RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Governor Glenn Youngkin is crying foul over solar panels set to be installed at the Pentagon.
In January, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that the Pentagon would be getting $21 million, with some of the money going toward installing rooftop solar panels.
Youngkin sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin saying the program the money comes from, created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law doesn’t have “any stated requirement that such panels be made in America using American technology.”
Youngkin goes on to say, “This decision brings into question whether American taxpayer dollars will be used to purchase solar equipment from the Chinese Communist Party.”
However, the program requirements tell a different story. According to documentation on the Department of Energy’s website, the program in question is affected by an executive order signed by President Joe Biden in 2021 saying federal agencies “shall adhere to requirements of the Made in America Laws in making clean energy, energy efficiency, and clean energy procurement decisions.”
Those laws include the Buy American Act which the U.S. Government Accountability Office says “requires Federal agencies to procure domestic materials and products.”
8News asked Governor Youngkin’s office for proof that the Pentagon could be using Chinese-made solar panels. A spokesperson said, “Historically, federal agencies have waived the ‘Made in America’ requirements to procure solar panels, prioritizing purchasing cheap Chinese solar.”
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