Repulsive President Biden: Implications for the U.S. Industrial Power Market and Clean Energy Policy in the Spawning Economy of China

In a speech to the United Steelworkers union in Pittsburgh last month, Biden said that he wants to hike tariffs on imports of Chinese steel and aluminum, and that more than 15,000 steelworkers in Pennsylvania and Ohio had lost their jobs between 2000 and 2010.

Biden in Pittsburgh wanted to contrast his approach as “Strategic and Targeted” and said that it would raise cost for U.S consumers.

It’s a message aimed at resonating in swing states that lost massive numbers of jobs when manufacturing moved offshore — states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

“When folks see shovels in the ground on all these projects, when they see new pipes being laid and people going to work, I hope they feel the pride that I feel — pride in their hometowns making a comeback,” he said last week in Wilmington, N.C.

The Journal reports that other clean energy goods, like solar panels, are expected to be affected by the new tariffs. China is rumored to be planning to flood the global market with less expensive products as it struggles with its own economy.

A source familiar with the deliberations on the tariffs said an announcement could come as early as next week, but did not give further details.

The president is preparing to announce higher tariffs on imported Chinese EVs, effectively closing out the possibility that the country will be able to afford to import its much cheaper and, in many cases, more desirable plug-in vehicles to the United States.

The Chinese auto industry is the largest in the world, and roughly 30 percent of the country’s vehicle sales are electric. China is home to most of the world’s EV batteries, and many of the country’s most popular models have been praised for their design, function, and price.

Electric vehicles in the US are more expensive than other countries, which is making them less popular. And that could imperil Biden’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions attributable to transportation.