President Donald Trump’s attempt to create U.S. jobs by taxing solar panel imports could backfire.
That’s according to the CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association trade group, who says it’s domestic workers that will feel the pain.
“We have been the fastest growing form of new energy...and this is putting the brakes on that crazy growth,” Abigail Ross Hopper told Cheddar in an interview. “These are not people who are looking for what nationality the company they work for is. They just want to feed their families and pay their mortgages. And those are the people whose jobs are at risk.”
Earlier this week President Trump signed a law that would impose a 30 percent tariff on imported solar panel and sells, a move the administration says will encourage domestic manufacturing.
But the SEIA says the vast majority of the 260,000 Americans employed in the industry work in peripheral industries like installation. Ross Hopper says the bill will result in 23,000 layoffs this year and delay or cancel billions of dollars of investment in the sector.
She also says it might dissuade U.S. consumers from going green.
“Most [businesses and consumers] want to choose solar because it saves them money,” she said. “This decision changes that calculus.”
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/solar-power-in-america).
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, December 10, 2019.
House Democrats handed the president one of his biggest legislative victories, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to replace NAFTA, even as they announce articles of impeachment against him.
Stocks in the U.S. opened higher Tuesday, reversing pre-market losses after a report in the Wall Street Journal signified that American and Chinese negotiators were preparing to delay the next round of tariffs, scheduled to go into effect Sunday. The Journal cited sources close to the matter on both sides of the table.
House Democrats announced two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump Tuesday morning: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
The lawyers for both parties on the Intelligence Committee where the initial public hearings were held last month, had the opportunity to present findings from their respective investigations.
The company confirmed late Friday that it will move 1,500 employees into 350,000 square feet of space in a new building in the Hudson Yards development on the far west side of Manhattan.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, December 9, 2019.
Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell said the House Judiciary Committee could be drafting the articles as early as next week, but while abuse of power is sure to be included, she is unsure if other articles, like obstruction of justice and obstruction of Congress, will be drafted.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Chris Walsh, founding editor and vice president, will take over at the start of 2020. Cheddar caught up with Walsh in advance of his new appointment to hear his thoughts on MJBizCon, vaping, cannabis politics, and the future of the industry.
