Judge blocks higher White House tariffs on imported solar panels

Source: Reuters

Judge blocks higher White House tariffs on imported solar panels

PUBLISHED THU, DEC 5 2019 4:52 PM EST
Reuters
Jonathan Stempel

Dec 5 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge overseeing trade issues temporarily blocked the Trump administration on Thursday from reimposing tariffs on some imported double-sided solar panels, a defeat for domestic manufacturers that caused shares of some to fall.

Judge Gary Katzmann of the U.S. Court of International Trade in Manhattan said it was in the public interest to block trade officials from enforcing their decision to eliminate an exemption for so-called bifacial solar panels from the tariffs, while opponents challenge it in court.

Katzmann’s preliminary injunction is a victory for solar farm developers, including Chicago-based Invenergy Renewables LLC, that favored the exemption.

The office of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer did not respond to requests for comment.

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Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/05/reuters-america-judge-blocks-higher-white-house-tariffs-on-imported-solar-panels.html

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Source: Bloomberg

Trump Move to Kill Solar Loophole Blocked by Trade Court

By Brian Eckhouse and Brian Flood
12/5/2019, 11:05:52 AM Updated on 12/5/2019, 11:53:17 AM

▶ U.S. developers see exclusion on two-sided panels as a boon
▶ White House concluded it was bad for U.S. solar manufacturers

The ruling is a win for Invenergy LLC, Clearway Energy Group LLC and other American solar-farm developers that will continue to have a way to circumvent tariffs that Donald Trump imposed in early 2018. The exclusion for bifacial panels will now remain in place for potentially months until the issue is resolved in court.

“This is an important temporary reprieve,” Abigail Ross Hopper, chief executive officer of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said in a statement.

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Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-05/trump-move-to-kill-solar-tariff-loophole-blocked-by-trade-court