Solar panel installation may produce good jobs here. But producing those panels involves dangerous chemicals. The Washington Post recently reported that a supplier to solar panel maker Suntech Power dumped poisonous silicon tetrachloride, a byproduct of polysilicon manufacture, onto fields in Henan Province in China, rather than recycling it.

For those who are unfamiliar, the AGOA is a part of U.S. legislation and significantly liberalizes market access to the US for 37 designated Sub-Saharan African countries. This acts as a catalyst for economic growth by encouraging governments to open their economies and build free markets. US Congress passed AGOA as part of the Trade and Development Act of 2000, and President Bill Clinton signed it into law May 18, 2000. In August 2002, President George W. Bush signed amendments to AGOA that expanded preferential access for eligible sub-Saharan African counties.

Extraction predominantly involves
the Third World. Resources are stolen from
people who live on resource-rich land. Once these people are left with no value they are then
exploited. This is why extraction has become synonymous with exploitation.
Along with the millions of adults forced into labor in extractive industries, millions of children all
over the world are forced into child labor. 

Workers at the factory have faced discrimination, intimidation and firings due to their union affiliation. On numerous occasions, the management has forced workers to choose between their jobs and participating in a union. Starting in August 2008, members of the union TEKSIF held a six-month protest outside the gates of the factory. Still, the company has refused to dialogue with the union and continues to intimidate workers. Eight former workers are currently in court, charging that they were wrongfully dismissed for their union activity.