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Bipartisan Group of Governors Send Letter to ITC Opposing Tariffs

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The Honorable Rhonda K. Schmidtlein Chairman U.S. International Trade Commission 500 E Street, SW Washington, DC 20456 
 
RE: Investigation TA-201-75 
 
Dear Chairman Schmidtlein: 
 
As Governors representing states with a robust solar industry, we write to express our opposition to Suniva and SunWorld’s Section 201 petition requesting a high tariff on imported crystalline-silicon solar products and high minimum price floors for imported solar modules.  
 
The requested tariff could inflict a devastating blow on our states’ solar industries and lead to unprecedented job loss, at steep cost to our states’ economies. According to a study conducted by GTM Research, if granted, the tariff and price floors would cause module prices to double, leading solar installations – both utility-scale and consumer-installed – to drop by more than 50 percent in 2019. At a time when our citizens are demanding more clean energy, the tariff could cause America to lose out on 47 gigawatts of solar installations, representing billions of dollars of infrastructure investment in our states. 
 
Critically, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the requested tariff and price floor could result in a loss of 88,000 jobs nationwide, including thousands of manufacturing jobs.  
 
We request that the ITC give appropriate weight to these potentially enormous economic impacts on our states in making its decision. 
 
Sincerely,    
 
Brian Sandoval | Governor, State of Nevada 
John Hickenlooper | Governor, State of Colorado 
Charles D. Baker | Governor, State of Massachusetts 
Roy Cooper | Governor, State of North Carolina