US rejects bid by solar manufacturer group for tariffs on Thailand, 2 other SE Asian imports

US trade officials on Wednesday quashed an effort by a group of domestic solar manufacturers to seek tariffs on panels imported from three Southeast Asian nations, citing the group’s request to keep its members anonymous.

The rejection was a victory for the largest US solar trade body, which argued that tariffs would cripple a sector that is critical to meeting the Biden administration’s goals to bolster clean energy and combat climate change. US solar developers rely on cheap imports to make their projects competitive.

The manufacturing group asked the Commerce Department in August to investigate whether imports from Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam were unfair, arguing that Chinese…