Senate passes GOP budget bill, hampering US shift to clean energy
A Senate-approved Republican budget bill would gut core parts of the 2022 climate law, stalling clean energy growth and likely raising Americans’ utility bills. The bill now goes to the House for final approval.
In short:
- The Senate’s Republican budget bill removes a proposed tax on solar and wind but accelerates the expiration of tax credits for renewable energy, threatening hundreds of clean energy projects.
- While some renewable incentives for technologies like hydropower and nuclear remain, clean energy advocates warn the bill favors fossil fuels and eliminates EV tax credits and the methane fee.
- Industry groups like the American Petroleum Institute celebrated the bill as a boost to oil and gas, while Democrats say it will drive up costs and damage U.S. energy independence.
Key quote:
“If the bill becomes law, families will face higher electric bills, factories will shut down, Americans will lose their jobs, and our electric grid will grow weaker.”
— Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association
Why this matters:
The Republican-led budget bill, by fast-tracking the expiration of tax credits that have been driving wind and solar projects from coast to coast and slashing incentives for electric vehicles, effectively steps on the brakes just as the U.S. clean energy economy was beginning to hit its stride.
Read more: The real scam — rail against renewables, run away with factories
Josie Holtzman, Isaac Kestenbaum: Subsistence, a way of life: How climate change is affecting Alaskan traditions