Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Tim Scott (R-SC), members of the Senate Committee on Finance, this week sent a letter to President Trump urging him to lift the 30 percent tariff on imported solar panels and solar cells that he created on January 23, 2018.
“Lifting the tariff is necessary to protect American workers,” the senators wrote. “The U.S. solar industry anticipated employing nearly 300,000 Americans in 2020, prior to the announcement of the tariffs, providing new employment opportunities for our constituents. However, we are concerned the 30 percent tariff will undermine these job opportunities.”
The President’s solar tariff is estimated to result in thousands of jobs that are negatively impacted in 2018. In the letter, the senators outlined specific projects that could be built if the tariff is lifted. Among these examples are three solar projects in Colorado that would create 450 jobs and represent $160 million in investment, and solar installations in South Carolina that would power approximately 15,000 homes.
The President’s proclamation imposing the tariff includes a provision that allows him to “reduce, modify, or terminate” the tariff.
“We urge you to use this unique opportunity to lift the solar tariffs, in order to allow hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. energy infrastructure projects to be built,” the senators wrote.
A copy of the letter is available HERE.