SolarWorld hailed tariff recommendations issued Tuesday by federal trade commissioners, even though the proposed tariffs are less than half what another solar manufacturer had sought.

"We are pleased that a bipartisan majority of the Commission has recommended tariffs, tariff-rate quotas and funding for the domestic industry," SolarWorld chief executive Juergen Stein said in a written statement. "This is a useful first step."

The next step is up to President Donald Trump, which has until January to decide whether to take action against Chinese imports.

SolarWorld laid off 360 of its Hillsboro employees last summer after its German parent company declared itself insolvent. SolarWorld and another solar manufacturer, Sunvia, allege that China has undercut their business by dumping solar panels on the U.S. market.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, hailed the trade commission's proposal.

Workers in Oregon and across the country need this administration to follow through and protect solar manufacturing jobs, and expertise," Wyden said in a written statement. "Anything less cedes the future of clean energy manufacturing to our foreign competitors."

The U.S. International Trade Commission voted 4-0 in September to affirm that Chinese imports have harmed domestic solar manufacturing. On Tuesday, it recommended import tariffs up to 35 percent.

That's less than half what Georgia-based Sunvia asked for in its trade petition. U.S. solar installers, however, had warned that high tariffs would raise the cost of solar power and undermine their own business, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

Sunvia, which is in bankruptcy, called the trade commission's proposal "disappointing." The Georgia company said it would not be adequate to fix the solar industry's issues with China.

Updated: This article has been updated with a statement from Sen. Wyden.

-- Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699