On March 28, 2018, a series of solar panels can be seen in the desert near Victorville, California, USA. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Reuters, November 10-US trade officials on Wednesday dismissed a group of domestic solar manufacturers' efforts to impose tariffs on panels imported from three South Asian countries, citing the organization's request to keep its members anonymous.
The rejection is a victory for America’s largest solar trading agency, which believes that tariffs will weaken an industry that is vital to achieving Biden’s government’s goals of supporting clean energy and combating climate change. American solar developers rely on cheap imports to make their projects competitive.
The manufacturing group asked the Ministry of Commerce in August to investigate whether imports from Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are unfair, saying that Chinese companies have shifted production to these countries in recent years to avoid the U.S. from imposing existing tariffs on solar cells and panels made in China. .
The organization claims to be an American solar manufacturer opposed to China's circumvention, believing that publicly identifying its members may expose them to retaliation from Chinese industry.
An official from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration said in a letter to the group’s lawyers on Wednesday that the company’s requirements for confidentiality would prevent the agency from obtaining the information needed to evaluate the request.
The organization's lawyer Timothy Brightbill (Timothy Brightbill) said it is reviewing the letter and has no other comments.
The American Solar Energy Industry Association's trade agency praised the decision, saying it "provides a certainty for companies to maintain investment, hire more workers, and deploy more clean energy."
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