Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) released statements in recent days criticizing the guidance that was released on Friday.
The guidance outlines which projects can qualify for an extra tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act if their components are made in the U.S..
Manchin and Kaptur said that the Treasury Department’s interpretation could bolster Chinese solar manufacturers.
A spokesperson for Kaptur pointed to provisions that say that a project’s components would be considered American-made if it was assembled in the U.S. regardless of where its subcomponents come from. The spokesperson said that this could enable solar projects whose panels have Chinese-made parts, including polysilicon wafers, to get the credit.
“This new interpretation of the ‘domestic content’ bonus established as part of the Inflation Reduction Act rewards those who cut corners, offshore jobs, and buy cheaper components produced in China,” Kaptur said in a written statement.
Manchin, a frequent critic of the Biden administration’s energy policies, described the interpretation as part of a larger pattern.
“This is yet another example of the Biden Administration manipulating the law to push their radical climate agenda at the expense of American energy security,” he said in a written statement.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
