Solar tax credit trading brings clean energy to underserved communities — but faces political risk

A tweak in tax law that made clean energy credits transferable has helped small developers build solar and wind projects in low-income areas, but congressional Republicans may roll back the benefit as part of federal budget talks.

Syris Valentine reports for Grist.

In short:

The Boston Community Solar Cooperative plans to fund a new solar project in a low-income neighborhood by selling federal tax credits made transferable by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Transferability, a 2022 change in federal law, has enabled $24 billion in renewable energy credit trades, helping smaller and community-based developers fund projects they couldn’t otherwise afford.
Congressional Republicans are considering repealing or cutting these tax credits during budget reconciliation, despite most clean energy investments landing in GOP-led districts.

Key quote:

“Transferability was a godsend in many ways, because it simplified the process.”

— Derek Silverman, co-founder of Basis Climate

Why this matters:

Renewable energy development has long skewed toward wealthier regions and large corporate players. Making federal tax credits transferable leveled the playing field, especially for community-based solar cooperatives and projects serving tribal communities and low-income neighborhoods. These credits have helped displace fossil fuel dependence, reduce energy costs, and stimulate local jobs without forcing developers to take on risky debt. But their future is precarious. Efforts to cut federal spending or reshape tax policy — often framed as budget tightening — could gut the very incentives that made these projects viable. Communities already bearing the brunt of pollution and energy insecurity may lose out if the policy is reversed. The next few months of congressional debate will determine whether this critical funding stream remains intact or fades just as it's starting to show results.

Learn more: Opinion: Trump allies aim to take U.S. energy policy back in time

grist.org

Credit: Pierre Lemos / Unsplash+

Toxic chemicals and climate change work together to harm fertility across species

In a recent review published in NPJ Emerging Contaminants, researchers examine how toxic chemicals can reduce fertility in both humans and wildlife, and how these effects are worsened by climate change.

In short:

Animals - including insects, fish, reptiles, birds, humans, and other mammals - are constantly simultaneously exposed to synthetic chemicals and the impacts of climate change, including rising temperatures.
Both of these stressors can harm fertility, and many of the impacts found are similar across species, such as effects on sperm and eggs.
The stress caused by these exposures also impacts overall health, harming animals’ ability to adapt to a changing environment and worsening global biodiversity loss.

Key quote:

“To build a sustainable future, we must recognize that chemicals, once released, don’t simply disappear. Instead, they contribute to the larger issue of driving humanity towards the exceedance of planetary boundaries when considered in combination with climate change and other planetary-level impacts.”

Why this matters:

While climate change and toxic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are both individually well-established as health threats, few studies have examined the implications of the widespread simultaneous exposure experienced by humans and wildlife. Many EDCs can also impact health across multiple generations, meaning their harm continues long after the original exposure. To better tackle the issue of EDCs, the authors of this study emphasize the need for strong regulations that address chemicals by class, rather than individually.

Related EHN coverage:

Declining PFAS levels in seabird eggs reflect impact of regulatory action
Op-ed: A stalled global plastic treaty threatens our future fertility (written by two of the lead authors of the above study)

More resources:

ChemTrust: Wildlife and the environment – Endocrine disruptors
Stockholm Resilience Center: Planetary Boundaries: The safe operating space for humanity

Brander, S. et al. (2026). Impacts of environmental stressors on fertility and fecundity across taxa, with implications for planetary health. NPJ Emerging Contaminants.

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Solar tax credit trading brings clean energy to underserved communities — but faces political risk

Toxic chemicals and climate change work together to harm fertility across species

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