The White House is moving to support the solar power industry, including U.S. manufacturing of solar panels and other equipment, by pausing tariffs on imported solar panels from four Southeast Asian countries. The 24-month moratorium announced June 6 will exist while U.S. officials continue to look at the practices of Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, countries that are being investigated for possibly circumventing tariff rules.

The solar power industry has decried the investigation, saying it has led to supply chain constraints that are threatening U.S. solar power projects, and industry jobs. Officials from across the U.S. energy sector on Monday applauded the move, saying it should lead to more certainty regarding equipment used for power generation, transmission, and distribution. 

President Joe Biden on Monday issued plans for the two-year exemption on tariffs, noting the investigation’s impacts on the solar power industry, and its threat to the administration’s own clean energy goals. The White House said it would continue to push Congress “to pass clean energy investments and tax cuts” to spur U.S.…

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