Latest news with #ClimatePower
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Report says more than 25K Michigan jobs threatened if IRA tax credits are canceled
Getty Images Since former President Joe Biden launched billions in grants, loans, tax breaks and other efforts incentivizing clean energy development through the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, Michigan has proven itself as a leader in the sector. However, a recent report warns that President Donald Trump's efforts to eliminate those policies are already cutting into the state's clean energy gains. Climate Power, a strategic communications firm centered on climate progress, has issued several reports tracking the impacts of Biden's climate policies across the U.S., repeatedly pointing to Michigan as the state attracting the largest share of clean energy projects, in addition to drawing significant investments and creating thousands of jobs. However, in the months since Trump has taken office, the president's attacks on clean energy policy alongside the impact of his tariff policies have threatened, delayed or outright canceled $14.2 billion in investments alongside 2,667 jobs, the firm's latest report said. If congressional Republicans repeal the IRA's tax credits for clean energy manufacturing, Climate Power warns that $39.85 billion in investments and 25,357 jobs could be lost. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The report also emphasizes that these cuts would harm low-income communities, where companies have announced $13.3 billion in investments, creating 17,245 clean energy jobs. Additionally projects announced in rural communities which are expected to bring $5.8 billion in investment and 2,886 jobs could also be placed at risk. While Climate Power has projected that the state will bring in 167,000 new jobs over the next ten years, the loss of federal support and impacts of Trump's trade war would similarly jeopardize these gains. 'Trump's war on clean energy and his chaotic policies have already caused a hemorrhaging of manufacturing jobs in sectors that had been booming for two years,' Lori Lodes, Climate Power's executive director said in a statement. 'Repealing clean energy investments would jeopardize hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs on its own. On top of this crisis of uncertainty, repeal would devastate American manufacturing — halting construction, sending jobs overseas, hiking energy costs, and forfeiting the future to China and our other competitors.' Of the 74 clean energy projects committed to investing in Michigan, the majority are centered in electric vehicles and batteries, with 35 projects centered on EV manufacturing and 19 on batteries. These sectors were also the largest for jobs, with the battery industry accounting for 46.9% of incoming jobs, while the electric vehicles sector accounts for 32.6%. However, the clean technology sector has drawn the greatest amount of investments, bringing $13.2 billion into the state. The report also points to several projects in these sectors, including a $1.6 billion battery cell plant in Van Buren Township from Michigan-based Our Next Energy, and General Motors' plan to retool its Lansing Grand River Plant for electric vehicle production using a $500 million clean energy grant. Climate power also noted that more than a third of the clean energy projects coming into Michigan would be housed in districts represented by Republicans in Congress, for a total of $12.5 billion in investments. As Republicans work to cut spendings in order to extend Trump's 2017 tax policy, some House Republicans have spoken out against eliminating the clean energy tax credit, including Rep. John James (R-Shelby Twp.) whose district expects to see 275 new jobs and over $16 million in investments. According to a report from Politico, Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland) signed onto a letter Thursday calling for House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) to maintain incentives for nuclear energy. Huizenga's district houses the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Covert, which has approval for a $1.52 billion loan from the federal government to restart the plant.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nearly 400,000 US clean energy jobs on the line, Climate Power analysis finds
More than 60,000 US jobs in clean energy have been delayed, threatened, or eliminated entirely since US President Donald Trump's reelection in November, putting the country's manufacturing renaissance at risk, according to a new analysis. A further 399,000 jobs — the bulk of which are in GOP-controlled districts — could be on the chopping block if congressional Republicans follow through with their legislative agenda to repeal or gut Biden-era tax credits, with the future of manufacturing 'ceded to China yet again,' climate advocacy group Climate Power warned in its April Clean Energy Jobs report. Around 10% of those jobs are in Georgia, one of the leading beneficiaries of IRA-related incentives: 'If [Republican members of Congress] want to proceed with blind partisan loyalty and harm Georgia's economy, then they have that choice, but it's a choice that will harm the state, and they'll be punished by voter support,' Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) told reporters Wednesday. The Rhodium Group and MIT's Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research published research last week showing six projects worth $6.2 billion in investment have been canceled since January.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cuts to clean energy tax credits will harm North Carolina, advocates say
