By Alexandra Alper, Nichola Groom and Jarrett Renshaw
WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) – The Trump administration is expected to spurn requests from some U.S. solar manufacturers for a speedier timeline to put in place a new price floor and tariff on imports of polysilicon products, a person familiar with the matter said.
A new 15% tariff for the polysilicon derivatives and price floor, which Reuters reported could be unveiled as soon as Thursday, was initially slated to kick in 120 days following the announcement, four sources said.
But some in the industry have been lobbying the administration for a 90-day timeline for implementation, arguing that an extra month would give China, a top producer of such products, too much time to sell into the United States, hurting U.S. rivals.
When asked about the proposal for an expedited timeframe, a White House official said the administration is closely examining domestic production capabilities but would not get ahead of the president.
The Commerce Department, which conducted the investigation that found polysilicon product imports threaten national security, prompting the measures, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Alexandra Alper, Nichola Groom and Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Mark Porter)
