Digging in to defend clean energy tax credits

By Flannery Winchester

At the end of February, we told you: It’s prime time to defend the clean energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act. As Republicans press forward on a budget reconciliation package that could make major cuts to federal spending, these tax credits could be on the chopping block. 

But these tax credits are responsible for almost half of the legislation’s potential cuts to climate pollution, and as a climate organization, we can’t sit by and risk their repeal. 

So we’re not! We’re digging in to defend America’s clean energy tax credits, and we’re doing it in every way we can — on Capitol Hill, over phone and email, and in person in communities across the country. (Even in major national media like the New York Times and The Guardian!)

The next few weeks are particularly critical, as we know that key committees are working on legislative language right now and trying to come to an agreement before the spring in-district work period later this month. 

This is an important moment to send a strong message to Congress, so here’s a look at how we’re doing that.

Kicking things off on Capitol Hill

CCL’s conservative volunteers took the first real steps of this push in the 119th Congress during our 2025 Conservative Climate Leadership Conference and Lobby Day. After receiving communications training from CCL staff on March 4, 50 right-of-center volunteers visited 47 Republican offices on March 5. 

Their primary ask in those meetings was for Republican members of Congress to preserve America’s clean energy tax credits. “As conservatives, we are passionate about the economic benefits of clean energy innovation and investment,” read a one-pager the volunteers brought to each office they visited. 

“Clean energy tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) have spurred unprecedented private investment, driven innovation, and created well-paying jobs across the country. […] Congress should protect these provisions to sustain momentum in America’s clean energy leadership.”

CCL’s efforts on Capitol Hill were noticed by the New York Times. In a March 17 article titled “The Republicans Pushing Trump to Save Biden’s Clean Energy Tax Credits,” the Times reported:

“Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonprofit group, held two days of events on Capitol Hill. After a day of preparations and training at a nearby Holiday Inn, dozens of the group’s staff and volunteers met with congressional staff to talk up the merits of the tax credits.”

The story continues, “Then, after a full day of meetings, the group held a reception at Barrel, a local bar, where three Republican members of Congress — Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, Mike Lawler of New York and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa — stopped by to receive the group’s ‘conservative climate award.’”

Our lobbying push was also noted by The Guardian. In a March 31 article titled “Clean energy spending boosts GOP districts. But lawmakers are keeping quiet as Trump targets incentives,” the Guardian reported:

“Citizens’ Climate Lobby, for instance, this month lobbied 47 Republicans on Capitol Hill calling on them to protect the tax credits, and is now asking its members to call their Republican representatives, focusing not on their climate benefits but on their potential to spur economic growth.”

Raising our voices around the country

After our strong start on Capitol Hill, CCL’s volunteers amplified the message by raising their voices nationwide in support of the clean energy tax credits.

During our national meeting on March 8, call attendees took a few minutes to send emails to Republican members of Congress reinforcing the need to protect the clean energy tax credits. From that quick action alone, we generated 1,753 messages to Republican offices.

Then, our Government Affairs team heard from congressional staff that key committees were beginning to work on the budget reconciliation bill in earnest, so it was time to ramp up our outreach. We shifted into high gear with phone calls, which signal to a congressional office that there’s even more urgency around this issue. Our calling push began, and as of this writing, we have generated 1,001 phone calls to Republican offices.

We’re doubling down on calls and working to run up that number through April 13, which is the last day before members of Congress head home for a spring in-district work period. If you have a Republican representative or senator and haven’t called them yet, pick up the phone and follow our script now.

Rallying the troops with grassroots outreach

It’s not just calls and emails — we’re hustling via hard copy, too. During our March meetings, CCL chapters began to generate hand-written letters to Congress about the clean energy tax credits. 

Our March Action Sheet encourages volunteers to write letters that:

• Emphasize how their district or state has benefitted from the clean energy tax credits in the IRA, using details from our database
• Thank their representative if they are one of a growing number of Republicans speaking up in support of these clean energy tax credits 

As we head into Earth Month, CCL chapters around the country will gather even more hand-written messages for Congress from people beyond their chapters. During grassroots outreach all throughout April — such as tabling at community events like Earth Day festivals — we’ll be using new fliers to educate and activate additional folks.

Fliers like this one from a district in Georgia will help us educate people about the local benefits of the tax credits. Find a flier for your district or state in our 2025 Tabling Toolkit.

We’ll also give people an opportunity to write their own message to Congress on a handout like this:

Print off your own handouts and get more guidance in our 2025 Tabling Toolkit. You’ll want a big stack of messages to help the next step of our advocacy pack a real punch.

Driving it home with district drop-offs

Once chapters have gathered an impressive stack of constituent letters, it’s time to plan a spring drop-off. 

Our March Action Sheet explains that members of Congress (MOCs) will be in their district and state offices from April 21-25. Chapters can use this opportunity to drop off letters and other materials to their MOCs’ local offices, highlighting the local support for keeping the clean energy tax credits in place.

These local drop-offs are often a great way to get an office’s attention. By showing up on their home turf, we emphasize that this issue is something their constituents and voters truly care about and are paying attention to. 

Behind-the-scenes bonus

In addition to all of the ways we’re mobilizing across the country, a select few CCLers are adding an extra layer of strategic outreach to relevant committee members. 

The Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee can have particular sway on the tax credit conversation, so with the guidance of CCL’s Government Affairs team, CCL liaisons to those members have been holding additional lobby meetings. 

As the budget reconciliation process proceeds, CCL’s Government Affairs team will continue to tap certain CCL chapters and liaisons to apply pressure on the right members at the right time to make the most impact. 

In short, we’re pulling out all the stops. The clean energy revolution — and our climate itself — deserves nothing less.

The post Digging in to defend clean energy tax credits appeared first on Citizens’ Climate Lobby.