiving a report on the potential threats the wind farm presented according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Locally in Oregon a Morrow County planner, Carla McLane, said the projects were approved by the county and construction was under way until CFIUS issued an order in July that halted construction. She said she does not know what the security concerns were.

The Chinese nationals group is The Sany Group, which is owned by the second richest man in the world Liang Wengen who has recently been appointed to the Central Committee of China?s Communist Party. Wengen?s wealth is estimated at $8.1 billion.

The president did not order the Chinese group to divest the assets, but to remove ?all items, structures, or other physical objects or installations of any kind (including concrete foundations) that the Companies or persons on behalf of the Companies have stockpiled, stored, deposited, installed or affixed thereon.?

It has been suggested that the wind turbines could serve as ?listening posts? for use in surveillance activities by the Chinese in the U.S. making the Navel base vulnerable to espionage.

Resources

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120928/us-obama-china/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2012/09/29/obama-blocks-chinas-second-richest-man-from-owning-wind-farm-near-secret-navy-base/

Source: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/13084951-chinese-purchase-of-wind-farms-in-oregon-blocked-by-president-obama

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