As the legal fight continues over whether the Trump administration can ignore climate spending laws passed by Congress, North Carolina advocates are preparing for the next brewing federal threat. A Republican-led budget bill working its way through Congress aims to cut $2 trillion in programs to instead help pay for increased spending on the military and border security as well as tax cuts for corporations and higher-income earners. U.S. House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, recently referred to clean energy programs under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act as 'low-hanging fruit' for budget cuts. Convincing Republicans in Congress that those programs are worth defending will be a critical priority in the coming weeks, advocates said in a call with reporters last week. 'We're trying to remind representatives who have a stake in this, most of whom are Republicans, that real harm may come to their constituents if these tax credits are taken away,' said Stan Cross, electric transportation director with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. Cross pointed to data from Atlas Public Policy and Utah State University showing that nearly three-quarters of the nation's $276 billion in clean energy manufacturing investments are in districts represented by Republicans. Climate Power, a nonprofit communications group that organized the call, estimates the Inflation Reduction Act has already spurred over $20 billion in climatetech investments and created more than 17,000 jobs in North Carolina, most in Republican areas. That includes developments like Toyota's massive new EV battery plant in Randolph County. But a web of tax incentives established by the 2022 law — helping to entice Toyota to manufacture electric vehicles in the United States and consumers to buy them — hangs in the balance before the Republican-controlled Congress, even if the courts decide the Trump administration can't unilaterally scrap other climate spending. Cuts to those tax credits could slow North Carolina's shift to renewable energy, said Alex Campbell, public policy analyst with the N.C. Budget and Tax Center, during the Climate Power call. That would harm the environment and raise energy costs for Tar Heels, he said. 'It's worth emphasizing why these cuts are being pursued,' Campbell added. 'It's about funding tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy by destroying our public programs.' Still, there's little indication so far that North Carolina's congressional delegation is poised to stand up for clean energy incentives. Among the 18 Republicans who last year urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to preserve the credits, none are from the Tar Heel State, and only one, Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia, is from the Southeast. Sen. Thom Tillis, generally regarded as the Republican who's friendliest to clean energy in Congress, voted against the Inflation Reduction Act. So did Republican Rep. Richard Hudson, whose district includes the Toyota plant, saying in a statement that the law would 'throw money at woke climate and social programs that won't work.' Newly minted congressional Rep. Tim Moore, also a Republican, supported a bipartisan state law forcing Duke Energy to zero out its carbon pollution by 2050 when he was speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives. His district has three new clean energy developments, including a lithium-processing plant in Kings Mountain. But Moore may end up as a foe of the Inflation Reduction Act in Congress: He criticized it in a 2022 social media post for not effectively driving down inflation and last year urged a U.S. senator from his state to address 'problems' that he said the climate law created. With Republicans retaining an extremely narrow majority in Washington, even a single vote could tip the scales, Cross said. 'Some of the votes are going to be fifty-fifty votes,' he said. 'So, there are points at which an individual representative going one way or another could be meaningful.' While Congress debates the future of clean energy incentives, North Carolina House Democratic Leader Robert Reives said on the Climate Power call that he hopes the Republican majority in the state's General Assembly will help preserve the state's clean energy investments — but he's also concerned about 'negative' energy legislation. 'I'm worried,' he said, 'because over the last month, there's been a troubling tendency to follow whatever the federal government states instead of looking at what the effects are going to be for North Carolina.'
