import tariffs Archives

Nov 4, 2020

U.S. Trade Court Blocks Trump Administration Bid to End Solar Tariff Loophole

On Saturday, October 24, a U.S. Trade Court temporarily blocked the Trump administrations’ attempt to close a tariff loophole for double-sided solar panels. The 2018 tariffs were an attempt by the Trump administration to get tough on China which dominates the solar panel manufacturing industry, and to boost the U.S. industry. The administration approved four years of tariffs on solar panel imports, starting at 30%, and being reduced by five percentage points each subsequent year. The tariffs granted the exclusion for bifacial panels, as those panels were considered a niche product at the time. The administration now claims that it… Read more

Oct 15, 2019

Wind Power Industry Requests U.S. Tax Credits

A little over a year ago, the U.S. Wind Energy agreed to let its production tax credit lapse in 2020. Accord to representatives of the Washington-based American Wind Energy Association, the tax credits are now needed for the industry to maintain its cost advantage against competitive sources such as solar and natural gas. Citing President Donald Trump’s import tariffs on steel and other wind farm components, industry representatives claim that construction costs for on and offshore wind farms have risen by 28%. Wind Energy Association has indicated that it will lobby for the investment tax credit for wind energy to… Read more