Save Our Solar
Petition Text:
Save solar!
We demand an immediate end to a reckless move by the U.S. Department of Commerce that threatens the future of solar in Indiana and jeopardizes thousands of Hoosier solar jobs and our economic prosperity.
Indiana’s solar future is at risk due to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s reconsideration of a 10-year solar tariff policy. More than 3,000 Hoosiers could lose their jobs, farmers will lose a way to diversify their income and our rural communities will lose a vital source of revenue.
Cancellation or delay of solar projects means less revenue for local schools, improvements for rural broadband, road repair, or new equipment for first responders. This action by Commerce denies our farmers a way to diversify their income and provide for their families. By threatening solar, the Commerce Department is threatening our Hoosier future and harming our way of life.
As Hoosiers who support solar and a prosperous future for Indiana, we call on the U.S. Department of Commerce to end its anti-solar tariff reconsideration immediately.
Signed,
______________
Commerce Action that is Shutting Down Solar
The U.S. Department of Commerce is reconsidering its long-standing, 10-year policy that solar panels imported from Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia are not subject to tariffs. Currently there are not a sufficient number of US-based manufacturers, and 80% of solar panels used in the U.S. are imported from these countries.
The move by the U.S. Department of Commerce is wreaking havoc on the solar industry, forcing the cancellation or delay of more than 300 projects – and counting. Nationwide between 240,000 to 395,000 jobs are at risk, including more than 3,300 in Indiana.
Renewable energy projects, like solar farms, contribute to local economic development and provide property tax revenue to Hoosier counties. To date renewable energy projects in Indiana have provided:
- $7 billion in capital investments
- $37 million in annual tax revenue for Hoosier communities
- $20 million in annual payments to Hoosier landowners
Indiana is 4th in the nation in new clean energy development – and it’s all at risk because of the Commerce Department’s actions.
We all want to see more domestic manufacturers of solar panels, but killing the solar industry won’t make that happen. You can’t grow a business by shooting the customer!
About Hoosiers for Renewables:
We are working to help build an Indiana where affordable and cleaner, renewable energy benefits all Hoosiers. Our purpose is to inform and educate Hoosiers about renewable energy benefits for Indiana. We believe Indiana’s economy will grow and work best for everyone when there is a mix of energy sources. Renewable options, like wind, solar, biomass and more, should be a growing part of that mix.
Whether living in a densely populated city like Indianapolis, Evansville, or Fort Wayne, or at a home alongside one of our state’s beautiful farms, renewable energy needs to be a growing part of our future.
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