United Steelworkers Lawsuit Could Have Implications for Solar Industry
Thursday, September 9th 2010 4:40 PM
By GetSolar Staff.
The United Steelworkers union will file a legal case with the Obama Administration alleging that China violated WTO rules, reports the New York Times, and the implications for the domestic U.S. solar industry could be far-reaching.
The union accuses China of violating numerous trade rules with grants, subsidies, loans and other violations of WTO rules, allowing the Asian nation's own solar manufacturing to boom while solar installers, developers and manufacturers in the U.S. falter or outsource their production.
'Unless China's policies are urgently addressed, the U.S. may never get a fair shot at making the green technologies of the future,' read the filing, according to the Times.
The lawsuit comes at a ticklish time, with China already under pressure for the value of its currency - the renminbi - and the Democratic president and Congress facing questions about weakness in the national economy and stagnant unemployment.
The U.S. has seen gross domestic product growth undermined by rising trade deficits, particularly with China. According to the Times, China is expected to announce another enormous monthly trade surplus - perhaps in excess of $25 billion.
The U.S. is also taking its own steps to bolster research and capital investment in domestic businesses and industries, but it's unclear whether President Barack Obama's combined stimulus and tax cut package will make it through Congress before mid-term elections in November.
Passage of the bill could be particularly welcome in states that have both significant solar industries and high unemployment, like California and Arizona.
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The United Steelworkers union will file a legal case with the Obama Administration alleging that China violated WTO rules, reports the 
