A coalition of energy groups submitted written comments on May 11 to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to express the concerns of a broad range of U.S. energy interests regarding the potential impact of proposed trade tariffs with China on the growing American clean energy industry.
The groups, which include the Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), spoke to the strength of the clean and advanced energy and energy efficiency resources in the United States, representing $200 billion of economic activity and employing more than 300 million workers across the country.
“Energy-efficient products help consumers and businesses save energy and money, and we should be thinking of ways to increase those opportunities, not hinder them. Unfortunately, these proposed tariffs would make it more difficult and more expensive for Americans to access the long-term savings of these energy-saving technologies,” said Alliance to Save Energy president, Jason Hartke. “Moreover, the U.S. energy efficiency industry, and the more than two million jobs it supports, uses many of these products to deliver energy savings and we don’t want to see that success disrupted or that industry weakened. It is important that the administration understand the potential negative effects of tariffs on energy efficiency.”
“Businesses in the energy efficiency, natural gas, and renewable energy sectors are committed to growing the U.S. clean energy economy and are participants in the global economy—with component providers and customers throughout China,” commented BCSE president, Lisa Jacobson. “We recognize that the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) is a critical component of business operations and development in any country, and fundamental to energy innovation. We seek opportunities to work with the Trump administration and Chinese government leaders to implement improved trade relations.”
(Source: Alliance To Save Energy)