With a final decision just weeks away in the Section 201 solar trade case, President Trump’s top trade adviser held a public hearing on the matter last week. The U.S. International Trade Commission has sided with two companies, Suniva and SolarWorld, who say they’ve been harmed by a flood of cheap solar panel imports, mostly from Asia. ITC has recommended to Trump a set of remedies that include tariffs. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), solar companies, utilities and others told the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) that tariffs would deal a deep, self-inflicted wound to the American economy and help two foreign-based companies and their hedge fund investors. “President Trump now must know that new tariffs would put tens of thousands of American workers out of jobs, including veterans and manufacturers,” Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA president and CEO, said in a statement. “The decision is now the president’s alone to make, and his choice could not be more clear: Protect American workers or side with foreign interests trying to exploit U.S trade law and decimate one of our nation’s fastest-growing industries.” The president has until Dec. 31 to decide.
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