President Donald Trump has ordered trade negotiations over imported wind turbines and their parts, after a Commerce Department review found those imports threaten national security.
The White House posted the proclamation, signed Oct. 22, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. It does not add new tariffs today. It does say the president may turn to other remedies, including tariffs, if no deal is reached.
What the proclamation does
- Trade talks: The Commerce secretary and the U.S. Trade Representative must pursue agreements with foreign trading partners to limit the security risk from imported turbines, parts and subcomponents.
- Deadline: The two officials must report on the talks at least once within 180 days.
- Existing tariffs stay: Turbine parts made largely of steel, aluminum or copper already fall under earlier Section 232 tariffs. The order leaves those duties in place.
- Monitoring: Commerce will keep tracking wind turbine imports and tell the president if more action is needed.
What Commerce found
The proclamation lists the Commerce Department’s findings. The department said most inverters, the equipment that sends turbine power to the grid, are made overseas. It said networked foreign inverters could let attackers gain remote control of power generation.
The review also said turbines can create radar “clutter” that affects air traffic control, weather forecasting and military radar. It called wind power intermittent and said grid operators often lean on fossil fuel backup generators to keep the grid stable.
Commerce found that imports of turbine parts have grown over the last decade. It said U.S. capacity to make some parts, such as blades, has not grown in a meaningful way.
What comes next
Any tariff decision now waits on the outcome of the talks. The order came the same day Trump signed a Defense Production Act determination to expand U.S. oil production and refining. iSEARK.com covered that order in a separate story.
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