Creating Test for Trump, Panel Says Imported Solar Gear Hurts U.S. Firms
- 7 years ago
Creating Test for Trump, Panel Says Imported Solar Gear Hurts U.S. Firms
The commission ruled 4-0 in a case that focused on the question of whether the financial woes of two companies, Suniva
and SolarWorld Americas, were caused by their own business practices or by unfair competition, often from Chinese companies that benefit from state subsidies.
Scott Canada, a senior vice president at McCarthy Building Companies, said
that uncertainty surrounding the case had brought a flurry of business this year “to a screeching halt” and that the imposition of high tariffs could stall the industry for 18 months or more.
Although companies like Sunrun, which focuses on installing panels on residential rooftops, said they could withstand higher prices, developers of large-scale
projects said they were already seeing a slowdown as customers pulled back from committing to deals that could become uneconomical if costs rose.
WASHINGTON — A flood of imported solar equipment has seriously hurt American companies, the International Trade Commission ruled on
Friday, setting up a major test of President Trump’s willingness to use the protectionist measures he endorsed during the campaign.
“We brought this action because the U. S. solar manufacturing industry finds itself at the precipice of extinction
at the hands of foreign market overcapacity,” the company, which is based in Georgia, said in the statement.
The Solar Energy Industries Association has argued
that the petition filed with the commission by the companies was “deeply flawed” and that bad management, not trade injustices, had brought on their problems.
The commission ruled 4-0 in a case that focused on the question of whether the financial woes of two companies, Suniva
and SolarWorld Americas, were caused by their own business practices or by unfair competition, often from Chinese companies that benefit from state subsidies.
Scott Canada, a senior vice president at McCarthy Building Companies, said
that uncertainty surrounding the case had brought a flurry of business this year “to a screeching halt” and that the imposition of high tariffs could stall the industry for 18 months or more.
Although companies like Sunrun, which focuses on installing panels on residential rooftops, said they could withstand higher prices, developers of large-scale
projects said they were already seeing a slowdown as customers pulled back from committing to deals that could become uneconomical if costs rose.
WASHINGTON — A flood of imported solar equipment has seriously hurt American companies, the International Trade Commission ruled on
Friday, setting up a major test of President Trump’s willingness to use the protectionist measures he endorsed during the campaign.
“We brought this action because the U. S. solar manufacturing industry finds itself at the precipice of extinction
at the hands of foreign market overcapacity,” the company, which is based in Georgia, said in the statement.
The Solar Energy Industries Association has argued
that the petition filed with the commission by the companies was “deeply flawed” and that bad management, not trade injustices, had brought on their problems.