14 10 / 2011
UPDATE 1-US lawmaker urges action against solar panel imports
“There has to be action taken on solar,” Representative
Sander Levin said at a news conference to call for a vote on
legislation aimed at China’s currency practices.The U.S. solar industry has been hit hard by competition
from China and other countries, which offer cheap financing and
forms of subsidy to support the sector.Last month, U.S. solar panel maker Solyndra filed for
bankruptcy, burdened with $783 million of secured debt and
squeezed by falling prices for solar panels caused by an
industry glut.Its downfall has become a political embarrassment for the
Obama administration, which had promoted it as an example of
how it planned to spur development in clean energy technology
and provided a government guarantee on a $535 million that
Solyndra has said it may not repay in full.Levin, who met with solar industry representatives earlier
on Friday, warned that without government intervention there
could be no American-made solar panels within five years.Levin, a senior Democrat in the House of Representatives,
told reporters one option would be to impose “safeguard”
tariffs on Chinese-made solar panels, similar to duties
President Barack Obama placed on Chinese-made tires.However, Levin said he was also concerned about government
subsidies that South Korean and other producers receive, which
suggests a broader approach could be required.Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, has also pressed the
Obama administration to take action against unfair trade in
solar panel imports, either through the World Trade
Organization or by using U.S. anti-dumping or countervailing
duty laws.
14 10 / 2011
UPDATE 1-US lawmaker urges action against solar panel imports
“There has to be action taken on solar,” Representative
Sander Levin said at a news conference to call for a vote on
legislation aimed at China’s currency practices.The U.S. solar industry has been hit hard by competition
from China and other countries, which offer cheap financing and
forms of subsidy to support the sector.Last month, U.S. solar panel maker Solyndra filed for
bankruptcy, burdened with $783 million of secured debt and
squeezed by falling prices for solar panels caused by an
industry glut.Its downfall has become a political embarrassment for the
Obama administration, which had promoted it as an example of
how it planned to spur development in clean energy technology
and provided a government guarantee on a $535 million that
Solyndra has said it may not repay in full.Levin, who met with solar industry representatives earlier
on Friday, warned that without government intervention there
could be no American-made solar panels within five years.Levin, a senior Democrat in the House of Representatives,
told reporters one option would be to impose “safeguard”
tariffs on Chinese-made solar panels, similar to duties
President Barack Obama placed on Chinese-made tires.However, Levin said he was also concerned about government
subsidies that South Korean and other producers receive, which
suggests a broader approach could be required.Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, has also pressed the
Obama administration to take action against unfair trade in
solar panel imports, either through the World Trade
Organization or by using U.S. anti-dumping or countervailing
duty laws.
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13 10 / 2011
28 people feared dead in PNG air crash
“The crew have experienced a problem, the thing has actually gone down overland with reports of fire and there have been some fatalities,” O’Toole said.People from a village near the crash site in thick forest at the mouth of the Gogol River said they had rescued four people, some with serious burns. Two pilots from Australia and New Zealand were believed to be among the survivors.”Initial indications are that there are no Australians amongst those killed. The high commission has undertaken preliminary checks, but official confirmation may take some time,” a spokeswoman for Australia’s Foreign Ministry said.Most of the passengers on the aircraft were believed to be local Papuan parents on their way to attend student graduation ceremonies at Madang’s Divine Word University.”A huge storm came through, huge, big winds, lots of rain. The story is that … the plane went down during this storm,” said Trevor Hattersley, the Australian High Commission’s warden in Madang.Airlines PNG said it had grounded its fleet of 12 aircraft until further notice and was co-operating with authorities to mount rescue and recovery efforts.A full investigation was under way by authorities and Airlines PNG as to the possible cause of the accident.The crash is the second fatal incident involving an Airlines PNG aircraft in recent years. In August 2009 an Airlines PNG Twin Otter crashed on approach to the Kokoda airstrip, killing all 13 people onboard, including nine Australians.More than 20 aircraft have crashed in the country since 2000, prompting the government to crack down on airline safety given its importance in overcoming PNG rugged mountain terrain and lack of roads.The Dash 8 is a series of twin-engined, medium-range, turboprop airliners. Introduced by De Havilland Canada in 1984, they are now made by Bombardier Aerospace.
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