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Trump says solar tariff will create ‘a lot of jobs.’ But it could wipe out many more.
As a result, the installation and maintenance side of the solar industry has grown by leaps and bounds since 2010, along with businesses that manufacture supporting products, such as the steel racks used to mount solar panels. Those sectors account for the majority of the 260,000 solar jobs. Meanwhile, on the other side of the industry, 30 U.S. solar-cell manufacturers have closed since 2012, laying off hundreds of workers, and the remaining two companies have filed for bankruptcy. [ read more … ]
Will Trump’s solar tariffs really boost U.S. manufacturing?
The White House is playing up a piece of its recent solar trade decision — but analysts are uncertain whether it will have the Trump administration’s desired effect. At issue is a provision that would allow U.S. manufacturers to import up to 2.5 gigawatts of solar cells without paying tariffs. The goal was to give domestic panel-makers an incentive to bring more inputs from abroad to build more modules within the United States. [ read more … ]
Company halts $20M expansion because of tariffs
A California solar company is putting a $20 million expansion on hold because of President Trump’s solar tariffs, E&E News has confirmed. The announcement from SunPower Corp., first reported by Reuters, could affect hundreds of planned factory jobs in Texas and California, according to the company. SunPower manufactures solar cells primarily outside the United States. [ read more … ]
Solar Developer Sees Trump Tariffs Giving Gas Rivals a Boost
SolarReserve LLC, a California-based renewable-energy developer, said President Donald Trump’s decision to slap tariffs on solar equipment imports will benefit the U.S. gas industry. Raising prices for the goods to enter the U.S. will cause a slowdown in the solar sector, the company’s Chief Executive Officer Kevin Smith said in a phone interview Thursday. The duties will eliminate up to 25,000 jobs, he said. [ read more … ]
Emboldened Virginia governor asks lawmakers to support carbon cap
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is seeking legislative approval to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a nine-state cap-and-trade program. Such a plan would have been doomed to fail only months ago. With little prospect of getting past Virginia’s Republican-dominated General Assembly, Northam’s predecessor and political patron, Terry McAuliffe, proposed joining the compact via executive order. [ read more … ]
California looks to ramp up electric vehicle sales
Brown set a new target of 5 million zero-emission vehicles in California by 2030, up from a prior target of 1.5 million by 2025. Brown wants the state to spend $2.5 billion over eight years to add 250,000 vehicle charging stations and 200 hydrogen fueling stations by 2025. Automakers have announced plans to spend tens of billions of dollars to add dozens of new EV models. [ read more … ]
California Governor Pushes for 5 Million Zero-Emission Cars
Gov. Jerry Brown outlined a $2.5 billion plan Friday to help Californians buy electric vehicles and expand a network of charging stations as part of a goal of getting 5 million zero-emission cars on the road by 2030. The ambitious proposal to transform California’s car culture comes as Brown begins his final year in office and works to set the stage for his environmental legacy to continue under his successor. The Democratic governor has positioned California as a global leader in fighting climate change amid President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord. [ read more … ]
For Jerry Brown, the Face of California’s Old Order, the Ranch Is Calling
When Jerry Brown became the 34th governor of California in 1975, he was a young and impetuous bachelor who slept on a box spring and took pleasure in defying political convention. He was the vanguard of the left, the face and spirit of a new generation of a state that — politically and culturally — was proudly distinct from the rest of the nation. He has been such a fixture ever since that it seems impossible to imagine California without him. [ read more … ]
Air chief won’t target Calif. waiver ‘right away’
U.S. EPA’s air chief is trying to sound a conciliatory tone as tricky negotiations over clean car rules ramp up, but he isn’t ruling out a future effort to torpedo California’s ability to set its own rules for car pollution. Speaking to the Washington Auto Show yesterday, EPA air chief Bill Wehrum committed to work out differences in tailpipe rules with California in an attempt to soothe industry concerns about a regulatory patchwork. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.