Yesterday, the US Trade Representative announced that President
Trump approved
recommendations to impose a safeguard tariff on imported solar
cells and modules under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974. The
tariff will be in effect for the next four years at the following
rates:
This tariff is the result of petitions filed in May 2017 by two
US solar cell manufacturers at the (ITC under Section 201 of the
Trade Act of 1974. The petitions alleged that a global imbalance in
supply and demand in solar cells and modules and a surge of cheap
imports caused serious injury to the domestic solar manufacturing
industry. In September, the ITC found injury to the US solar
equipment manufacturing industry and, in October, released its
recommendations to the White House to impose tariffs. The
President's final decision was in line with the ITC's
recommendations. The first 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of imported solar
cells will be exempt from the safeguard tariff in each of
