Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper joined three other governors this week in urging the U.S. International Trade Commission against supporting tariffs on solar panel products, warning it could cost the U.S. 88,000 jobs.
“The requested tariff could inflict a devastating blow on our states’ solar industries and lead to unprecedented job loss, at steep cost to our states’ economies,” the governors wrote in a letter dated Thursday and sent to the commission’s chair, Rhonda Schmidtlein.
Before the commission is a petition requesting that tariffs be placed on imported crystalline-silicon solar products in order to bolster the business of domestic solar-panel companies.
Other governors who signed on to the letter include Brian Sandoval of Nevada, Charles Baker of Massachusetts and Roy Cooper of North Carolina.
“According to a study conducted by GTM Research, if granted, the tariff and price floors would cause module prices to double, leading solar installations – both utility-scale and consumer-installed – to drop by more than 50 percent in 2019,” the governors wrote. “At a time when our citizens are demanding more clean energy, the tariff could cause America to lose out on 47 gigawatts of solar installations, representing billions of dollars of infrastructure investment in our states.”
Bloomberg reports solar developers have already halted construction as the looming threat of the tariffs — requested in April after a bankrupt panel manufacturer filed a trade complaint — has already driven up prices and caused supply issues. President Donald Trump can ultimately decide whether to impose the tariffs, according to the news service, after they go before the trade commission.
The trade commission has until Friday to review the tariffs and send its findings to Trump, Bloomberg reports.
The Solar Energy Industries Association estimates Colorado would lose 2,000 solar jobs next year if the tariffs are granted.
Colorado’s solar power sector has grown quickly as the state works to drastically cut back carbon emissions In 2016, Colorado’s solar power capacity increased by 70 percent over the previous 12 months.
