America’s Clean Energy Leaders Urge President Biden to Repeal Trump Solar Tariff Proclamation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Seventeen leading renewable energy CEOs are calling on President Biden to rescind the Trump Administration’s October 2020 solar proclamation, which improperly increased tariffs on solar panels and rescinds the exclusion for bifacial solar panels.

Led by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and supported by the American Clean Power Association, the letter calls attention to the proclamation’s impact to existing solar contracts and discusses how harmful the Section 201 tariffs are to the U.S. economy and the industry’s ability to address climate change. Importantly, the CEOs are asking the President to return the tariffs to status quo and restore business certainty.

“Billions of dollars’ worth of solar contracts are now at risk because of the October 10 proclamation,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “As we confront the numerous economic and climate challenges ahead, the President has the opportunity to build a clean energy economy with millions of well-paying jobs, strengthen our nation’s infrastructure, bolster domestic manufacturing, and uplift communities across America. Removing the tariffs are the first step to achieving this vision.”

The letter comes as clean energy companies continue to feel the effects of the tariffs. According to analysis from SEIA, the tariffs have led to a loss of 62,000 jobs, $19 billion in lost private sector investment, and a 26 million metric ton increase in carbon emissions.

“Our country has an industrious and determined solar workforce, from installers and operators to engineers and innovators, and every single one of them will benefit from the repeal of the last Administration’s proclamation which injected uncertainty into the marketplace,” said Heather Zichal, CEO of the American Clean Power Association. “Rolling back this proclamation will put Americans back to work, reviving manufacturing, and putting us on the pathway to an equitable recovery and a clean energy future.”

The clean energy industry and its partners remain committed to long-term policies that can boost domestic manufacturing, such as increased federal procurement opportunities for U.S. equipment manufacturers and tax credits to help incentivize private sector investments in domestic manufacturing.

SEIA and ACP will continue to work with the Biden administration, the next U.S. Trade Representative, and other organizations to put Americans back to work and create more opportunities for homegrown solar products.