Focus on manufacturing first, then apply tariffs

.

TO THE EDITOR:

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee voted to reinstate tariffs on solar panel imports from several Southeast Asian countries after President Joe Biden paused them in a bid to boost solar installations in the U.S., a key part of his climate agenda.

The House vote would overturn Biden's action last year pausing threatened tariffs that had led to delays or cancellations of hundreds of solar projects across the United States. Legislation would have reinstated tariffs the Biden administration lifted on solar manufacturing managed by certain Chinese companies. Kildee is accusing the companies of violating U.S. trade policy. Kildee said they need to be held accountable for poor labor practices and stealing intellectual property.

The lifting of tariffs on production and importation of solar panels can not hurt American manufacturers when America is not manufacturing solar panels. It does allow for American businesses and workers to continue projects involving solar energy and those projects that are ready to be rolled out. Are you protecting manufactures which make up 2.7% of the industry, at the cost of jobs? About 75% of all solar manufacturing comes from China. Finding 100% American-made solar panels can be complex. Whereas many American solar companies manufacture their solar panels overseas, even those that manufacture solar panels may not source most of the solar panel components from the U.S.

To complicate matters, solar companies that are based in the United States may not manufacture their solar panels in the U.S., and companies that manufacture solar panels in America may have headquarters abroad. Kildee said in the "long run" the decision to veto his bill hurts American manufacturers - "My view is let's take the long view and build American production capacity and not let the sort of short-term interest override the long-term goal of simultaneously shifting toward renewable energy sources."

Another "long view" might be to lift this particular tariff until the U.S. gets solar manufacturing plants up and running and then put the hammer down.

By doing this we keep American workers working.

CHARLES RUSSIAN

Sanford