Biden waives solar panel tariffs, seeks to boost production

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is invoking the Defense Production Act to increase U.S. manufacturing of solar panels while declaring a two-year tariff exemption on panels from Southeast Asia.

The moves announced Monday are attempting to jumpstart an industry key to meeting the Democratic president’s climate change-fighting goals that advocates say have been disrupted by a federal investigation.

The White House says the moves are being implemented using executive actions and presidential proclamations.

The moves follow months of complaints by industry groups, which say the solar sector is being slowed by supply chain problems due to an ongoing Commerce Department inquiry into possible trade violations involving Chinese products.

The U.S. is on track to triple domestic solar manufacturing capacity by 2024, according to the White House.

In addition to Biden’s new actions, he is calling on Congress to “pass tax cuts and additional investments that advance U.S. clean energy manufacturing and deployment.”

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