Gov. Reeves ditches past rhetoric on green energy, Chinese companies, in making deals

During a nasty 2023 campaign, incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves derisively criticized his Democratic opponent Brandon Presley for taking campaign contributions from his “solar panel buddies … that have tried to run the oil business out of America.”

What a difference a few months make.

Reeves, now in his second term as governor after prevailing in that reelection contest, stood proudly at a news conference in the Mississippi Capitol last week and boasted of providing millions in tax breaks and state cash to a company that embraces green or renewable energy, including — gulp — solar energy.

A key part of his plan that landed Amazon Web Services is solar farms that will help fuel the electricity-dependent data centers the company will build in Madison County. Amazon, the company that legislators provided millions of dollars to entice them to locate in Mississippi on the recommendation of the governor, is the world’s largest user of renewable energy and has a goal of being powered solely by renewable energy in the near future.

The difference in Reeves’ past rhetoric and his recent comments and action when announcing two historic economic development projects for the state is breathtaking. And it highlights the conflict conservative leaders like Reeves face in recruiting companies that often have different positions on policies than they do.

For instance, many Mississippi politicians have strived for years to, as Reeves likes to say, make Mississippi “the safest place in America for an unborn child.” Yet legislators recently approved a plan at Reeves’ behest to lure Amazon, which has a policy of providing its employees up to $4,000 if they work in a state like Mississippi, where most abortions are prohibited, to travel to a state where they can legally get an abortion.

And it is at least a little ironic that as the state provided funds to Amazon, legislation was being considered and is still alive in the process preventing Mississippians from placing the combustible issue of abortion on the ballot for voters to decide. The legislation would prevent the initiative process where voters gather signatures to bypass the Legislature and place issues on the ballot to be used to change the state laws that ban most abortions.

But wait, don’t stop there. In recently recruiting a battery plant to power electric commercial vehicles to north Mississippi, the governor seemed to be embracing Chinese technology — another direct counter to his recent rhetoric.

In 2023, Reeves signed two bills that limited Mississippi’s relationship with China. One prevented Mississippi state agencies from purchasing small aircraft systems or drones produced by Chinese technology companies, and another banned the TikTok app from state devices.

In signing the bills last year, Reeves said: “The Chinese Communist Party is not a friend to Mississippi or the United States. They want to exploit vulnerabilities in technology to harm our country and our citizens. We’re not going to let that happen in Mississippi, and that’s why I signed these two bills. It’s time for our country to wake up and recognize the existential threat that the Chinese Communist Party and other bad actors around the world pose to Americans. We’re putting the safety of Mississippians first, and if that means you can’t use TikTok and other compromised technology on state devices or purchase drones made in China, so be it.”

But earlier this month, the governor touted providing at least $350 million in incentives to entice an alliance of companies, including a Chinese company, to Mississippi. The Chinese company will provide the technology to produce batteries in Marshall County in north Mississippi on the Tennessee border to power electric commercial vehicles.

The governor is offering millions to lure a Chinese technology company to Mississippi even though during the 2023 campaign, he was so concerned about China that he criticized Presley for accepting a campaign donation from Pin Ni, a Chinese businessman who is president of Wanxiang America, a diverse green energy auto parts company.

In January, Reeves announced two economic development projects that have the potential to have major impact on Mississippi. But key elements of both projects stand in sharp contrast to the governor’s past rhetoric and policy positions.

This analysis was produced by Mississippi Today, a nonprofit news organization that covers state government, public policy, politics and culture. Bobby Harrison is Mississippi Today’s senior Capitol reporter.