Trump orders trade talks on wind turbine imports under section 232

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation directing the Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate agreements with foreign trading partners on imports of wind turbines and their parts, citing a threat to national security.

The proclamation, issued under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, does not impose new tariffs. It directs the two officials to report on the negotiations at least once within 180 days of the proclamation's date.

Trump concurred with the Secretary's finding that wind turbines and their components and subcomponents "are being imported into the United States under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States," according to the proclamation.

The Secretary found that wind energy is "an unreliable and intermittent energy source." According to the proclamation, the Secretary also cited cybersecurity vulnerabilities in foreign-made inverters, which convert turbine output into power the grid can use, and radar interference from wind turbines.

The Secretary also found that U.S. wind energy relies on imported components. Domestic manufacturing capacity for certain products, such as blades, has not meaningfully increased, the proclamation said.

"Depending on the status or outcome of such negotiations, I may consider alternative remedies in the future," Trump said in the proclamation.

The Secretary will continue to monitor wind turbine imports and will tell the president of any circumstances that might indicate the need for further action, according to the proclamation.

The proclamation does not modify the tariffs that apply to certain wind turbine components under Proclamations 9704 and 9705 on aluminum and steel and Proclamation 10962 on copper.