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Biden has vowed to veto the legislation, which passed the House
of Representatives last week. It is not expected to have enough
support to override a presidential veto.
The United States has been trying to strike a tricky balance
between supporting the creation of a domestic solar supply chain
while keeping cheap imports flowing to projects needed to move
the U.S. away from its reliance on fossil fuels.
Biden, a Democrat, waived tariffs on solar imports from
Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam for two years last June
after solar project developers said they would increase their
costs and freeze development.
Panels from the four nations, which host manufacturing
facilities owned by Chinese companies, account for about 80% of
U.S. supplies. Domestic producers say they cannot compete with
the cheap products made overseas.
The House resolution that passed the Senate was introduced under
the Congressional Review Act (CRA), a law that allows Congress
to reverse federal agency rules. A CRA bill expires if it is not
passed within 60 days of its introduction.
Proponents of the measure say the two-year suspension allows
Chinese producers to avoid U.S. trade laws and prolongs an
unfavorable market for domestic businesses.
"Developing our solar manufacturing industry is crucial to
combating climate change, but we can't do it if we don't enforce
the trade laws on the books," Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin
said on Wednesday.
Top clean energy trade groups had called on members of Congress
to oppose the measure. The Solar Energy Industries Association
projected that its passage would result in cancellation of 14%
of the industry's planned new capacity this year and the loss of
$4.2 billion in investment.
Repealing the suspension would "deal a devastating blow to the
American solar industry, which will kill jobs, raise energy
costs, and decrease our ability to achieve clean energy
independence," a group of senators led by Democratic Senator
Jacky Rosen wrote in an open letter published on Tuesday.
The final Senate vote was 56-41, with nine Democrats voting in
favor.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Washington; Editing by Leslie
Adler and Jamie Freed)
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