More than 300 South Dakota wind turbine factory workers will join the ranks of the unemployed as Molded Fiber Glass has announced it is permanently closing operations in less than two months. The closure announcement comes as a blow to energy sector employees in a state that also lost jobs when President Biden issued an executive order halting the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office.
Company officials stated the closure will occur because of changing market conditions, foreign competition and proposed revisions to tax policies affecting the wind energy industry in the United States.
The Aberdeen, South Dakota plant has been producing wind turbine blades since 2007. The plant will remain in operation until it has fulfilled existing orders.
“It is troubling that at a time when wind energy is seeing record investment that this growth is not translating to American jobs,” said U.S. Senate John Thune of South Dakota. “It’s especially hard for those working these good-paying jobs in Aberdeen to face uncertainty yet again.”
Thune was instrumental in stopping a prior closure at the same factory by pushing for revisions of the 2017 tax bill to be more favorable to the industry. Last month, Thune proposed an amendment to the expansive energy tax credit bill, requiring the Biden Administration to certify that U.S. manufacturers would not be undercut by foreign suppliers using low-cost labor and creating higher emissions.