WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, just back from China, said the United States must compete with the Asian nation to be a global leader on renewable energy.
The Nevada Democrat led a bipartisan delegation of 10 senators on a taxpayer-funded trip to China that included meetings with top Chinese government officials and business leaders. The delegation of seven Democrats and three Republicans also toured renewable energy plants in Chengdu, a city of 14 million seen as a leader in that field.
Reid said China's aggressive investments in renewable energy compel the United States to keep pace. He said China is investing in clean energy not because it's good for the environment, but because it's good for its economy.
China is financing a wind turbine manufacturing plant planned in Southern Nevada.