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Climate activists warn that Trump's energy policies have cost thousands of clean energy jobs
Solar panels at the East Lansing Community Solar Park, June 26, 2023 | Kyle Davidson Since President Donald Trump's election on Nov. 7, more than 42,000 clean energy and climate jobs across the nation have been lost or stalled according to a new analysis from the communications firm Climate Power. Focused on building support for climate action, Climate Power has issued several reports detailing the impacts of President Joe Biden's climate policies on clean energy and electric vehicle manufacturing, noting Michigan is leading the nation in attracting new manufacturing projects. However, in the weeks since his Jan. 20 inauguration, Trump has worked to put an end to the climate and clean energy investments laid out in Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act and halt renewable energy efforts across the country. Climate Power said Trump's efforts have taken a wrecking ball to clean energy investments supplying high paying jobs and lower energy costs to communities throughout the U.S. Since Trump was elected, 42,493 announced jobs — representing more than $57 billion in investment — and 64 projects have been stopped or stalled, according to an analysis of media reports identifying projects as delayed, threatened, or canceled. Climate Power's analysis includes projects or companies that directly cite Trump administration actions as the reason for closure and projects that are canceled, delayed or threatened without specifically pointing to the Trump administration's actions. 'America is losing nearly a thousand jobs a day because of Trump's war against cheaper, faster, and cleaner energy. Congressional Republicans have a choice: get in line with Trump's job-killing energy agenda or take a stand to protect jobs and lower costs for American families,' Climate Power Executive Director Lori Lodes said in a statement. U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Twp.) and at least seven other House Republicans previously called on their colleagues to preserve tax credits created or expanded by Biden's climate policies according to a report from Politico. 'We must not neglect the sector-wide energy tax provisions that manufacturers and job creators rely on in my district and around the country,' James said. In its Clean Energy Business Impacts Tracker, Climate Power identifies six projects in Michigan that have been delayed, canceled or threatened by the Trump Administration. This includes a shuttered effort to retrofit a Marysville parts plant to produce electric vehicle parts and battery manufacturer Akasol's plan to end production in Michigan on April 14. The tracker notes that neither project has been linked to Trump's climate and energy policies. However, the remaining four projects have either been delayed, or are directly threatened by regulatory action or an executive order. This includes conditional loans to both DTE and Consumers Energy from the U.S Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office for renewable energy projects totaling several billion dollars. A spokesperson for Consumers Energy did not respond to a request prior to publication. DTE did not have a statement to share. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Polling shows strong support for clean energy among Michiganders amid state and federal GOP pushback
Solar panels in Meridian Township | Susan With Gov. Gretchen Whitmer introducing her MI Healthy Climate Plan in 2022 and Democrats setting a goal of 100% clean energy by 2035, Michigan's leaders — and its voters — have shown strong support for efforts to shift to green energy sources. According to recent polling from Data For Progress, a progressive think tank, and Evergreen Action, an advocacy group focused on climate action, 62% of Michiganders support the state's clean energy standard while 34% stood in opposition. From Jan. 28 to Jan. 30, Data For Progress surveyed 566 likely voters who responded to a web panel. The sample was weighted to represent likely voters by age, gender, education, race, geography and recalled presidential vote. Participants were sorted based on self-identified party affiliation, not party registration. The survey's margin of error is four percentage points, though Data For Progress notes this may be higher for the subgroups. Courtney Brady, Evergreen Action's Midwest deputy director, said the 2024 election sent shockwaves across the country, and with media coverage muddling the view of where voters stand on energy issues, the survey aims to understand where the average voter — particularly independents — stands post election. Support for 100% clean energy by 2035 was particularly strong among Democrats, according to the poll, with 85% saying they somewhat or strongly supported a full transition to clean energy over the next decade. The state's clean energy efforts also saw support from 61% of independents and 42% of Republicans. Alongside placing a clean energy standard into state law, Michigan officials have worked to leverage business opportunities heralded by the shift to green energy, as well as supporting workers whose jobs could be displaced as industries transition away from fossil fuels. According to the poll, 79% of all voters surveyed either somewhat, or strongly support policies that will create clean energy and manufacturing jobs. Party-line support comes in at 93% of Democrats, 78% of independents and 68% of Republicans. Multiple reports from the communications firm Climate Power have pointed to Michigan's status as a clean energy leader, securing more clean energy projects than any other state following former President Joe Biden's efforts to boost renewables and support electric vehicle manufacturing through federal subsidies, spurring at least 751 projects across the