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Breanna Morello’s new investigation raises a blunt question few politicians want to answer: are Ohio taxpayers funding a foreign firm that never delivered the promised jobs and then quietly brought in overseas workers? Her report, amplified on BlazeTV with host Sara Gonzales, points fingers at SEMCORP’s Sidney, Ohio project and demands real answers — not the usual hometown press release and a shrug from state bureaucrats.
Taxpayer dollars, empty promises: what we already know about SEMCORP in Sidney, Ohio
SEMCORP — the U.S. project of Shanghai-based Yunnan Energy New Material Co. — announced a big plan for Sidney: roughly a $900 million facility to make separator film for EV batteries and a pledge of about 1,200 jobs. That promise came with state and local incentives, including a job-creation tax credit tracked at roughly $22.7 million and an enterprise‑zone tax abatement. Those incentive figures and the original project announcement are on the record. The question now is simple: where are the jobs?
What Breanna Morello uncovered — and what still needs to be proven
Morello alleges SEMCORP never created those 1,200 local jobs and instead used immigration petitions to bring foreign nationals into the Sidney project. Her reporting says the Ohio Department of Development told her SEMCORP “never executed” the tax credit agreement and that the Ohio Tax Credit Authority reportedly voted to cancel the credit. Morello also cites what she describes as I‑129L immigration petitions and job posts asking for Mandarin skills. Those are serious claims. They are the kind of documents reporters should obtain and publish: USCIS and DOL filings, the tax-credit agreement or minutes showing cancellation, and the Sidney enterprise‑zone records. Until those primary records are produced and verified, her reporting remains an urgent allegation that needs official confirmation.
Why this matters: jobs, law, and national-security risk
This is not just about Sidney. It’s about the message this sends to every town that offered incentives in good faith. Tax breaks should buy local jobs and local paychecks — not a glossy press release and a pipeline for foreign hires. When job postings require Mandarin and federal petitions are used to import labor for a U.S. plant, Americans have every right to ask whether their money is building local industry or underwriting foreign control of critical supply chains. Local officials in Sidney are reportedly considering terminating the city’s enterprise‑zone agreement for non‑performance. That’s the right instinct. If taxpayers’ dollars are at risk, officials must act fast and publicly.
What must happen next: transparency, audits, and accountability
State and federal agencies need to stop doing slow-roll PR and start producing records. Get the USCIS and DOL petition files. Produce the Ohio Tax Credit Authority minutes and the actual tax‑credit agreement. Publish Sidney’s enterprise‑zone contract and any council votes. If SEMCORP has legitimate paperwork, let them show it. If not, claw back incentives, levy fines, and pursue enforcement. Conservatives who backed sensible incentives are not interested in subsidizing empty promises. Taxpayers deserve results, not explanations disguised as progress reports. Follow Morello and BlazeTV for updates — and demand your elected officials do their job: defend local workers and protect taxpayer money.
