The United Steelworkers (USW) filed a section 301 petition with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) last month which accuses China of illegally stimulating and protecting its producers of green technology exports, ranging from wind and solar energy products to advanced batteries and energy-efficient vehicles. The USTR recently announced that it would begin a 90-day investigation into China’s trade practices related to its green technology industries. The U.S. trade deficit with China in clean energy products, based on data through August 2010, has more than doubled in the past two years alone. Growing trade deficits with China in clean energy products will cost more than 8,000 U.S. jobs in 2010.

The Economic Policy Institute's (EPI) Rob Scott explains why the U.S. must address the "green gap" with China: "The United States needs major public investments to build up homegrown renewable energy industries, and a plan to root them in the domestic economy. We cannot allow China to thwart the rules of the global trading system and control the green industries of the future."

Read Scott's full article.