Gov. Jared Polis joins John Kerry push for Uyghur slave-built solar panels

Taking a page from the John Kerry green-energy playbook, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is pushing his leftist buddies in the U.S. Commerce Department to end their investigation into Asian solar panel manufacturers who are illegally receiving products built on the backs of Uyghur slaves in China.

After all, who cares about the brutality of Uyghur slaves when there’s a planet to save? (via The Denver Gazette):

The investigation is not complete but could result in heavy tariffs being levied on countries using Chinese materials to circumvent U.S. sanctions.

“This investigation jeopardizes our shared interest in providing financial relief to residents in the transition to affordable clean energy,” wrote Polis, whose administration earlier unveiled a Greenhouse Gas Roadmap that calls for 100% renewable energy by 2040. “Many American jobs, which depend on those projects, are at risk if Commerce heads down its current procedural path and imposes a prohibitively high tariff on much-needed imported solar products.”

The governor added: “I strongly urge the Commerce Department to quickly conclude this investigation and not impose tariffs. Commerce should promote, not deter, growth in the American solar industry.”

In 2021, the U.S. government investigated allegations that forced labor is being used by China in the production of raw materials and parts for panels, including polysilicon. China is the world’s leading producer of polysilicon. (Emphasis mine)

The investigation mentioned above included hearings with the House Foreign Affairs Committee in May 2021. In an appearance before the committee, U.S. Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry admitted slaves were being used to provide the millions of solar panels he was preparing to import to fight global warming — a reality he was OK with if it meant getting what he wanted.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) asked Kerry to provide assurances that Biden’s climate strategy wouldn’t involve solar panels produced from forced labor. “When you look at the supply chain, when you look at China, they dominate the critical mineral supply and solar supply chains all coming out of Xinjiang Province,” McCaul said at the time.

In classic Kerry fashion, he told McCaul he was “absolutely correct” in his concerns, and called it “a problem.”

“Xinjiang Province not only produces some of the solar panels that we believe are being in some cases produced in forced labor by Uyghurs, but also there are significant amounts of a certain rare earth mineral that’s used in the solar panels themselves.”

Kerry never provided the assurances sought by the committee, but he rationalized the exploitation of the Uyghur slaves based on a promise by the Biden administration to place sanctions against Xinjiang Province; sanctions that were imposed in June 2021.

Kerry’s ambiguity concerning the Uyghur slaves was more than political cover for his green agenda, he was also trying to hide the embarrassing revelation that he had millions of dollars invested a Chinese private equity fund heavily invested in a tech company blacklisted for human rights abuses, and that he stood to make millions in return as a major stakeholder in a solar panel company linked to the Uyghur slaves.

Just like John Kerry, Gov. Jared Polis’ 100% renewable energy goal and his push for solar panels built by Uyghur slaves has similar entanglements.

In comments made by Jared Polis when Black Hills Energy announced in January 2021 a plan to join all other major utilities across Colorado to reduce air pollution and emissions as part of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap, the Colorado governor said in part:

“Colorado is well on our way to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2040 and will continue to win lower rates along with the health and environmental benefits of green energy.” (Emphasis mine)

Would it surprise you to learn that Polis — a multi-millionaire — has major investments in green energy and healthcare? Would it also surprise you to learn that he will make millions of dollars with his green energy agenda?

Democrats are apparently OK with Jared Polis and John Kerry pocketing millions of dollars from solar panels built by Uyghur slaves.

Nancy Pelosi helped pass the ESG Disclosure Simplification Act in June 2021, a bill that requires public companies to report on how their operations impact global warming. Before passing it, however, Democrats rejected an amendment that would have required companies to inform their shareholders if they engaged in activities with a Chinese official or a company using Uyghur slave labor.

As far as the environmental extremists are concerned, the murder, rape, and torture of the Uyghur slaves is a price they’re willing to pay if it makes for a greener planet while allowing them to line their pockets with millions of dollars.

In the meantime, Uyghur slaves will keep pumping out solar panels to fight the “crisis” of global warming, and that’s something Jared Polis, John Kerry, Joe Biden, and the rest of the Democrat Party are OK with.

 

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David Leach is the owner of the Strident Conservative. He holds people of every political stripe accountable for their failure to uphold conservative values, and he promotes those values instead of political parties.

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