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WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Charles Schumer on Thursday called on the Obama administration to block the use of any U.S. economic stimulus funds for a wind farm project in West Texas that would use turbines built in China.

"I'm all for investing in clean energy, but we should be investing in the United States, not China," Schumer told reporters. "While the project is anticipated to generate as many as 3,000 jobs in Shenyang, China ... its job impact in the United States would be roughly one-tenth that amount."

He complained that the $1.5 billion project could get an injection of about $450 million in funds from Washington. That money would come from $787 billion Congress approved this year to help bring the United States out of an economic recession with funds for domestic construction projects and other activities.

Schumer has asked the Department of Energy to refuse funding for the Texas wind farm unless U.S.-made wind turbines were used.

If the agency did not do so, Schumer threatened to take legislative action against economic stimulus funds being used to help foreign manufacturers.

Schumer's initiative comes a little more than a week before President Barack Obama is scheduled to be in Shanghai and Beijing. His first trip to China aims to improve bilateral relations, including cooperation on ways to reduce carbon pollution blamed for global warming.

The Texas wind farm would have a capacity of 600 megawatts, enough to supply electricity to as many as 180,000 Texas homes. Chinese wind turbine manufacturer A-Power Energy Generation Systems (APWR.O) would combine with U.S. Renewable Energy Group, an asset management firm, and Cielo Wind Power of Austin, Texas, to carry out the project. (Reporting by Richard Cowan; Additional reporting by Leonora Walet in Hong Kong; Editing by Eric Walsh)

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