A wind farm built by a Chinese-owned company near Laughlin Air Force Base in southwest Texas has raised national security concerns amid tensions between the United States and China. Some believe that the project will not only affect the daily training of warplanes, but may cut off the power supply of the air force base. The Texas Senate, the federal House of Representatives and the Senate all have Republican bills that would prevent the wind farm from being completed.
The wind farm is being built by GH America Energy, a U.S. subsidiary of China’s Guanghui Energy, on a 140,000-acre site about 112 kilometers from Laughlin Air Force Base. U.S. media said that the founder of GH America Energy, Sun Guangxin, has close ties with the Chinese Communist Party. Texas Senator Donna Campbell (R-Texas) introduced a bill that would prohibit the state from approving the participation of individuals, businesses and government agencies from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, or any business headquartered in those countries, in major infrastructure projects in Texas. The bill passed the Texas Senate unanimously and will next be heard by the House of Representatives.
Texas U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (D-Texas), along with his party’s friend, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, introduced a bill that would halt construction of wind farms and prohibit real estate developers from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from buying land within 161 kilometers of U.S. military equipment and 80 kilometers of U.S. military operations. The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives, but was not voted on.
In Del Rio, where Laughlin Air Force Base is located, officials wrote to former Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, former Secretary of State Pompeo and former Air Force Secretary Barrett, saying the wind farm interfered with training of warplanes and threatened national security. But the Foreign Investment Review Board eventually approved the project, saying GH America Energy must ensure that the wind turbines do not interfere with the low-flying routes of warplanes.
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