SEMA Coalition Weighs in on 301 Tariff Announcement

Tariff announcement sets new precedent for solar supply chain

Washington, DC – Today, following the announcement that the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will increase tariffs on wafers and polysilicon under Section 301, Mike Carr, Executive Director of the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America (SEMA) Coalition, released the following statement:

“SEMA greatly appreciates Ambassador Tai’s work on behalf of American solar workers to increase tariffs on China’s polysilicon and wafer imports. It is an important precedent that a 50% tariff will soon cover the whole solar module supply chain in China. These trade measures will begin to counter the pervasive Chinese government subsidies in solar manufacturing. It is a step in the right direction. But we must go a step further to expand this approach and address the significant trade distortion that exists outside of China from Chinese-owned solar companies to fundamentally help put U.S. workers on a more level playing field.”