The US Trade Representative said Monday that President Donald Trump has approved recommendations to impose tariffs on imported solar cells and modules over the next four years. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the decision calls for a 30% “safeguard” tariff on modules and cells in the first year, declining to 25% in the second year, 20% in the third year and 15% in the fourth year. “Additionally, the first 2.5 GW of imported cells will be exempt from the safeguard tariff in each of those four years,” he said. Lighthizer said the USTR made the recommendations to the president based on consultations with the interagency Trade Policy Committee in response to findings by the independent, bipartisan US International Trade Commission. The ITC had said that increased foreign imports of solar cells and modules were a “substantial cause of serious injury to domestic manufacturers,” the USTR said. The main […]