Solar and Storage Industry Responds to Commerce Department’s Preliminary Determination on Circumvention Tariffs

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a preliminary determination that certain companies in Southeast Asia are circumventing Anti-Dumping/Countervailing Duties (ADCVD) imposed on Chinese solar products.

Following is a statement from Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) on the development:

“We’re obviously disappointed that Commerce elected to exceed its legal authority. As a basic fact, solar cell and module manufacturing greatly exceed the anticircumvention statute’s “˜minor or insignificant processing’ limitation.

“The only good news here is that Commerce didn’t target all imports from the subject countries. Nonetheless, this decision will strand billions of dollars’ worth of American clean energy investments and result in the significant loss of good-paying, American, clean energy jobs. While President Biden was wise to provide a two-year window before the tariff implementation, that window is quickly closing, and two years is simply not enough time to establish manufacturing supply chains that will meet U.S. solar demand.

“This is a mistake we will have to deal with for the next several years.”

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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: 

Jen Bristol, SEIA’s Senior Director of Communications, jbristol@seia.org (202) 556-2886