Voters are Opposed to Biden Administration’s Solar Emergency Declaration that Protects China’s Illegal Trade Activity
- 91% of likely voters think it’s important to have a domestic supply chain for solar energy and to produce solar equipment in the U.S.
- 80% of likely voters, including 76% of Democrats and 77% of Independents, are concerned that the Solar Emergency Declaration protects Chinese solar manufacturers who are illegally avoiding tariffs
- 62% of likely voters, including 61% of Democrats and 55% of Independents, support Congress passing legislation to repeal the Solar Emergency Declaration
WASHINGTON — A new poll of likely voters, conducted by Morning Consult for the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA), shows a significant majority (62%) of likely voters, including 61% of Democrats and 55% of Independents, support Congress passing bipartisan legislation (H.J. Res 39) to repeal the Biden administration’s Solar Emergency Declaration. This harmful rule protects Chinese solar manufacturers from facing tariffs until June 2024 despite a recent determination by the U.S. Commerce Department that Chinese solar manufacturers have been illegally avoiding tariffs. The poll also shows that 75% of likely voters believe China’s illegal trade practices in solar manufacturing should be either a big or major consideration for U.S. trade with China.
Under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), Congress can repeal rules enacted by the executive branch if they were enacted within 60 legislative days of the end of the last legislative session. Tomorrow, the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a markup on the Solar CRA (H. J. Res 39) and the full House will consider the bipartisan bill next week. CPA will be key voting the Solar CRA vote on the House floor and including it in its legislative scorecard.
The Morning Consult poll shows that 80% of likely voters, including 76% of Democrats and 77% of Independents, are concerned that the Solar Emergency Declaration protects Chinese solar manufacturers who are illegally avoiding tariffs on solar equipment. Additionally, 56% of likely voters, including 54% of Democrats and 44% of Independents, are more likely to vote for a candidate for Congress who supports repealing the Solar Emergency Declaration.
“Voters that will show up to the polls next November—including a strong majority of Democrats and Independents—are sending a clear message to Congress: pass the Solar CRA and end the Biden administration’s harmful rule that protects Chinese solar manufacturers that are illegally violating U.S. trade law,” said Michael Stumo, CEO of CPA. “We applaud Democrats and Republicans for recognizing that the Solar Emergency Declaration, which provides a get out of jail free card to China, was a serious misstep by the Biden administration. Congress should demand robust enforcement of U.S. trade law, especially in the face of illegal Chinese trade activity that harms American manufacturers and workers. We will be watching closely as lawmakers vote on the Solar CRA to see which side they are on: the side of American workers or China.”
Biden’s Solar Emergency Declaration came after intense lobbying by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), a trade association that was exposed as a front for Chinese solar manufacturers and whose members have been implicated in the use of forced labor in Xinjiang.Earlier this year, the Commerce Department announced it was investigating three of SEIA’s Chinese members for illegal trade activity. As The American Prospect reported, “SEIA’s membership includes U.S. subsidiaries of Chinese producers JinkoSolar, JA Solar, Trina Solar, BYD, and LONGi Solar, which are the dominant solar component manufacturers in the world.”
The Morning Consult poll found that an overwhelming majority (76%) of likely voters support requiring U.S. trade associations, like SEIA, to publicly disclose their relationships with Chinese companies and their U.S. subsidiaries. Additionally, 85% of likely voters are concerned that forced labor is used in China’s solar panel manufacturing supply chain.
Last month, a study by Cornell University researchers confirmed that reshoring the solar supply chain and boosting domestic solar manufacturing would significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30%. “If reshored PV manufacturing is achieved by 2035, the estimated GHG emissions and energy consumption from panel production would be 30% and 13% lower, respectively, than having relied on trading partners as in 2020,” the report states. “If the reshored manufacturing target is met by 2050, the climate impacts and energy use would then be reduced by 33% and 17%.”
As NBC recently reported, “research from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air and GEM published late last month showed China approved the highest number of new coal-fired plants since 2015 last year.” Incredibly, “Beijing authorized 106 gigawatts of new coal power capacity in 2022, four times higher than a year earlier and the equivalent of 100 large-fired power plants, the research said.”
The Morning Consult poll found that 64% of likely voters are opposed to continuing to import solar products into the U.S. that are made from coal-fired power plants in China or Chinese-controlled factories in Southeast Asia due to China’s massive construction of coal power to support its solar manufacturing supply chain.
Read the Key Takeaways from the Morning Consult poll here. Read the topline data from Morning Consult here and the full crosstabulation results here.
