Negative Impacts on Solar Industry

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to an executive branch decision that will have a significant negative impact on the U.S. domestic solar industry, including in northwest Ohio, the home of the largest domestic solar production platform on this continent.

Last week, the U.S. Treasury issued initial guidance allowing solar project developers to qualify for a 10 percent domestic content bonus, even if the solar panels they use are made with foreign silicon wafers, 97 percent of which are produced in--guess where--China.

The new interpretation of the domestic content bonus established as part of the Inflation Reduction Act squanders a rare and critical opportunity to spur the renaissance of an end-to-end domestic solar manufacturing supply chain. It also ultimately rewards those who cut corners, offshore U.S. jobs, and buy cheaper subcomponents produced in China.

This administration must not allow China to undercut domestic manufacturers and American workers, and we all know how that is done with China's predatory practices.

Take steel. What China does is produce four times what the globe consumes annually in steel. Then they strategically dump it, including here, and drive down prices and drive out domestic manufacturing. We know the gig. We can't accept it.

Giving additional tax benefits to predatory practices and those who strategically cut corners to undermine fair trade rewards their bad behavior.

When a product is given the benefit of being called American made, that should include all steps and stages in the production process and its supply chain, including those silica-based chips.

``Made in the USA'' means made in the USA. The Biden administration should pay attention.

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