Trump imposes tariffs on solar panels and washing machines in one of administration's most...

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post



Trump imposes tariffs on solar panels and washing machines in one of administration’s most significant trade actions

By Washington Post Staff January 22 at 5:17 PM

President Trump took action — among the most concrete yet — in two pending trade disputes, imposing tariffs on imported solar panels and washing machines. The move comes in response to petitions from American manufacturers that complained that rising imports were eating into their sales.

Trump acted under a provision of U.S. trade law authorizing global tariffs. The provision had not been used since President George W. Bush levied tariffs on imported steel in 2002.

Trump has railed against what he has called the unfair trade practices of other countries. He has ordered a renewed look at U.S. trade policies and prompted a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

###

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/01/22/trump-imposes-tariffs-on-solar-panels-and-washing-machines-in-one-of-administrations-most-significant-trade-actions

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Lots of rich people in America making shitloads of money off of business as usual

so I dont see this lasting long.

[jmowreader]

2. Are there any US manufacturers of solar panels?

And as for the "unfair trade practices of other countries"...the Trump Collection and Ivanka's merchandise are all still made overseas, correct?

[unblock]

3. they are made overseas precisely to take advantage of "unfair trade practices".

to reap the lower costs that a willingness to overwork workers and pollute the environment gets.

[alfredo]

4. There are some, but the majority of them come from China. The real target is US solar companies.

It's going to raise the price of solar, and that will help the coal industry.

[riversedge]

5. spot on. Trump wants coal and fossil fuels and this will help. damn.

[still_one]

9. absolutely. It also as the potential of starting trade wars, and history is not kind regarding that

[alfredo]

15. China won't be happy

[still_one]

16. Sorry, but it isn't that simple

[alfredo]

17. I know, but its just more shit to deal with.

We know they’ve been dumping, but there are US companies that could be hurt by the increase in costs. It could raise the per kilowatt cost of solar.

[still_one]

18. No doubt about it, and they sure did that with steel.

[alfredo]

22. We need China, and they need us.

They are lending us money to buy their goods.

[steventh]

6. top 10 solar panel manufacturers in th USA

according to Do It Yourself Solar Homes
http://diysolarhomes.com/blog/solar-panel-manufacturers/top-10-solar-panel-manufacturers-in-usa/

Some solar panel foreign manufacturers (China, Germany, Taiwan, Pakistan, Jordan)
https://www.enfsolar.com/directory/panel

[kirby]

7. I believe both 'US' companies that sued for this tarriff

are majority owned by foreign companies.

Suniva is 63% owned by a Chinese company
Solarworld is owned by a German company

[SeattleVet]

10. Yes, there are...

our system was all made in Washington State, and if we replace it we will get another one from in-state, because we get a much higher production incentive payment per Kilowatt put into the grid (and no state sales tax).

We got our system 5 years ago, and today the installed price for the same size system is about 50% of what we paid then, and the efficiency is up by about 40% per square foot of roof used. We can have a 50% increase (to go from 6KW to 9KW) for a lot less than the original system. The 30% federal tax credit has been extended to 2020. A new, larger system can pay for itself in about 6 years, even here in the Seattle area.

[Omaha Steve]

11. There is a HUGE plant in NY

Built where a steel mill used to be. It is in an HBO documentary.

[Jose Garcia]

21. Yes. That's requested the tariffs

[still_one]

8. trade wars are good

[gfwzig]

12. And how does this impact GE's new appliance factory in Mexico? or is it just against Samsung?

[riversedge]

13. HuffPost: Solar Industry Braces For Job Losses As Trump Puts Fees On Imported Panels

POLITICS 01/22/2018 05:22 pm ET Updated 1 hour ago


Solar Industry Braces For Job Losses As Trump Puts Fees On Imported Panels
The solar industry created 1 in every 50 new American jobs in 2016.


https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-solar-tariff_us_5a66328de4b0022830057908?ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067


By Alexander C. Kaufman
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
President Trump’s decision to impose a 30 percent tariff on imported solar equipment marks his most striking blow to renewable energy yet.

