Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement applauding the Biden Administration’s response to her calls for action to provide certainty for Nevada’s solar industry in the face of a Commerce Department investigation into the solar supply chain. The administration announced today that it will create a two-year bridge period suspending tariffs on solar panels and that it will prioritize the growth of the domestic solar panel manufacturing industry. These actions give Nevada’s booming solar-energy industry much-needed certainty that it can get the materials it needs to continue growing.
Senator Cortez Masto has been a strong advocate for Nevada’s solar industry. In 2020, she secured vital extensions of the Investment Tax Credit and the residential renewable energy tax credit for solar, supporting clean-energy jobs across Nevada.
“I’ve always stood up for Nevada’s solar industry, which is a vital part of our economy. I’m glad to see the administration has taken steps so that the industry can continue to grow and create good-paying jobs,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m going to continue pushing for more tax credits and other investments to support Nevada’s solar and other renewable industries.”
Senator Cortez Masto has been a longtime proponent of renewable and sustainable energy. Along with Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and her colleagues, she repeatedly called on the Biden administration to halt harmful solar panel tariffs, including in conversations with Cabinet officials and in a bipartisan letter. She recently introduced legislation to expand the solar manufacturing supply chain in the U.S. She secured an extension of the Investment Tax Credit and the residential renewable energy tax credit for solar in the 2020 government funding bill. Senator Cortez Masto was able to successfully advocate for two additional years of renewable energy tax credits for the solar industry and its workers. The senator has also spoken against the imposition of tariffs under prior administrations, and she has worked to protect Nevada’s clean energy jobs and our state’s place as a leader in solar energy. She recently hosted a roundtable on clean energy, along with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, to highlight new initiatives to more quickly deploy renewable energy projects on public land.
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