nation. However, with President Donald Trump pledging to eliminate Biden's climate and energy policies, and the Trump administration blocking climate spending, the future of many programs is uncertain. Following a presentation of Whitmer's fiscal year 2026 executive budget proposal, Phil Roos, the director of Michigan's Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy, told reporters that federal funding was vital to its programming, totaling about $500 million across the department with a good chunk of those funds being put toward energy transition efforts. Alongside support and buy-in for clean energy efforts, the permitting and build out of clean energy efforts is vital as the state aims to hit its clean energy goals. Overall 73% of voters said it was important to make it easier for new clean energy projects to be built, according to the poll. While 87% of Democrats said it was important for clean energy projects to receive easy approval for construction, Republicans and independents showed smaller majorities, with 68% of independents and 65% of Republicans' agreeing it is important. As part of the Democrats' clean energy package, lawmakers approved two bills seeking to streamline permitting for large-scale renewable energy projects. The bills place permitting for solar energy developments with a capacity of 50 megawatts or more; wind facilities with 100 megawatts or more; and energy storage facilities with a capacity of 50 megawatts or more and a discharge capacity of 200 megawatts or greater — under the control of the Michigan Public Service Commission, the state's energy regulator. However, Republicans called the effort a power grab, arguing the bills stripped permitting authority away from Michigan communities. The final version of the law requires energy developers to work with municipalities whose permitting process mirrors the state's, giving the parties 120 days to reach an agreement with the potential for an 120 day extension. However, if the community fails to approve or deny an application in a timely manner, if the local zoning process is stricter than the standards outlined in the law, or if a project meets the standards outlined in the law but is denied, then the developer can submit a permitting application to the Public Service Commission. In the House, members of the new Republican majority have already introduced an effort to repeal these changes, with Rep. Gregory Alexander's (R-Carsonville) House Bills 4027 and 4028. Additionally, 72 townships and seven counties have filed a suit to block the public service commission from implementing the new zoning law. While Republicans and the opposition have made repeated attempts to get the zoning changes off the books, a referendum attempting to repeal the law failed to get enough signatures to make the 2024 and the 2026 ballot, while previous bills aiming to eliminate the permitting changes also failed, Brady said. 'People want to make it easier to site these things. They want to see the investment come. They want people to be able to do what they want with their land, and they want the job creation, and also, later down the road, cheaper energy costs because we're integrating more resources into the grid,' Brady said. 'I think there's a big mismatch between what the loudest opposition, minor opposition, is saying, and really what the reality is for voters,' she said. Alongside questions on the state's clean energy laws, the survey asked voters about several efforts to support individuals facing high energy costs, transition gas-powered vehicles to electric vehicles as well as their frustrations with the state's electricity utility companies. In addition to their support for the state's clean energy goal, the survey found a majority of voters also supported expanding Michigan's home repair program — which can lower energy costs by $145 per year by making them more energy efficient — and its program offering rebates for energy efficiency improvements, which is expected to launch in March. Michigan voters also broadly supported efforts to support electric vehicles, with 58% in favor of the legislature taking action to expand EV chargers across the state, while 57% supported expanding rebates and other financial assistance for purchasing electric vehicles. The legislature should also take action to help Michigan schools leverage federal funds to replace aging school buses with new electric models, according to 64% of voters surveyed. Additionally, 75% of voters surveyed supported efforts to improve and upgrade public transit in the state, as well as expanding access to buses and light rail. Environmental justice was also a strong value for many of the voters surveyed, with 79% agreeing the state should prioritize action to address pollution in areas that face a higher burden. The poll also highlighted Michiganders' frustrations with energy companies in the state, with Michigan rated among the worst in the nation for energy reliability, according to a report from the Citizens Utility Board of Michigan, which advocates for the state's energy consumers. Voters demanded greater transparency from their utility companies, with 85% saying they would support legislative action requiring companies to be more transparent in their decisions to respond to and prevent power outages. They also sought greater transparency on the general decision making within these companies, with 83% in support. The voters also generally agreed there is more action the Legislature could be taking, with 64% saying lawmakers should be doing more to ensure energy companies are keeping costs affordable, while 51% said they should be doing more to protect the state power grid from severe weather, which has caused several lengthy outages across the state. Forty-eight percent said legislators should be doing more to ensure these companies aren't taking action to delay the adoption of clean energy.
