<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2019/06/wto-rules-against-us-clean-energy-programs" class="">https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2019/06/wto-rules-against-us-clean-energy-programs</a><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><h1 class="page-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: auto; font-size: 45px; font-family: 'Ringside Regular A', 'Ringside Regular B', sans-serif; line-height: 1; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); padding: 40px 20px 10px; border: none; text-align: center; max-width: 1180px; width: 786.65625px;">WTO Rules Against U.S. Clean Energy Programs</h1><div class="region region-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><section id="block-system-main" class="block block-system clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.55; padding: 0px;"><article id="node-516241" class="node-promoted node clearfix node-press-release" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div class="field-label-hidden field-name-field-sub-title field field-type-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; max-width: 1180px; margin: auto; padding: 10px 20px 20px; width: 786.65625px; color: rgb(25, 25, 25); font-family: 'Ringside Regular A', 'Ringside Regular B', sans-serif;"><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div class="field-item even" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Trump’s NAFTA 2.0 Would Reinforce Rules Used Against U.S. Clean Energy Manufacturing</div></div></div><div class="field-label-hidden field-type-datetime field-name-field-published-date field" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; max-width: 1180px; margin: auto; padding: 10px 20px 20px; width: 786.65625px; color: rgb(25, 25, 25); font-family: 'Ringside Regular A', 'Ringside Regular B', sans-serif;"><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div class="field-item even" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span class="date-display-single" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Thursday, June 27, 2019</span></div></div></div><div class="field-type-text-long field-name-field-contact field-label-above field" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; max-width: 1180px; margin: auto; padding: 10px 20px 20px; width: 786.65625px; color: rgb(25, 25, 25); font-family: 'Ringside Regular A', 'Ringside Regular B', sans-serif;"><div class="field-label" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: bold;">Contact: </div><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div class="field-item even" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px;" class="">Cindy Carr, <a href="mailto:your.name@sierraclub.org" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class="">cindy.carr@sierraclub.org</a></div></div></div></div><div class="field-label-hidden field-name-body field field-type-text-with-summary" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; max-width: 1180px; margin: auto; padding: 40px 20px 10px; width: 786.65625px; color: rgb(25, 25, 25); font-family: 'Ringside Regular A', 'Ringside Regular B', sans-serif;"><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div class="field-item even" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 20px;" class=""><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class="">GENEVA --</strong> Today, the World Trade Organization (WTO) sided with India in response to the country’s <a href="https://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2016/09/sierra-club-calls-us-and-india-drop-clean-energy-killing-trade-cases" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class="">2016 WTO complaint</a> against U.S. buy-local policies in eight state-level clean energy programs. The ruling threatens the future of the policies in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, and Washington and opens the possibility of India eventually imposing trade sanctions against the U.S. <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2674261" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class="">Many U.S. states</a>have renewable energy programs that include buy-local rules that create local clean energy jobs and bring new green entrepreneurs to the economy.</p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 20px;" class="">India originally filed the complaint in response to a U.S. case at the WTO against India’s common-sense solar energy initiative. The WTO ultimately ruled against India’s successful solar initiative</p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: center;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class=""><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class="">In response, Sierra Club Living Economy Program Director Ben Beachy released the following statement:</strong></em></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 20px;" class="">"The World Trade Organization’s reckless ruling against U.S. clean energy manufacturing is the latest evidence that we must rewrite outdated trade rules to support, not suppress, the transition to a clean energy economy. Unfortunately, Trump’s NAFTA 2.0 deal does the opposite -- it actually reinforces the very rules that the WTO used today to attack our efforts to support U.S. clean energy jobs. We can't afford yet another status quo trade deal that undercuts the clean energy transition. </p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 20px;" class="">“We call on both the U.S. and India to drop their cases and for WTO countries to agree to stop using trade rules to attack pro-climate, pro-worker clean energy policies. To avoid doubling down on these antiquated rules in our own trade deals, leading members of Congress are absolutely right to reject Trump’s pressure to vote on his pro-polluter NAFTA 2.0.” </p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: center;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class="">###</em></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 20px;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class="">Background on the cases:</em></p><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; padding-left: 22px;" class=""><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class=""><div style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class=""><a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2674261" in_tag="ul" kaspersky_status="skipped" checked_link="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2674261" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class="">Many U.S. states have buy-local requirements</a> for renewable energy programs, which help to create clean energy jobs and cultivate clean energy entrepreneurs. India launched its WTO case against the U.S. over such buy-local renewable energy programs in eight states, as retaliation for the U.S.’s case. Here are examples of some of the programs in the named states:</em></div></li></ul><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; padding-left: 22px;" class=""><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class=""><div style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class="">California has a successful<a href="http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/sgip/" in_tag="ul" kaspersky_status="skipped" checked_link="http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/sgip/" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class=""> rebate program</a> that includes incentives for wind energy technologies manufactured in California.