In a House Oversight subcommittee hearing on Feb. 26, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was hit with the usual swipes from detractors, with some calling it the “green scam”, but China’s solar company benefits were never mentioned.
CPA announced key leadership changes as CEO Michael Stumo steps down to take on a new role in the Trump administration. Jon Toomey has been elevated as President of CPA to lead the organization and Nick Iacovella has been promoted to Executive Vice President.
The duties impact several major Chinese solar brands, including Jinko Solar and Trina Solar, as well as Vietnamese manufacturers that Commerce believes have been circumventing tariffs by importing components from mainland China for final assembly.
The U.S. Private Sector Job Quality Index (JQI) is now 84.04, down by 0.49% compared to last month. This continues the multi-month JQI decline trend. Meanwhile, the overall January 2025 Jobs Report from the government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics showed 143,000 jobs added in January.
Valentine will bolster CPA’s advocacy efforts at the federal, state, and local levels, working to advance pro-American trade and economic policies that support domestic manufacturing, strengthen supply chains, and protect American workers.
JA Solar is a member of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)—a solar importers lobby deeply connected to Chinese companies—that has been a consistent advocate for policies to benefit China solar imports.
The geopolitics of solar are impacting a number of top China solar companies. Trina Solar is the latest. Tariffs on solar made in their southeast Asian factories were increased this month for circumventing duties, and a $235 million investment into Texas was sold in late 2024.
The report highlights the critical state of the U.S. domestic solar manufacturing industry and lays out actionable policy recommendations to secure America’s abundant energy future through a diversified energy portfolio that includes a robust advanced solar manufacturing technology supply chain, while reducing dependence on Chinese imports.
Widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading experts on tariffs, industrial policy, economic modeling, and trade policy, Ferry’s contributions to CPA and the broader economic policy landscape have been transformative.
Biden’s signature climate change-related spending policy, the Inflation Reduction Act, is said to be going under the knife once Trump takes office in January. But with Republican districts now full of solar, and solar manufacturing facilities, the real risk is changes to the so-called 45X tax credit.
