Senator Bob Casey’s office – researchers required

Putting a news statement out today demanding an end to federal stimulus money going to foreign companies, you’d think a Senator could spare five minutes of time to check that a company he praises within that statement is not foreign-owned.

Even one of his researchers.

But Bob Casey’s mistake in highlighting Gamesa USA’s creation of jobs in his home state of Pennsylvania seems to be symptomatic of the flaws in his entire argument in calling for a moratorium on Recovery Act funds going to foreign-owned projects. It’s a Spanish company, but has operations in the US, along with operations in many other countries.

Global free trade rules mean foreign companies can operate in the US, and benefit US workers in doing so. To put a hold on clean energy developments across the board will threaten more US jobs than the senators’ legislation will support.

Then, when the legislation comes into effect, it will mean less investment in the US by foreign companies – and therefore, thousands of US jobs will go.