Suniva, Seeking Tariffs on Foreign Solar Panels, Faces Tough Questions

"Why didn't manufacturers thrive while the rest of the U.S. solar industry was booming? How a federal commission answers that could upend an industry."

"At a federal hearing Tuesday to decide whether domestic makers of solar panels need tariff protection from imports, members of the U.S. International Trade Commission focused much of their questioning on why these companies had failed as the overall solar market was booming.

Was the reason, as solar panel manufacturers Suniva and SolarWorld complained, that they were overwhelmed by a tide of inexpensive imports—and that this could be remedied by a period of stiff tariffs and sharply increased prices?

Or was it, as the petition's critics asserted, that the domestic producers had crippled themselves through a series of strategic errors and bad decisions—and that rewarding them with protection would only damage the rest of the industry?"

Marianne Lavelle reports for InsideClimate News August 16, 2017.

Source: InsideClimate News, 08/17/2017