To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

×

If people don’t back independent journalism, it will die

Defeating Trump’s authoritarian takeover requires hard-hitting, people-powered journalism unafraid of making enemies or calling out villains. That’s the model that Common Dreams was built on from the beginning.

Right now, our team is doing the best, most consequential reporting we’ve ever done, keeping our millions of readers well-informed, inspired, and engaged—but we simply can’t do this work without your dedicated support.

If people don’t back independent journalism, it will die—it’s as simple as that. Will you make a gift to our Summer Campaign and keep the fearless, independent journalism of Common Dreams alive and strong?

If people don’t back independent journalism, it will die

Right now, our team is doing the best, most consequential reporting we’ve ever done, keeping our millions of readers well-informed, inspired, and engaged—but we simply can’t do this work without your dedicated support.

If people don’t back independent journalism, it will die—it’s as simple as that. Will you make a gift to our Summer Campaign and keep the fearless, independent journalism of Common Dreams alive and strong?

After Just a Few Months, Trump's Solar Tariffs Blamed for Billions in Shelved Clean Energy Projects

Solar workers install panels on the roof of a home in San Francisco, California on May 9, 2018. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

After Just a Few Months, Trump's Solar Tariffs Blamed for Billions in Shelved Clean Energy Projects

Trump-imposed tariffs have reportedly cost Americans thousands of jobs

NewsClimateEconomy

Since President Donald Trump approved a "reckless" 30 percent tariff on imported panel materials in January, U.S. clean energy developers have shelved more than $2.5 billion in solar projects, moves that have cost thousands of American jobs, according to Reuters.

"There could be substantially more employment without a tariff."
--Tom Werner,
Sunpower Corporation

The first company to fall victim to the Trump-imposed tariff--which will decline by five percent annually over a four-year period--announced it would halt a planned $20 million expansion just days after the president signed off on the U.S. International Trade Commission proposal, but others quickly followed suit.

"Leading utility-scale developer Cypress Creek Renewables LLC said it had been forced to cancel or freeze $1.5 billion in projects--mostly in the Carolinas, Texas, and Colorado--because the tariff raised costs beyond the level where it could compete," Reuters reports.

Those 150 or so stalled projects "would have employed three thousand or more workers during installation" and "accounted for a fifth of the company's overall pipeline." Southern Current has similarly slashed plans for $1 billion of projects.

Pine Gate, citing Trump's tariff, "withdrew an 80-megawatt project that would have cost up to $150 million from consideration in a bidding process held by Southern Co. utility Georgia Power," is only pursuing half of the 400 megawatts of solar installations it had planned 2018, and will no longer add 30 permanent employees.

The collective cost of just these three developers' decisions, Reuters notes, works out to "more than double the about $1 billion in new spending plans announced by firms building or expanding U.S. solar panel factories to take advantage of the tax on imports."

Government figures prior to Trump's announcement revealed that the U.S. solar industry employs more people than coal, oil, and natural gas combined--but as Sunpower Corporation's chief executive Tom Werner pointed out, "There could be substantially more employment without a tariff."

Although SunPower bought the U.S. manufacturer SolarWorld's Oregon factory and saved its 280 jobs after the tariff announcement, the company said it also has to fire 250 people in other roles because of the president's move.

Ultimately, Reuters concludes, "Trump's tariff has boosted the domestic manufacturing sector as intended, which over time could significantly raise U.S. panel production and reduce prices."

However, as Martin Pochtaruk, president of Heliene--which is opening a U.S. facility that will employ up to 140 workers--explained: "The factories are highly automated. You don't employ too many humans."

The report comes amid growing concerns about automation and the climate crisis, which bolster calls for a total transition to renewable energy. The Trump administration, meanwhile, recently revealed it is working on plans to give failing coal and nuclear facilities--which can't compete with cheaper, cleaner energy--a taxpayer-funder bailout.

An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder


Dear Common Dreams reader,

The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets.

That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done.

Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good.

Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support.

That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you.

Our Summer Campaign is now underway, and there’s never been a more urgent time for Common Dreams to be as vigilant as possible. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams?

Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most.

- Craig Brown, Co-founder

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
renewable energytaxationtrumpism

Since President Donald Trump approved a "reckless" 30 percent tariff on imported panel materials in January, U.S. clean energy developers have shelved more than $2.5 billion in solar projects, moves that have cost thousands of American jobs, according to Reuters.

"There could be substantially more employment without a tariff."
--Tom Werner,
Sunpower Corporation

The first company to fall victim to the Trump-imposed tariff--which will decline by five percent annually over a four-year period--announced it would halt a planned $20 million expansion just days after the president signed off on the U.S. International Trade Commission proposal, but others quickly followed suit.

