Trade officials recommended Tuesday that the United States impose restrictions on solar energy equipment purchased from abroad, including tariffs of up to 35 %, setting the stage for one of President Trump's first major trade decisions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The business case has been supported by American solar manufacturers but fought by large buyers of solar panels, such as utility companies and home installers, who could be jolted by higher prices if tariffs are imposed. Four officials from the U.S. International Trade Commission, an independent federal agency that regulates trade, announced a series of recommendations Tuesday aimed at protecting domestic solar equipment manufacturers from unfairly priced imports, especially from China. These include limiting imports of some solar components and imposing tariffs of 10% to 35% on some products. These recommendations will be sent to the president by November 13; will have 60 days to accept or reject these ideas while determining a final course of action. The decision comes as Trump prepares to travel to China next week to meet with Chinese officials on a range of trade and security issues. Solar energy may be just one of many industries under discussion, including oil and gas, automobiles and finance. Earlier this year two companies, Suniva and SolarWorld, brought a solar case to the Commerce Commission, claiming they were forced into bankruptcy by a wave of subsidized imports from China. The companies said imports of photovoltaic cells and modules that are ultimately made into solar panels have driven them and other American companies out of business. Suniva called the International Trade Commission's recommendations "disappointing" in a statement, saying they were not tough enough. He called on Trump to implement tighter restrictions “necessary to save American manufacturing.” The Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group that has fought any tariffs or barriers to imports, said in a statement Tuesday that the commissioners made a decision approach and recommended “nothing close to what the petitioners requested.” But he stressed that the proposed tariffs would be extremely harmful to the industry. The case is unique because it relies on a rarely used section of federal trade law, known as Section 201 or “comprehensive safeguards investigation,” which gives the president broad authority to impose tariffs or other restrictions to help protect a domestic industry. The prospect of such restrictions has sparked a fierce backlash from solar industries and users, who argue that such measures would raise prices throughout the supply chain and ultimately cost more American jobs than they would save. . They argue that cheaper solar products from China have actually been a boon to their businesses and have accelerated the adoption of solar energy in the United States, where it now powers millions of American homes and businesses. Workers who install solar energy projects, utilities that purchase solar electricity and major commercial users of solar energy, such as retailers, could all be harmed by such restrictions, said Energy spokesman Frank Maisano.