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Congressman Kildee Introduces Legislation to Create Solar Manufacturing Jobs in Michigan

September 29, 2021

Bill Would Boost Domestic Solar Panel Manufacturing, Reduce Reliance on China

WASHINGTON—Congressman Kildee (MI-05), Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus, today introduced the Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act to help bring solar panel manufacturing back to America, create good-paying jobs and free the U.S. from dependence on foreign solar panel manufacturers like China.

Kildee's legislation in the U.S. House was also introduced by Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and co-sponsored by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in the U.S. Senate.

The Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act (SEMA) would provide tax credits for American manufacturers at every stage of the solar manufacturing supply chain, from polysilicon production to solar cells to fully assembled solar modules. The bill would create tens of thousands of American solar jobs, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Currently, China dominates the solar supply chain because of unfair trade practices like using forced and slave labor by Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

"American workers can compete with anyone if they are given a level playing field," Congressman Kildee said. "Unfortunately, the Chinese-dominated solar panel industry is far from fair for American workers and manufacturers. My legislation will help create tax incentives to boost U.S. manufacturing so we can create good-paying jobs in Michigan and across the country. I am proud to introduce this important legislation to invest in American manufacturing."

"Too much of our current solar power manufacturing is overseas. This makes no sense when we have some of the best workers in the world that can compete with anyone," said Senator Stabenow. "Our bill doubles down on American-made solar products and their components so more of them are made here, while also helping us address the climate crisis. It's a win-win for Michigan."

Congressman Kildee has repeatedly called out China's unfair trade policies in the polysilicon industry, hurting workers across America, including in Michigan. Recently, Congressman Kildee successfully urged the Biden administration to have U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stop products made with forced labor from entering the U.S., resulting in the confiscation of silica-based products made by forced labor in Xinjiang. Thanks to Congressman Kildee's efforts, Hemlock Semiconductor, a mid-Michigan company that makes polysilicon used in computer chips and solar cells, stands ready to create hundreds of jobs in mid-Michigan if SEMA were to pass.

"We are pleased to have Congressman Kildee leading the Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act in the House. The advanced solar manufacturing tax credit is critical to building a strong American supply chain. By investing in manufacturing directly, we can harness American ingenuity to drive down solar deployment costs and support thousands of high-quality clean energy jobs in Michigan and across the country," said Mark Bassett, Chairman and CEO, Hemlock Semiconductor Operations.

The legislation is endorsed by the following organizations: Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Audobon, Solar Energy Industry Association, Hemlock Semiconductor, REC Silicon, CubicPV, Swift Solar Leading Edge Equipment Technologies, Caelux Corporation, Ultra Low Carbon Solar Allliance, Mission Solar, Q CELLS and Yaskawa Solectria Solar.