A measure that would retroactively reinstate a tariff on solar panels made with Chinese parts in Southeast Asia was passed Friday by the House, 221-202, which is short of the support needed to overcome a promised veto by President Joe Biden.
The joint resolution would nullify a Commerce Department rule that grants import tariff waivers to solar materials coming from China, through four Southeast Asian nations and ultimately to the U.S. China is the world’s largest maker of solar energy technology and the U.S. is dependent on imports to sustain its solar industry.
“The United States can and should focus its resources into developing our own solar products and boosting American competitiveness around the world rather than supporting China’s quest to dominate the market and control energy supply,” Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., the sponsor, said before passage Friday.
