It’s been two years since President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, kicking off a wave of clean energy investments.
But two years on the books hasn’t guaranteed the IRA’s future. Republicans have been working to repeal parts of the law since it was passed, and former President Trump has lashed out against renewables and electric vehicles (at least those not made by Elon Musk’s Tesla) that have seen big benefits under the IRA.
The uncertainty is one reason some developers have delayed major manufacturing projects, the Financial Times reported. But a new plea from some Republicans may give them some reassurance.
Last week, 18 House Republicans wrote to Speaker Mike Johnson, warning him against fully gutting IRA incentives as their party works to repeal the law. The lawmakers still think the IRA is “deeply flawed,” but say eliminating its tax credits could upend energy projects already under construction and jeopardize billions of dollars of investments, including some in their districts.
Republican-held districts have received about four times more IRA funding than blue districts. It’s unclear if Democrats designed the law to have that effect, but either way the uneven flow of funds to conservative communities could complicate any push to repeal President Biden’s flagship climate law.
More clean energy news
🌎 Walz on climate: Kamala Harris’s selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate has energized climate advocates, but it is not clear how his record of advancing clean energy policies will be deployed in the campaign. (Inside Climate News, E&E News)
🖥️ Dissecting data center demand: Experts warn that estimates of soaring power demand from data centers could be overblown, with the risk of leaving ratepayers on the hook for new electricity infrastructure that may not be needed. (E&E News)
☀️ Renewables are winning: Wind and solar for the first time are on track to generate more power than coal plants in the U.S. this year thanks to a surge of solar deployment in 2023. (E&E News)
💸 Where the IRA is working: Federal data shows Inflation Reduction Act tax credits for renewable energy systems were most popular in Florida and the Southwest, while people in cold-climate states were more likely to utilize energy efficiency credits. (New York Times)
🏭 Deploying clean heat: The Department of Energy is using authority under the Defense Production Act to deploy $85 million to speed up manufacture of heat pumps. (The Hill)
👷 Solar gets working: An intensive 13-week training course in Illinois is connecting workers from underrepresented backgrounds to employers as part of a broader effort to create 1,000 solar jobs in Chicago. (Energy News Network)
📊 Catching tailwinds: A new report examining 70 countries says the U.S. ranks the worst on progress toward an international goal to triple wind generation by 2030. (Associated Press)
🛢️ Carbon capture casualty: Using captured carbon dioxide to extract more oil and gas releases more carbon into the atmosphere than it puts underground by prolonging the use of fossil fuels, environmental groups say in a new report. (States Newsroom)
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