Subject: Request for country-wide circumvention inquiries brought by Auxin Solar
Secretary Raimondo:
RENEW Northeast submits this letter to express its concern about a request for country-wide circumvention inquiries brought by Auxin Solar – a single, small U.S. manufacturer – covering crystalline silicon photovoltaic (“CSPV”) products imported from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Auxin Solar is attempting to single-handedly expand the reach of antidumping and countervailing duties on solar products from China for the majority of solar imports into the United States.
RENEW is an association uniting environmental advocates and developers and operators of the region’s largest clean energy projects, which include small hydropower, offshore wind, land-based wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage. RENEW’s mission involves coordinating the ideas and resources of its members with the goal of increasing environmentally sustainable energy generation in New England from the region’s abundant renewable energy resources.1 RENEW advocates for pro-solar states policies to support President Biden’s goal of the United States being a leader in clean energy technologies.
The Auxin Solar request would have far-reaching effects on the U.S. solar industry, including U.S. manufacturers that rely upon cells from the targeted countries for CSPV cells used in module production. Anti-circumvention inquiries could hurt the work of my members that provide critical clean energy services to American homes and businesses. Imports of CSPV cells and modules are critical to maintain a stable supply of materials and to ensure that the U.S. solar industry continues to thrive – and that the Biden Administration meets its clean energy goals. By targeting the vast majority of CSPV cell and module imports into the United States, the requested anti-circumvention inquiries could threaten existing and future solar projects that rely on imports, in addition to the well-paid solar jobs that these projects create.
RENEW, therefore, strongly urges you to dismiss Auxin Solar’s request and decline to initiate this harmful action against American clean energy supply chains.
Sincerely,
Francis Pullaro
Executive Director
RENEW Northeast
1 The positions herein represent the views of RENEW and not necessarily those of any particular member of RENEW.