</em></div></li></ul><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><div style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class="">Washington has a similar program to encourage small-scale renewable energy production, with<a href="http://energy.gov/savings/renewable-energy-cost-recovery-incentive-payment" in_tag="ul" kaspersky_status="skipped" checked_link="http://energy.gov/savings/renewable-energy-cost-recovery-incentive-payment" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class=""> incentives</a> for solar and wind components made in Washington.</em></div></li></ul><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><div style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class="">Minnesota also provides<a href="http://www.mn.gov/commerce/consumers/your-home/save-energy-money/mim/" in_tag="ul" kaspersky_status="skipped" checked_link="http://www.mn.gov/commerce/consumers/your-home/save-energy-money/mim/" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class=""> financial incentives</a> to homeowners and businesses that install solar modules that are made in-state.</em></div></li></ul><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><div style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class="">Connecticut’s Green Bank, which provides financial assistance for renewable energy projects, is<a href="http://law.justia.com/codes/connecticut/2012/title-16/chapter-283/section-16-245aa/" in_tag="ul" kaspersky_status="skipped" checked_link="http://law.justia.com/codes/connecticut/2012/title-16/chapter-283/section-16-245aa/" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class=""> required by state law</a> to prioritize projects with components manufactured in Connecticut.</em></div></li></ul><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><div style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class="">Michigan has an incentive program in which renewable energy generated from equipment made<a href="http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(4wdyuurpvuzcrypcocwy1t1z))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-460-1039" in_tag="ul" kaspersky_status="skipped" checked_link="http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(4wdyuurpvuzcrypcocwy1t1z))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-460-1039" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class=""> in-state</a> receives an additional 10 percent of renewable energy credits for the first three years of operations.</em></div></li></ul><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><div style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px; padding-left: 30px;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class="">Delaware has a similar incentive program in which renewable energy providers receive an additional 10 percent of renewable energy credits where at least half of the cost of solar or wind installations is from equipment manufactured<a href="http://delcode.delaware.gov/title26/c001/sc03a/" in_tag="ul" kaspersky_status="skipped" checked_link="http://delcode.delaware.gov/title26/c001/sc03a/" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class=""> in-state</a>.</em></div></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class="">These WTO complaints and cases against buy-local renewable energy programs echo a 2013 WTO ruling against the<a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/ontario-feed-in-tariff-briefing-paper.pdf" in_tag="ul" kaspersky_status="skipped" checked_link="http://www.citizen.org/documents/ontario-feed-in-tariff-briefing-paper.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class=""> buy-local provisions in a groundbreaking clean energy program in Ontario</a>, which had successfully reduced climate-disrupting emissions while creating thousands of clean energy jobs. Three weeks after the WTO’s ruling, Ontario<a href="https://www.gowlings.com/KnowledgeCentre/article.asp?pubID=2923" in_tag="ul" kaspersky_status="skipped" checked_link="https://www.gowlings.com/KnowledgeCentre/article.asp?pubID=2923" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class="">eliminated its “buy-local” provisions</a> and<a href="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2013/06/two-steps-forward-one-back-ontario-cancels-feed-in-tariffs-for-large-projects.html" in_tag="ul" kaspersky_status="skipped" checked_link="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2013/06/two-steps-forward-one-back-ontario-cancels-feed-in-tariffs-for-large-projects.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class=""> ended incentives for large-scale clean energy projects</a>.</em></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="field-name-field-about-organization field-type-text-long field-label-hidden field" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; max-width: 1180px; margin: auto; padding: 10px 20px 20px; width: 786.65625px; color: rgb(25, 25, 25); font-family: 'Ringside Regular A', 'Ringside Regular B', sans-serif;"><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div class="field-item even" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 20px; line-height: 22.5px;" class=""><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class="">About the Sierra Club</strong></p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px; line-height: 22.5px;" class="">The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit <a title="www.sierraclub.org" href="http://www.sierraclub.org/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(0, 73, 135); text-decoration: none; transition: color 200ms ease; -webkit-transition: color 200ms ease;" class="">www.sierraclub.org</a>.</div></div></div></div><div class="field-label-above field-type-entityreference field field-name-field-post-byline" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; max-width: 1180px; margin: auto; padding: 40px 20px 10px; width: 786.65625px; color: rgb(25, 25, 25); font-family: 'Ringside Regular A', 'Ringside Regular B', sans-serif;"></div></article></section></div><div class="">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; " class=""><div class="">Arthur Stamoulis</div><div class="">Citizens Trade Campaign</div><div class="">(202) 494-8826</div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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