Daily Journal | John Whitaker, June 4
As a leader in the Ironworkers union in Indiana, representing over 1,300 workers, I know firsthand how important clean energy is to making our economy work for all of us.
Investments in clean energy have enabled our union locals to build back Indiana manufacturing, create good-paying jobs, and drive down energy costs, all while helping America maintain our global competitiveness.
The House budget reconciliation bill, however, proposes what amounts to a total repeal of clean energy investments, putting our jobs at risk. As SEIA, the primary trade organization for the solar industry, put it: “this proposed legislation will effectively dismantle the most successful industrial onshoring effort in U.S. history.” Let’s be clear: this bill is a direct assault on American manufacturing and American-made energy right here in Indiana.
We strongly support clean energy investments at both the federal level and in the private sector because they are fueling a clean energy economic boom in Indiana. We are grateful that Senator Todd Young has supported clean energy development in the state, such as Entek’s Battery Separators Factory and Toyota’s EV Manufacturing Expansion.
On April 9, four of Young’s Republican colleagues in the Senate signed a letter to Senate Majority Leader Thune in support of the clean energy tax credits that have brought direct benefits to so many parts of the country.
“As Republicans committed to strengthening America’s energy security and economic growth, we write to emphasize the importance of maintaining a stable and predictable tax framework to promote domestic energy development. While we support fiscal responsibility and prudent efforts to streamline the tax code, we caution against the full-scale repeal of current credits, which could lead to significant disruptions for the American people and weaken our position as a global energy leader,” they wrote in their letter.
This is exactly right. Unfortunately, the House bill will implement unreasonable phase-outs, impossible red tape and restrictions, or outright termination of tax credits for clean energy that together make the tax credits completely unworkable, by design. Simply put, this bill is a full-scale repeal. It also repeals home energy tax credits, which would lead directly to higher energy costs, in addition to good-paying jobs.
This bill would lead to serious consequences for Americans across the country and especially in Indiana. Since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, there have been 22 clean energy projects in Indiana, resulting in over 12,930 jobs and over $17 million in investment across the state.
We are already seeing the impacts of this approach taking a “sledgehammer” to clean energy. In 2024, Wabash Valley Resources received a $1.5 billion loan to build a carbon-negative fertilizer production facility, creating over 1,100 direct and indirect jobs to a community impacted by the decline of a coal-related industry. However, reckless actions against clean energy put these jobs and investments in jeopardy.
Not only does the bill imperil Indiana’s clean energy economy, but it also puts our energy supply at risk. In 2023, 14% of Indiana’s total energy generation came from clean energy, with wind power alone accounting for 10%. Two new wind projects are planned in the state, which will bring 4.7 GW of clean energy capacity to the state, enough to power over 3 million homes.
These projects are coming online just in time, because Indiana’s energy demand is about to skyrocket. Our state is home to as many as 70 data centers, and Indiana Michigan Power estimates that these data centers will use more electricity than all Hoosier households by 2030. Clean energy is cheaper and quicker to bring online than other sorts of power; we need to build more, not less.
Repealing clean energy tax credits would gut America’s clean energy production, raising costs for Indiana families and killing hundreds of thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs nationwide. Trump and Republicans promised to lower energy costs. Instead, this legislation would undermine America’s fastest-growing, most affordable energy sources.
Thankfully, Young has an opportunity to fix this bill to protect clean energy and the jobs that come along with it. Now that the bill has passed the House, it moves to the Senate next. As Young has said, a more balanced approach is needed. Repealing clean energy investments would be bad for American businesses and bad for American workers.
We urge Senator Young to continue being the leader we need and fix this reckless legislation.
Read the original article here.