US trade panel: Chinese solar panels harm industry

A federal trade panel has found China responsible for harming the US solar panel industry. The ruling clears the final hurdle for the US to impose steep tariffs on Chinese firms.

The US International Trade Commission affirmed its 2011 vote that Chinese companies have materially injured US manufacturers. Chinese companies that export billions of dollars of solar products to the US each year will face tariffs of up to nearly 250 percent.

The Obama administration imposed the tariffs in October after finding the Chinese government subsidizing companies that are flooding the US market with low-cost products. The latest vote means those tariffs, along with anti-subsidy fees of up to 16 percent, will stand.