WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Some U.S. industry associations, think tanks and renowned business brands are joining a chorus of opposition to possible hefty tariffs on imported solar panels.
In the latest sign of a growing coalition against a petition asking President Donald Trump to impose heavy import duties on solar panels, electric automaker Tesla announced Tuesday that the company is lobbying against the petition, filed in May by solar manufacturers Suniva and SolarWorld.
"Although we are currently building the largest solar cell and module manufacturing plant in the U.S., we still oppose this petition," a Tesla spokesman told the press.
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will decide by Sept. 22 whether solar imports have harmed domestic producers and recommend remedies to the president by Nov. 13.
The prospect of a drastic price hike has prompted concern within the solar sector and beyond.
A steep rise in panel prices "could be huge and disastrous for large-scale solar," Tom Werner, chief executive of leading U.S. solar company Sunpower Corp., told Reuters.
Thanks to low-cost solar products from China and several other Asian countries, the U.S. solar sector has registered robust performances in the past several years and now provides more than 260,000 jobs, mostly construction workers installing rooftop panels or building solar farms.
Earlier this month, the Energy Trade Action Coalition (ETAC) officially started to coordinate opposition to the solar trade case.
The ETAC will "fight the misuse of trade remedies, with an initial focus on the Section 201 trade petition on imported solar components," according to a statement it issued to announce its establishment.
The coalition states its mission is to "raise awareness of the importance of maintaining access to globally priced products to support American energy industry competitiveness, sustain tens of thousands of good-paying American manufacturing jobs, and preserve the principles of free trade in a global marketplace."
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), which spearheaded the fight against new import tariffs, is also a member of the ETAC.
"SEIA has been vehemently opposed to this petition from the beginning, and we know there are a lot of other organizations and industries that have similar beliefs about this case," Dan Whitten, the company's vice president of communications, told Greentech Media.
"This coalition provides a coordinated platform for groups to come together to voice concerns about the harm this could cause to the more than 260,000 Americans working in solar today. This is not a partisan issue. The damages that would result if this petition prevails would be widespread," he said.
A recent study by the SEIA found that a third of the current U.S. solar workforce would be lost if the Suniva-SolarWorld proposals are granted.
The Heritage Foundation is also a member of the ETAC. Tori Whiting, a researcher with the think tank, said imposing solar tariffs as requested by Suniva and SolarWorld "would be a step backward by adding another layer of federal subsidies, which is something the Heritage Foundation opposes in all instances."
