Lara Rios is Senior Counsel in Holland &
Knight's
Miami office
On Jan. 22, 2018, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert
Lighthizer announced that the Trump Administration approved
recommendations to impose safeguard tariffs on imported solar cells
and modules. The USTR made the recommendations to the President
based on consultations with the interagency Trade Policy Committee
(TPC) in response to findings by the independent, bipartisan U.S.
International Trade Commission (ITC) that increased foreign imports
of solar cells and modules are a substantial cause of serious
injury to domestic manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV)
cells.
According to the USTR, the tariffs on foreign imports of solar
cells and modules will remain in place for four years. In the first
year, a 30 percent tariff on all imported modules and cells will be
imposed, a 25 percent tariff will be imposed in the second year, a
20 percent tariff will be imposed in the third year, and a 15
percent
