Reading The Post’s recent editorial on tariffs against China provided a flashback to 2012. Then, the United States failed to fully enforce our trade laws to ensure the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was successful. The result? A surge of dumped solar panels, the shuttering of U.S. solar companies and an America too dependent on Chinese companies to reach our climate goals.
The Inflation Reduction Act gave new life to America’s ability to innovate and manufacture solar components, so we can quickly, sustainably and reliably deploy solar at the scale needed to address the climate crisis. Yes, the jobs created by manufacturing are vital. But it’s also far better for the climate if the American solar industry is strong. The innovations in solar (not to mention the creation of solar power itself) have long come out of the United States and Europe. And solar products made in China are 30 to 40 percent more carbon intensive to produce than solar components made in America.
The Biden administration is not taking an extraordinary measure with these tariffs; it is simply enforcing our trade laws on the books. If we are serious about achieving our climate goals, we should not trade our dependence on foreign oil for dependence on Chinese-owned solar companies. The next generation of clean energy is possible only if our trade laws are enforced.
Tim Brightbill, Washington
The writer is lead counsel for the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee.