19 bipartisan governors ask Commerce to speed solar panel investigation

On May 16, a bipartisan group of 19 governors sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Commerce Sec. Gina Raimondo urging the Biden administration to expedite its review of the anti-circumvention solar tariff case.

The signatories, ranging from governors of Arkansas and Indiana to Massachusetts and Oregon, note the significant market disruption caused by the case and its damaging impact on workers and businesses in their states. In total, the governors represent 19 states, one U.S. territory, and 43% of the total U.S. population.

Gov. Gavin Newsom also sent a separate letter to Sec. Raimondo asking for a swift end to the investigation.

“Governors understand the importance of reliable, low-cost clean energy, and this bipartisan letter highlights how disruptive the Commerce Department’s tariff investigation is for state economies, electric grids and local workforces. States have been leading the way on clean energy for years, and while federal efforts to curb climate change have stalled, the Biden administration is now standing in the way of state-level clean energy goals,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of SEIA, in a statement. “As a direct result of this baseless tariff case, the United States is now on track to install more solar under President Trump than President Biden. Each day that this case drags on puts President Biden’s vision for a strong clean energy economy out of reach. We urge the Commerce Department to issue a negative preliminary decision as soon as possible.”

The Dept. of Commerce recently chose eight solar manufacturers for deeper examination in the AD/CVD circumvention investigation. The department should then present preliminary findings of its investigation on August 30, 2022, along with a preliminary duty rate for all importers of the affected products. A final decision would then be made on January 26, 2023.

News item from SEIA

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Original Source: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2022/05/19-bipartisan-governors-ask-commerce-to-speed-solar-panel-investigation/