1.4k

For the past five years, the solar industry in the United States has boomed, becoming a reliable employment engine and giving hope to policymakers seeking to stave off the worst effects of climate change.

But late Monday afternoon, President Donald Trump approved import fees that analysts say will send the price of solar panels surging and halt hiring in an industry that has grown 17 times faster than the U.S. economy.

“It’s political fodder to make the United States look like it’s tough on China, and it’s protecting American jobs,” Noah Ginsburg, a director at a New York-based nonprofit that helps low-income communities install solar panels, told HuffPost. “But the reality on the ground is deploying these tariffs will destroy American jobs and negatively impact anyone who wants to participate in and benefit from clean energy.”

Solar companies created 1 in 50 new jobs in the U.S. in 2016, with the help of imported solar panels that drastically reduced prices. (The Solar Foundation projects that number will be even higher for 2017; its report on last year’s figures is due out in a few weeks.) Most of those jobs are at companies that install solar panels on rooftops and build large solar farms for utilities and big corporations.

At the same time, domestic solar panel manufacturers have suffered, unable to compete with cheaper rivals from abroad. Last year, Suniva, a Georgia-based manufacturer owned by a Chinese company, filed a trade complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) after declaring bankruptcy, arguing that it’s impossible to compete with cheap imports. In May, SolarWorld, the Oregon-based subsidiary of a German panel maker, joined the complaint. The companies requested that the White House impose fees on imported panels under the 1974 Trade Act that would more than double the price of solar cells from about 33 cents to roughly 78 cents per watt.......................................



?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale

[Puppyjive]

14. Appliances are crap

I am ready for appliance reform. Most of the appliances on the market are garbage. Can't speak for high end stuff, but my brother repairs appliances and most repairs cost more than replacing the appliance. The only ones that are halfway decent are made in America. The lifespan of appliances are about 1/4 of what they use to be. Maybe this tariff will be a good thing. Americans can and do make quality stuff, but somewhere along the way, someone at the top decided that profits were more important than quality and you can get people to buy 3 crappy refrigerators in stead of one good one. And to make more profit for those at the top, we will make them with cheap labor in other countries. Don't ever purchase a fridge with the ice maker in the fridge. Ice makers belong in the freezer section. I learned my lesson and listen to my bro. Sorry, rant over.

[still_one]

19. Solar Industry Braces For Job Losses As Trump Puts Fees On Imported Panels

"For the past five years, the solar industry in the United States has boomed, becoming a reliable employment engine and giving hope to policymakers seeking to stave off the worst effects of climate change.
But late Monday afternoon, President Donald Trump approved import fees that analysts say will send the price of solar panels surging and halt hiring in an industry that has grown 17 times faster than the U.S. economy.
“It’s political fodder to make the United States look like it’s tough on China, and it’s protecting American jobs,” Noah Ginsburg, a director at a New York-based nonprofit that helps low-income communities install solar panels, told HuffPost. “But the reality on the ground is deploying these tariffs will destroy American jobs and negatively impact anyone who wants to participate in and benefit from clean energy.” 
Solar companies created 1 in 50 new jobs in the U.S. in 2016, with the help of imported solar panels that drastically reduced prices. (The Solar Foundation projects that number will be even higher for 2017; its report on last year’s figures is due out in a few weeks.) Most of those jobs are at companies that install solar panels on rooftops and build large solar farms for utilities and big corporations."

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-solar-tariff_us_5a66328de4b0022830057908?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

[TomCADem]

20. Is this good or bad? Bernie Is Pro-Tariff...

...I thought being against tariffs made you a neoliberal?

Indeed, I recall Bernie saying at the start of Trump’s presidency that he could find common ground with Trump on trade and last month was urging Trump to pull the trigger and end NAFTA?

[Bradical79]

23. I'll be honest here

I have no clue if this is good, bad, somewhere in between... I find international trade to be a subject I'm woefully uneducated on.

[ripcord]

24. We should insist that companies who want to do business

In or with the US pay a living wage to their employees.