WASHINGTON (May 17, 2012) -- Today, the Commerce Department announced that solar panels imported from China will face duties ranging from 31 to 250 percent as a result of Chinese solar technologies being illegally dumped into the U.S. market. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee and a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, praised the Obama administration for defending American manufacturers from manipulative Chinese practices. The price of solar panels fell by 50 percent in the United States in 2011, and led directly to the bankruptcy of several American companies.   
 
Last December, Markey sent a letter along with 58 House and Senate colleagues to President Obama calling for a rigorous investigation into unfair Chinese trade practices in solar technologies.
 
Below is the statement of Rep. Markey:
 
“The short-term benefits of cheap Chinese solar panels do not outweigh the long-term economic costs to America resulting from shipping the entire panel manufacturing industry to China. Predatory trade practices that undermine American industry and workers cannot be tolerated in any industry, but especially in one that holds such great promise for growth and job creation. I applaud the actions taken by the Commerce Department today and believe it is a step towards restoring healthy competition to the sector.”
 
“Today’s announcement should be a wake-up call to the Republicans in Congress who have spent the last year chastising, investigating, and cutting support for the American solar industry. Rather than standing up to defend an American industry under siege by a foreign government, Republicans instead chose to join in the attack.”
 
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