Obama Cites Obscure Law to KO Chinese Ownership of Oregon Wind Farm

Wind Farm
(photo and related story from Politico)

On a late Friday night, well after the news hounds dropped the scent, President Obama blocked a Chinese firm from owning and operating a wind farm near a militarily sensitive site in Oregon.

This evening's online edition of the BBC reported this very unusual American action. The concern was the wind farm's location, which is near "restricted airspace" the U.S. Navy uses to test unmanned drones and other electronic equipment. That was too close for comfort.

The US Committee on Foreign Investments (CFIUS), an inter-agency group under the Treasury Department's organizational umbrella, had recently reported there was no reliable way to "mitigate the national security risks posed by the Chinese company's plans," according to the BBC piece. CFIUS basically has a Roman emperor's power of life or death over a foreign enterprise's plans to enter US businesses in any strategically important area.

The Financial Times also reported on Obama's decision, and added some useful details about it.