Renewable energy lobbyists spend millions to fight GOP rollback of climate incentives
Renewable energy groups spent record sums lobbying Congress this spring to protect clean energy tax credits, but Republicans repealed or scaled back most of them in their sweeping budget bill.
Timothy Cama and Kelsey Brugger report for E&E News.
In short:
- The American Clean Power Association spent $3.8 million in the second quarter lobbying to preserve renewable energy incentives, more than six times last year’s amount.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill Act repeals or phases out tax credits for wind, solar, batteries, and electric vehicles, though some provisions like credit transfers survived.
- Advocates framed partial preservation of credits as a victory, but acknowledged Trump’s opposition to renewables and GOP unity left them with limited gains.
Key quote:
“We all failed to appreciate just the intensity of the desire to undo any fraction of any figment of any remaining Biden policy.”
— Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association
Why this matters:
Federal tax credits have driven much of the U.S. renewable energy boom over the last decade, making wind and solar competitive with fossil fuels. Scaling them back could slow new projects, threaten jobs in fast-growing sectors and shift momentum back toward oil, gas and coal. The cuts also come as extreme weather tied to climate change intensifies and global markets pivot toward cleaner energy. The U.S. now risks ceding technological and economic ground to other nations investing heavily in clean energy manufacturing and infrastructure, while states dependent on renewable industries may face steep economic and environmental trade-offs.
Related: Trump’s new energy law slashes popular clean energy tax credits
