The investigation has had a chilling effect on the industry, say clean energy groups, some of which have asked Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to dismiss it, though she has said she has no discretion to influence it. It has essentially halted imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, which account for more than half of US solar panel supplies and 80% of imports. State governors, lawmakers, industry officials and environmentalists have expressed concern over the investigation, which could result in retroactive tariffs of up to 250%. collection of duties, and that's at the heart of what's going to save all of these solar projects and ensure that they are going forward," said one source familiar with the White House's plans. "There is going to be this safe harbour timeout on the. The action comes amid concern about the impact of the US Commerce Department's months-long investigation into whether imports of solar panels from the four Southeast Asian nations are circumventing tariffs on goods made in China.īiden also will invoke the Defense Production Act to drive US manufacturing of solar panels and other clean technologies in the future, with the support of loans and grants, the sources added. WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden will issue a proclamation on Monday that will allow solar panels to be imported to the United States from Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam without risk of tariffs for a 24-month period, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. There has never been a more crucial time to support clean, domestic, reliable, and affordable energy.Thailand shipped US$1.07 billion worth of solar cells to the United States last year, making up 49% of the country's total solar cell exports. The Secretary has broad discretion in her administration of these proceedings, including the ability to issue a negative ruling as soon as 45 days following the initiation of the inquiry. Secretary Raimondo rightfully declined to initiate a strikingly similar petition brought in 2021, further solidifying the point that this case is also not worthy of further investigation. Commerce has Broad Discretion to Put an End to this Egregious Case and Save Solar Jobs As a result, any solar panel imported between today and a ruling by Commerce carries a cost so astronomical that the manufacturers in the target countries have been forced to cease producing or importing solar panels destined for U.S. The potential tariffs that could be applied in this case could reasonably be as high as 250% and – importantly – would be retroactive back to April 1st, 2022. Merely initiating the investigation has frozen the domestic solar industry, and each passing day worsens the impacts on American workers and American households. Solar IndustryĬommerce has agreed to initiate a review of Auxin’s petition, and in past cases, it has typically taken 150 days or longer to issue a ruling despite having broad discretion to move faster. The Immediate Chilling Impact on the U.S. These solar panels are vital to supporting the 230,000 American solar jobs that exist today, including tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs for other essential solar components. Auxin has asked the Department of Commerce to apply cost-prohibitive tariffs of up to 250% on solar products imported from four allied trading partners in Southeast Asia – Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.Įighty percent (80%) of imported solar panels are sourced from these four countries. trade laws to gain a competitive advantage. module market, is attempting – without the support of a single other domestic manufacturing company – to manipulate U.S. A Single Company is Threatening the Domestic Solar IndustryĪuxin Solar, a single company representing less than 3% of the U.S.
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