June 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. International Trade

Commission (ITC) voted on Friday to proceed with an

investigation into whether solar panels from Southeast Asia are

stifling domestic manufacturing, a step that could result in

tariffs on the majority of panel imports.

The four-member panel voted unanimously to pursue the probe

into imports from Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The

brief meeting was broadcast online.

The vote was the latest step in a trade petition brought by

a group of U.S. solar panel manufacturers in April. Hanwha

Qcells, First Solar ( FSLR ) and others accuse

Chinese companies with factories in the four nations of flooding

the U.S. market with panels priced below their cost of

production.

If the case is successful, companies that import panels to

install on rooftops or build large-scale solar power plants

could face higher prices within months.

The ITC's role in the case is to determine if the domestic

industry is being harmed by imports. The U.S. Commerce

Department would decide the level of duties that could be

imposed.