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U.S. trade commission recommends tariffs on solar energy equipment
In a case that has riven the booming American solar energy sector for six months, the U.S. International Trade Commission recommended levying comparatively modest tariffs on imports of silicon-based solar photovoltaic cells and solar panels. The measures recommended Tuesday by the ITC’s four commissioners include establishing a licensing fee on some equipment, an idea developed by the Solar Energy Industries Assn., and tariffs on silicon-based solar cells of up to 30%, as well as tariffs on solar panels that range from 10% to 35%. [ read more … ]
USITC Announces Remedy Recommendations in its Global Safeguard Investigation Involving Imports of Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells (Whether or Not Partially or Fully Assembled into Other Products
Today’s action follows the Commission’s September 22, 2017, determination that crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells (whether or not partially or fully assembled into other products) are being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury to the domestic industry producing an article like or directly competitive with the imported article. [ read more … ]
Rick Perry’s Plan To Help Coal Could Hold Back Renewables, But It Isn’t The Only Barrier
Nationwide, the trend is clear: States that are swimming in wind potential remain dominated by non-renewable energy, and neighboring states with similar potential have widely different production. Secretary Perry’s proposal would prevent states with high potential from taking full advantage of their resources. But it’s not the only barrier to further growth. Political and regulatory realities are holding back renewables at a time when climate realities should be propelling them forward. [ read more … ]
California governor heads to Europe for climate talks
California Gov. Jerry Brown is continuing his international fight against climate change with an 11-day trip to Europe starting Saturday including stops at the Vatican and a United Nations conference in Germany. Govs. Kate Brown of Oregon, Jay Inslee of Washington and Terry McAuliffe of Virginia — all Democrats — will join him on a panel about states’ roles in fighting climate change. California Senate leader Kevin de Leon, also a Democrat, is scheduled to speak Friday at a Vatican workshop on climate. [ read more … ]
Hill woes boost agencies’ roles — FERC chairman
Congressional gridlock has expanded the roles of federal agencies in setting policy, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Neil Chatterjee said in an interview today. “Because of the difficulty in getting major policy through the legislative branch, more and more public policy is being made in these agencies,” he said. “The role of these agencies is becoming really, really important — FERC, in particular.” [ read more … ]
EPA gives final thumbs-down to ozone proposal
Almost four years after getting the request, U.S. EPA has rendered its verdict on Northeastern states’ proposal for a historic expansion of a regional ozone control program: No. The final decision, contained in a rule signed late last month by EPA chief Scott Pruitt, rejects the December 2013 petition by Connecticut and eight other states to add all or part of another nine states as far west as Illinois to the Ozone Transport Region. [ read more … ]
Public back New England offshore
Public support for offshore wind projects in New England is higher than perceived, according to a research by the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In an online poll of 89 residents, 83 (93%) said they supported the sector, while they estimated around 53% of fellow New Englanders held the same belief. [ read more … ]
Research spat morphs into $10M lawsuit
A Stanford University professor is suing the National Academy of Sciences and a former grid researcher for $10 million for taking a sledgehammer to his study that found the world could be powered solely on wind, solar and hydropower. Professor Mark Jacobson filed the complaint against NAS and Christopher Clack in District of Columbia Superior Court on Sept. 29. [ read more … ]
Law professor says he regrets ‘unleashing’ Pruitt
Scott Pruitt’s former law professor says he laments any role he played in “unleashing” the U.S. EPA administrator on an “unsuspecting public.” In an op-ed in the Santa Fe New Mexican, Rex Zedalis, director of the Comparative and International Law Center at the University of Tulsa, questions whether he did not do enough to keep politics out of the classroom, or hold back his own cynicism. [ read more … ]
Meet the ‘eco right’ pushing for a carbon fee
Over the summer, Democratic Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Brian Schatz of Hawaii introduced legislation to instate a carbon tax to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and said they were looking for a Republican co-sponsor. A glimmer of hope for them emerged when Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina publicly endorsed the plan in September. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.