First: “The United States once produced most of the world’s aluminum, but domestic manufacturing in recent decades has relied on aluminum imports.” True on the surface. Due to high energy costs in the U.S. over 90% of the aluminum metal consumed in the U.S. is imported – with most coming from Canada. However, the same is not true for aluminum extrusions – the subject of this trade issue. There is a robust network of extruders in the U.S. and Canada, with more than enough capacity to meet the demands of the market. The industry has made substantial investments in capacity and capability in recent years – adding nearly 40 presses and 1 Billion pounds of capacity since 2021.

Second: the assertion: ” our understanding that these products are not available from domestic producers” is demonstrably false. There are a number of U.S. based extruders currently supplying mounting, racking and framing to the solar industry, and there are others prepared to do so. Recently, one extruder announced a nearly $35 million capital program specifically to support the solar mounting industry.

There is no shortage of metal, extrusion capacity or willingness to support the extrusion demand for growth in solar energy. If there is a “shortage” it seems to be of unfairly traded and subsidized materials.