"Leading utility-scale developer Cypress Creek Renewables LLC said it had been forced to cancel or freeze $1.5 billion in projects--mostly in the Carolinas, Texas, and Colorado--because the tariff raised costs beyond the level where it could compete," Reuters reports.

Those 150 or so stalled projects "would have employed three thousand or more workers during installation" and "accounted for a fifth of the company's overall pipeline." Southern Current has similarly slashed plans for $1 billion of projects.

Pine Gate, citing Trump's tariff, "withdrew an 80-megawatt project that would have cost up to $150 million from consideration in a bidding process held by Southern Co. utility Georgia Power," is only pursuing half of the 400 megawatts of solar installations it had planned 2018, and will no longer add 30 permanent employees.

The collective cost of just these three developers' decisions, Reuters notes, works out to "more than double the about $1 billion in new spending plans announced by firms building or expanding U.S. solar panel factories to take advantage of the tax on imports."

Government figures prior to Trump's announcement revealed that the U.S. solar industry employs more people than coal, oil, and natural gas combined--but as Sunpower Corporation's chief executive Tom Werner pointed out, "There could be substantially more employment without a tariff."

Although SunPower bought the U.S. manufacturer SolarWorld's Oregon factory and saved its 280 jobs after the tariff announcement, the company said it also has to fire 250 people in other roles because of the president's move.

Ultimately, Reuters concludes, "Trump's tariff has boosted the domestic manufacturing sector as intended, which over time could significantly raise U.S. panel production and reduce prices."

However, as Martin Pochtaruk, president of Heliene--which is opening a U.S. facility that will employ up to 140 workers--explained: "The factories are highly automated. You don't employ too many humans."

The report comes amid growing concerns about automation and the climate crisis, which bolster calls for a total transition to renewable energy. The Trump administration, meanwhile, recently revealed it is working on plans to give failing coal and nuclear facilities--which can't compete with cheaper, cleaner energy--a taxpayer-funder bailout.

Since President Donald Trump approved a "reckless" 30 percent tariff on imported panel materials in January, U.S. clean energy developers have shelved more than $2.5 billion in solar projects, moves that have cost thousands of American jobs, according to Reuters.

"There could be substantially more employment without a tariff."
--Tom Werner,
Sunpower Corporation

The first company to fall victim to the Trump-imposed tariff--which will decline by five percent annually over a four-year period--announced it would halt a planned $20 million expansion just days after the president signed off on the U.S. International Trade Commission proposal, but others quickly followed suit.

"Leading utility-scale developer Cypress Creek Renewables LLC said it had been forced to cancel or freeze $1.5 billion in projects--mostly in the Carolinas, Texas, and Colorado--because the tariff raised costs beyond the level where it could compete," Reuters reports.

Those 150 or so stalled projects "would have employed three thousand or more workers during installation" and "accounted for a fifth of the company's overall pipeline." Southern Current has similarly slashed plans for $1 billion of projects.

Pine Gate, citing Trump's tariff, "withdrew an 80-megawatt project that would have cost up to $150 million from consideration in a bidding process held by Southern Co. utility Georgia Power," is only pursuing half of the 400 megawatts of solar installations it had planned 2018, and will no longer add 30 permanent employees.

The collective cost of just these three developers' decisions, Reuters notes, works out to "more than double the about $1 billion in new spending plans announced by firms building or expanding U.S. solar panel factories to take advantage of the tax on imports."

Government figures prior to Trump's announcement revealed that the U.S. solar industry employs more people than coal, oil, and natural gas combined--but as Sunpower Corporation's chief executive Tom Werner pointed out, "There could be substantially more employment without a tariff."

Although SunPower bought the U.S. manufacturer SolarWorld's Oregon factory and saved its 280 jobs after the tariff announcement, the company said it also has to fire 250 people in other roles because of the president's move.

Ultimately, Reuters concludes, "Trump's tariff has boosted the domestic manufacturing sector as intended, which over time could significantly raise U.S. panel production and reduce prices."

However, as Martin Pochtaruk, president of Heliene--which is opening a U.S. facility that will employ up to 140 workers--explained: "The factories are highly automated. You don't employ too many humans."

The report comes amid growing concerns about automation and the climate crisis, which bolster calls for a total transition to renewable energy. The Trump administration, meanwhile, recently revealed it is working on plans to give failing coal and nuclear facilities--which can't compete with cheaper, cleaner energy--a taxpayer-funder bailout.

renewable energytaxationtrumpism
Join the Conversation