President Invokes Defense Production Act to Accelerate Domestic Manufacturing of Clean Energy
By Scott Detrow and Eric McDaniel, National Public Radio
The Biden administration is ending its hands-off approach to a Commerce Department tariff investigation that has effectively frozen the solar power industry in the United States.
A probe into whether Chinese solar manufacturers had been improperly funneling parts through four other Asian countries had cut solar installation forecasts nearly in half — and done so at a time when the Biden White House’s ambitious clean energy agenda is stalled in Congress.
Solar projects are on hold as the U.S. investigates whether China is skirting trade rules (NPR)
What Is the Defense Production Act? (Council on Foreign Relations)
President Biden Invokes Defense Production Act (Dept. of Energy)
GOP senator rips Biden for overuse of DPA (The Hill)
Rapidly shifting the country away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy is one of President Biden’s top goals.
But a legally required trade investigation in response to a U.S. solar panel manufacturer’s complaint has put the administration into a bind: at once trying to spur a transition to zero-emissions power generation by 2035 and leading a “quasi-judicial” Commerce Department investigation the administration conceded it had no legal power to stop or dismiss had hampered the solar industry.
On Monday the administration announced a compromise: the investigation will continue, but solar panels will be allowed to be imported from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam for two years without fear of steep retroactive tariffs — granting the solar industry a measure of certainty as they await the Commerce Department’s decision.
If you liked this post you’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation.
