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Democrats From Senate, House Tell ITC They Support New Solar AD/CVD Petition

A half-dozen Democratic senators, led by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, along with Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and a half-dozen Democrats in the House told the International Trade Commission that they support the antidumping and countervailing duty petitions filed in April (see 2404240071) targeting solar panel manufacturers in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

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The politicians wrote: "We support the petitions against these entities -- many of which have previously been found to have engaged in illegal dumping in violation of our nation’s trade laws -- to ensure America’s solar workers have the chance to compete on a level playing field." They noted that 84% of imported panels came from these countries, and that Chinese companies own most of the exporters. "China’s dominance of the solar supply chain creates significant energy security risks, in addition to stifling domestic job growth and harming American manufacturing potential," they wrote. "This industry cannot reach its full potential in the U.S. if China's companies operate as a one-nation solar cartel."

The U.S. solar manufacturing industry employs 34,000, they said.