New support — and opposition — gets vocal on clean energy tax credits

By Flannery Winchester

As House committees begin to finalize and vote on their portions of the budget package, more and more lawmakers are speaking up on the fate of the clean energy tax credits.

Some are now speaking up in opposition, but some new voices are speaking up in support, too. Let’s take a look at what happened late last week and how you can make your voice heard in the conversation on Capitol Hill.

Opposition speaks up after feeling pressure

You’ve already heard us celebrate these 21 House Republicans for their letter to leadership supporting the clean energy tax credits. And then just a few weeks later, we were thrilled to also thank these four Senate Republicans for speaking up along those same lines. Of course, all along the way, we’ve been generating calls, emails, and letter drop-offs to Republican lawmakers all around the country.

Clearly those of us fighting to keep the clean energy tax credits were getting loud and gaining ground, because last Thursday, a group of House Republicans parried back. In a letter to the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO-08), 38 Republicans called for a full repeal of all the tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Their argument is that America should double down on what they call “dependable, proven energy like coal and natural gas,” rather than continue the already-well-underway transition to clean, safe, renewable energy. 

Indeed, they acknowledge that “in 2024 alone, solar represented 61% of all new electricity generation in our nation, with more expected this year.” Instead of seeing that statistic as a climate and clean air win, they say that this “displace[s] reliable coal and natural gas and the domestic jobs they produce.” Clean energy industries also provide domestic jobs, of course — and those businesses are actually growing faster than the overall U.S. job rate.

The letter also states, in part, that “some Members of our conference now feel compelled to defend wind and biofuel credits, advocate for carbon capture and hydrogen subsidies, or protect solar and electric vehicle” measures. Translation: They’re well aware of our arguments and their colleagues’ growing public support for the clean energy tax credits, and they’re feeling the pressure.

The letter continues, “If every faction continues to defend their favored subsidies, we risk preserving the entire IRA.” Hey now — don’t threaten us with a good time!

Additional support speaks up

On that same day last week, there was also a new support letter from another group of House Republicans. This letter highlighted these members’ support for tax credits that relate to nuclear energy, saying specifically, “Sections 45U, 45Y, and 48E of the Internal Revenue Code have proven to be essential in maintaining and expanding our nuclear power capacity.”

“It’s framed as a nuclear letter, but because the clean electricity tax credits are technology-neutral, it’s really a clean electricity tax credit support letter,” explains CCL Research Coordinator Dana Nuccitelli. He says, “Sections 45Y and 48E named above are the clean electricity tax credits. 45U is a tax credit for existing nuclear power production, which we also support.”

CCL’s VP of Government Affairs, Jenn Tyler, said this letter was “super positive and included some unexpected names.” There were 26 names in total.

“There’s some overlap in signatories between this one and the other letter signed by 21 House Republicans — nine MOCs signed both,” Dana says. “Overall, 38 House GOP members have signed letters supporting clean electricity tax credits. By a funny coincidence, that’s the same number as the 38 who signed the opposition letter.”

Sounds like we need CCL volunteers to help break this tie!

Time to mobilize

We’ve set up an easy action tool you can use to add your voice to this latest development in Republican lawmakers’ conversation around these tax credits. 

If your representative is one of the Republicans who signed one of these letters in support of the clean energy tax credits, you’ll be able to send them a message thanking them and encouraging them to continue urging the House Ways and Means Committee to preserve the tax credits.

If your representative is one of the Republicans who signed the opposition letter, you’ll be able to send them a message reminding them that the clean energy tax credits are bringing economic benefits to the country overall and to red districts in particular.

If your representative is a Republican who hasn’t signed any of these letters, our tool lets you send them a message making them aware of how this conversation is ramping up and encouraging them to urge the House Ways and Means Committee to support the clean energy tax credits.

Unfortunately the budget reconciliation process remains a partisan one right now, so if you’re represented by a Democratic representative in the House, we recommend you make your voice heard in ways other than direct outreach to your member’s office.

The easiest option is to hop over to our “Spread the Word” page to share CCL’s social media posts and create more positive buzz about the benefits of the clean energy tax credits.

If you want to go above and beyond, you can also turn to local media to praise any Republican lawmakers in your area who are speaking up, even if they aren’t your specific representative. Here’s a great example from CCL volunteer Steve Ghan — he wrote an op-ed publicly celebrating Rep. Dan Newhouse for signing onto last week’s new support letter.

With a flurry of direct outreach, a boost of social media buzz, and positive local media attention, we can tip the balance toward the side of support for the clean energy tax credits. Let’s make it happen!

The post New support — and opposition — gets vocal on clean energy tax credits appeared first on Citizens’ Climate Lobby.