Oppose ‘Poison Pill’ for Clean Energy in Budget Bill - Defend Clean Energy

Today I take pen in hand to write and urge you in the strongest possible terms to remove a harmful provision in the Budget bill that would pose a severe threat to continued growth and investment in the clean energy sector. The proposed "foreign entity of concern" restrictions in the House GOP's budget bill are overly broad and have vaguely defined rules would effectively repeal the crucial tax credits that have spurred over $320 billion in domestic clean energy projects and manufacturing facilities. Virtually all solar, wind, battery, and other zero-emission energy projects could be implicated due to global supply chain linkages with China. This would undermine America's ability to build the renewable generation needed to meet rising electricity demand and transition away from fossil fuels. That transition must happen to cut pollution and slow down the march to an ever more unstable climate owing to fossil fuel carbon pollution. Domestic clean energy investments have benefited Republican-led districts greatly, creating thousands of jobs. Why would we reject any job growth? Choking off these investments through unworkable compliance burdens will cost the economy dearly, put us behind in technology and modernization of our power grid, and do nothing to the local economies that are transitioning away from old, polluting industries like coal. It would add to consumer costs, and continue the unhealthy and highly volatile pricing ties to the fossil fuel industry, and its many polluting side effects from exploration and fracking and production that are polluting our landscape and water supplies. In addition, as some parts of the economy need a quick buildout of power, affordable and reliable renewable power is key to powering emerging technologies, such as AI. The Budget Committee should remove these poison pill provisions that threaten America's clean energy leadership and climate goals. Tax credits have proven effective at driving private investment - we must safeguard and build upon this progress, not derail it through misguided policies that fail to address real supply chain vulnerabilities. I urge you in the strongest possible terms to reject these restrictions and instead focus on practical solutions that protect domestic manufacturing without sacrificing climate action. Thank you for your attention to this matter.