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Washington, DC – Today, Mike Carr, the executive director of the Solar Energy Manufacturers forAmerica (SEMA) Coalition responded to news of the removal of bifacial solar modules trade exemptions with the following statement:“We commend the Biden administration for closing the loophole in the 201 safeguard bifacial exemption that was opened in the previous administration. The 201 safeguard was so weakened as to be largely irrelevant through the bifacial exclusion. Lifting the exemption reinstates a 15% tariff, providing important, but sadly still insufficient, relief from anti-competitive trade practices until the tariff is set to expire in February 2026.
“We look forward to working with Customs and Border Protection to help craft a robust anti-stockpiling enforcement plan and are pleased to see their recognition of this burgeoning problem in today’s actions. This plan must include specifics on what documentation is required to prove that modules are utilized by December 2024, or the market will continue to contend with a glut of below cost of production modules.F inally, we hope to help craft solar trade monitoring systems akin to the robust regime the International Trade Administration currently provides for steel monitoring. This will help protect against continued efforts by Chinese-headquartered companies to protect their manufacturing cartel that manipulates global pricing to their advantage and the detriment of American manufacturing.
“These are important steps to protect good-paying American solar manufacturing jobs. As the President has acknowledged, protecting American solar manufacturing will require continued diligence and along-term commitment to trade enforcement so we can build a full solar energy supply chain in the United States.”
Contact:
Philippa Martinez-Berrier
philippa@semacoalition.org
