WASHINGTON – During a hearing in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) brought to the attention of the full committee how a recently filed solar tariff petition with the U.S. Department of Commerce would severely harm New Mexico’s solar industry and the workers that support it.

WATCH: Heinrich Questions Energy Secretary Granholm, Shares Concerns About Commerce Solar Probe [HD DOWNLOAD LINK HERE] 

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was the panel witness during the hearing to examine the President’s budget request for the Department of Energy for Fiscal Year 2023. 

During the hearing, Senator Heinrich asked Secretary Granholm to expand on how the Commerce probe, if dragged on for months or years, impacts the nation’s clean energy goals. Granholm responded: 

“[What’s] at stake is the complete smothering of the investment, and the jobs, and the independence that we would be seeking as a nation to get our fuel from our own generation sources. 

“I know it’s an adjudicative process that’s in the Department of Commerce and therefore it’s not in the Department of Energy's purview, but I certainly am deeply concerned about being able to achieve the goal of getting to 100% clean electricity by 2035 if this is not resolved quickly.”

Senator Heinrich recently met with industry leaders who expressed how the petition is already disrupting New Mexico’s solar industry and undermining the state’s ability to meet its clean energy and climate goals.

Senator Heinrich responded to Secretary Granholm’s comments noting that if the investigation is not completed quickly “we are going to destroy an entire industry.”

Witness testimony and an archived video of the full hearing can be found here. 

Additional resources:

• READOUT: Heinrich Meets With New Mexico Solar Industry Leaders Amid Potential, Harmful Tariffs
• Heinrich, Rosen Lead Bipartisan Letter Urging Commerce Secretary To Stop Threat of Additional Tariffs On Solar Imports
• Heinrich, Senate Democratic Colleagues Urge Incoming Biden Admin To Repeal Harmful Solar Tariffs Set By President Trump
• Heinrich, Heller Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Repeal Trump Tariffs On Solar Panels
• Heinrich Slams Solar Tariff Decision
• Heinrich Testifies Before U.S. Trade Representative On Tariffs That Would Harm Solar Industry
• Heinrich Testifies Before U.S. International Trade Commission On Tariffs That Would Harm Solar Industry
• Heinrich, Tillis Statement On U.S. International Trade Commission’s Ruling That Will Harm Solar Industry
• Heinrich, Tillis Lead Letter To U.S. International Trade Commission Opposing Tariffs That Would Harm Solar Industry