Local Activists Unveil Chinese Foreign Influence in Ohio

PATASKALA- These days foreign influence in government processes have become par for the course. However, one local group has uncovered significant Chinese government influence encroaching into schools, local government and farm land and has taken to a new method of educating the general public. 

In February of 2024, a company known as Illuminate USA, a manufacturer of solar panels, opened their latest plant in Pataskala Ohio. While local government officials were ecstatic over the possibility of an economic boom from over 1,000 new jobs, not everyone in the community was happy. Eileen DeRolf, a former educator, has taken to her roots in building curriculum to shed light on an issue she believes has been taking root right under everyone’s noses. According to DeRolf, Illuminate USA is nothing more than a trojan horse to introduce foreign government influence into the community.

“This is not a single topic conversation,” DeRolf said. “An American Company, Invenergy, gave aide, comfort and cover to an adversarial nation, China, for profit, by bringing the nation into our own via another company, Illuminate USA. Illuminate USA is a trojan horse.” 

According to DeRolf, while the government has been emphasizing renewable energy contracts under the Biden administration, the Chinese government has been buying them all up by investing in local energy companies that build solar panels. According to DeRolf, The Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, allows Chinese solar companies to qualify for the same tax credits extended to American companies. A Goldman Sachs analysis projected that “green energy manufacturing” could cost U.S. taxpayers $156 billion in payments to solar and wind power manufacturers. With eight of the world’s 10 largest solar equipment makers based in China, Beijing could simply tap the IRA to build facilities in the United States. An analysis by the Coalition for a Prosperous America found that Chinese companies take in $125 billion courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer.

In Pataskala, the encroachment of the Illuminate USA factory sent up red flags to activists like DeRolf, even if it went relatively unnoticed by the local government.

According to The Daily Mail, China has already moved into the green market on more than just solar panel manufacturing. Their movement included construction of electric vehicles and lithium batteries. 

While local government officials have attempted to wave away concerns over the ownership of the manufacturing plant, citizens like DeRolf have argued the factories are just the tip of the iceberg. According to research conducted by DeRolf, there is significant evidence to support many of these operations end up being used for foreign military surveillance as well.

While the Chinese government has been soaking up U.S. tax dollars through the IRA, they have also been purchasing large swaths of farmland across the country. While diving up the nations food supply between billionaires who wish to block out the sun and foreign nations may be concerning by itself, an article from the Washington Post has suggested the ulterior motive to the land purchase has been military surveillance, as much of the purchased land has been next to U.S. military bases.

According to DeRolf, the Chinese influence from these contracts has already been felt by seeping it’s way into the school systems, where SEL programs and mandarin are taught as standard curriculum and concerns loom about what these introductions can have over time.

Harkening back to her educational roots, DeRolf has begun constructing educational videos to help illustrate the concerns she and other residents have had over the growing partnerships between the U.S. Government and foreign nations like China.

“They’ve already taken over the chamber of commerce and the schools,” DeRolf said. “We have documented this and pushed it out and it is gaining real traction. Pataskala is the template China will use to take America, one community at a time.”

Currently, the curriculums constructed can be viewed on keepafa.com where viewers can view the complete series on “China’s Silent War on America.”