On September 21, 2022, the Senate passed the Kigali Amendment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol by a vote of 69 to 27. While many have described the passage as largely symbolic it re-affirms the US’s commitment to the hydrofluorocarbon (“HFC”) phasedown, the implementation of which is already causing shifts in import and export markets, as well as the consumer market.
Continue Reading U.S. Doubles Down On Its Commitment to Reducing HFCs
On June 6, 2022, President Biden declared a national emergency (the “Declaration”) in relation to energy resources and temporarily extended the time of duty-free importation of solar panels and parts
Continue Reading President Puts Hold on Tariffs and Duties On Solar Panels and Parts of Solar Panels From Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a rule intending to reduce the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the United States by enforcing a cap and
Continue Reading EPA Issues Final Rule to Phase Down HFCs as White House Announces Measures to Prevent Illegal Imports
The Petitioners representing the U.S. domestic industry filed new petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) against imports from three countries, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, alleging that certain Chinese producers are diverting Chinese-origin components through Thailand to undergo minor processing to complete Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic (“CSPV”) cells and modules subject to the Orders and subsequently to export the merchandise to the United States to avoid AD/CVD duties. The companies that were named in the circumvention submissions were:
Continue Reading U.S. Domestic Industry Files Anti-Circumvention Cases Against Three Countries Regarding Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells
Solar panels are once again in the news due to several recent developments. Due to various trade remedy actions taken over the course of the past few years, solar panels
Continue Reading Section 201 Safeguard Solar Panel Tariffs Set to Expire in February 2022
On May 1, 2019, the CIT sustained Commerce’s remand redetermination results following a countervailing duty investigation for certain hot-rolled steel flat products from the Republic of Korea. The court reviewed two issues on remand, Commerce’s selection of the highest calculated AFA rate and Commerce’s corroboration. Concerning the first issued on the selection of the AFA rate, the CIT found that Plaintiff POSCO did not exhaust its administrative remedies. The second issue presented was whether or not the selected 1.05% AFA rate was corroborated based upon substantial evidence and whether Commerce’s selection of a non-de-minimis AFA rate was appropriate because it was a rate calculated for a cooperating Korean company in another countervailing duty proceeding for a similar program.
On May 2, 2019, in the case of garage door openers that were redesigned to avoid infringement on a registered patent, the CIT denied the ITC’s motion for a stay pending appeal based on the grounds that the ITC did not meet its burden for a stay. A stay of the preliminary injunction and all other proceedings in this matter was not warranted as: (1) the ITC has not demonstrated a “strong showing” of likelihood of success on the merits, (2) the ITC has not demonstrated that it will be irreparably injured absent a stay in this action, (3) the issuance of a stay would substantially injure another party, the Plaintiff, and (4) the public interest is neutral. For those reasons, the CIT denied the ITC’s motion for a stay.
Continue Reading May Trade Law Update: Court Decisions
President Trump signed a new Executive Order on August 6, 2018, titled “Reimposing Certain Sanctions with Respect to Iran”. The Executive Order was timed to coincide with the last day of the 90-day wind-down period established for activities associated with certain sanctions relief authorized by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”). As a result, the first round of sanctions against Iran will become effective at 12:01 a.m. on August 7, 2018.
Continue Reading United States Announces Re-imposition of First Round of Nuclear Sanctions on Iran
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has announced that anyone interested in having a product excluded from the safeguard measures imposed on imports of solar products must submit
Continue Reading Requests to Exclude Products from the Solar Safeguard Measures Due by March 16
Husch Blackwell’s Jeffrey Neeley authored an article, “Solar Panel Tariff Creates New Uncertainty” that appeared in Law360 this week. The article discusses in depth the proclamation signed by President Trump
Continue Reading Solar Panel Tariff Creates New Uncertainty
On January 22, 2018, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”) announced that the Trump Administration is granting relief for the domestic solar panels and modules industry under section
Continue Reading Solar Panels and Modules Trade Decision
On Tuesday, January 23, 2018, President Trump signed the Presidential Proclamation to Facilitate Adjustment to Competition from Imports of Large Residential Washers, thereby announcing the President’s decision regarding the investigation of large residential washers (LRWs) under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974 (the LRW Safeguard Investigation). A copy of the Proclamation can be found here.
Continue Reading President Trump Announces Decision on Section 201 Safeguard Investigation of Large Residential Washers