Analysis by Energy Workforce President Tim Tarpley
After months of delay and back and forth from the White House, we appear to have a final tariff plan in place. Using emergency authority under IEPPA, the President enacted a sweeping tariff plan that placed a 10% tariff baseline on the entire world. This tariff will be on top of existing tariffs for each particular country (excluding 232 tariffs already applied).
Additionally, the plan includes a specific tariff list at a higher rate for countries that the White House has identified as using tariffs or other protectionist strategies against the United States. These countries have a variety of rates that differ, which can be found here. The President has indicated that should the named countries on this list either remove protectionist trade practices or lower their tariff rate, the United States would match this change.
Timeline-wise, the 10% across-the-board tariffs will be implemented at 12:01 on Saturday and 12:01 on April 9th for the countries targeted by additional tariff rates. New tariffs will stack on existing tariffs, with the exception of the current 232 tariffs, for certain critical minerals and energy products. The implications of this order will be significant for our sector, and we are just beginning the process of estimating total projected costs and potential disruptions to our supply chains. Many countries will also likely retaliate with tariffs on US goods in the coming days, and we will keep members up to date on these developments, which will also likely be significant. There is not yet any indication of a critical energy components exception, as EWTC has been urging the administration to consider. However, we will continue pushing for this critical exemption with the administration and Congress. We will continue holding regular tariff task force calls as more information and details are released; if you are interested in joining the list, please email me at ttarpley@energyworkforce.org.
Tim Tarpley, Energy Workforce President, analyzes federal policy for the Energy Workforce & Technology Council. Click here to subscribe to the Energy Workforce newsletter, which highlights sector-specific issues, best practices, activities and more.
