US House of Representatives votes to resume solar tariffs

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From pv magazine Global

The US House of Representatives has decided to repeal the two-year pause on solar import tariffs goods from four Southeast Asian countries responsible for about 80% of the US solar panel supply chain.

The moratorium on tariffs, passed in June 2022 by President Joe Biden, halted tariffs on goods shipped from Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia. Goods found to be in violation of anti-dumping and countervailing duty laws would be assessed with tariffs ranging between 50% to 250% of their shipped value.

The tariff exemption applies to modules that are imported before June 6, 2024, or modules that are installed on project sites before December 2024. Biden’s two-year moratorium is meant to act as a supply bridge while US domestic solar manufacturing ramps up.

Solar industry trade groups and major developers have voiced strong opposition to lifting the moratorium.

“The legislation will impose $1 billion in retroactive tariffs and cause 30,000 Americans to lose their jobs this year,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and chief executive officer of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

Ross Hopper added that the United States does not have enough production to meet demand, and the remaining 14 months of the moratorium are needed to “close the gap.”

The legislation was kicked off by a small bipartisan group in January via the Congressional Review Act.

“We cannot allow foreign solar manufacturers to violate trade law, especially when it comes at the expense of American workers and businesses,” said Congressman Dan Kildee (D-Michigan). “The Biden administration found in its own investigation that China is evading U.S. tariffs on solar imports, but has paused action on this matter, which is unacceptable.”

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