PVTIME – On March 28, The U.S. Department of Commerce has decided to act on an investigation on solar panel imports from four Southeast Asian nations that may result in tariffs on those solar products. This petition was filed by California-based solar module company Auxin Solar who alleged that solar products import from Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand were partly produced by Chinese PV companies.
Shortly after the decision was made public, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) stated that Tariff Petition Threatens the American Clean Energy Economy and offered insights into the potential repercussions of the investigation as following.
“Auxin Solar has submitted meritless petitions to the U.S. Department of Commerce, asking for the imposition of new tariffs on solar imports from Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. If allowed to proceed, these tariffs would crush the U.S. solar industry, put tens of thousands of American jobs at risk and threaten our efforts to tackle climate change. The Department of Commerce must exercise its authority to reject these baseless petitions.”
“The new solar tariffs proposed by Auxin Solar would be an abuse of U.S. trade laws and would devastate the U.S. solar industry and its 231,000 workers. The Department of Commerce must reject this case to avoid needless harm to the U.S. solar industry and our nation’s climate goals.”
Meanwhile, Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) pointed that President Biden has been clear that the best way to grow domestic manufacturing is to create a policy environment that encourages private investment. This decision directly contradicts that goal—more tariffs are not the answer.
