Domestic Solar Manufacturing and New U.S. Tariffs (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Feb. 2, 2018 |
| Report Number |
IF10819 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Michaela D. Platzer |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
O
n January 23, 2018
,
President
Trump
signed
a
p
residential
p
roclamation
impos
ing
emergency
tariff
restrictions, known
as
safeguard
s
,
over
the next
four years
on
U.S. imports of
crystalline silicon
photovoltaic (PV)
cells and modules
.
The
p
roclamation also include
d
a
n annual
2.5 gigawatt tariff
-
free quota for s
olar cell
s
; however, imports of solar
modules
are to
face tariffs regardless of vol
ume.
On
February 7, 2018, t
he
initial solar equipment
tariff
is to
be
30%
.
Thereafter
, the tariffs
are to
decline
yearly
,
bottoming out at 15%.
T
he
temporary
solar tariff
s
are set to
expire
o
n February
6,
2022
,
but
the President
may extend
them
for
a
maximum of another four years
.
The proclamation, one of the first trade actions by the
Trump Administration,
stems
from
a petition filed by
two
U.S.
-
based
but
foreign
-
owned
solar equipment
manufacturers and
a subsequent
ruling by
the U.S.
International Tr
ade Commission (ITC)
that imports have
caused injury to domestic producers
.
