President Biden Protects America’s Clean Energy Economy with Solar Tariff Veto

WASHINGTON D.C. — Following is a statement by Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) on President Biden’s veto of legislation to repeal the administration’s two-year solar tariff moratorium: 

“President Biden’s veto has helped preserve our nation’s clean energy progress and prevented a bill from becoming law that would have eliminated 30,000 American jobs, including 4,000 solar manufacturing jobs. This action is a reaffirmation of the administration’s commitment to business certainty in the clean energy sector, and a signal to companies to continue creating jobs, building domestic manufacturing capacity and investing in American communities. 

“The Commerce Department’s solar tariff case effectively shut down the solar industry last spring, and the short-term tariff pause was strategically implemented to both allow project development to continue and create a bridge to a domestic manufacturing future. This strategy could not have come at a better time as the U.S. is experiencing an avalanche of solar manufacturing investment across the country thanks to the historic Inflation Reduction Act. 

“All sides of this debate can agree that we need to deploy American energy and manufacture those components and technologies in America. Every metric shows that the Biden administration’s policies are working to achieve both goals, and we thank the President for taking this action and protecting the livelihoods of 255,000 solar and storage workers nationwide.”

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About SEIA®: 

The Solar Energy Industries Association® (SEIA) is leading the transformation to a clean energy economy, creating the framework for solar to achieve 30% of U.S. electricity generation by 2030. SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies and other strategic partners to fight for policies that create jobs in every community and shape fair market rules that promote competition and the growth of reliable, low-cost solar power. Founded in 1974, SEIA is the national trade association for the solar and solar + storage industries, building a comprehensive vision for the Solar+ Decade through research, education and advocacy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org and follow @SEIA on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. 

Media Contact: 

Morgan Lyons, SEIA’s Director of Communications, mlyons@seia.org