Nearly 3,000 residents join telephone town hall, urging Rep. Carol Miller to protect federal tax credits that are fueling clean energy sector growth 

CHARLESTON, WV – Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have released a draft framework for legislation to gut the historic and highly desired energy tax credits created by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The released draft proposes, over the next few years, getting rid of the clean energy production and investment tax credits that have spurred economic growth all over the country — especially in Republican-controlled districts. These phase-outs erode long-term confidence for manufacturers to open new factories in areas hardest hit by deindustrialization, such as West Virginia.

On Tuesday, May 13, the powerful Ways and Means Committee will decide the fate of these clean energy tax credits. Either they will solidify their radical plan or listen to the American people and leave the credits in place. As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Representative Carol Miller (WV-01) is uniquely positioned to protect these investments and protect West Virginian jobs. In her district alone, $2.1 billion and over 3,000 jobs are coming to the state. Without the clean energy tax incentives, West Virginian jobs and the local economy are at risk. 

Community activists are urgently demanding that Rep. Miller listen to the voices of her constituents. Nearly 3,000 West Virginia residents joined a telephone town hall last Thursday evening (May 8) to hear directly from local business executives, union leaders, and advocates about recent clean energy investments that have brought and will continue to bring thousands of clean energy jobs to the state. 

“West Virginia has been a leader of American energy production for the last 100 years, and with the help of these clean energy tax credits, we can continue to be for the next 100 as well,” said Chris Tinchet, Business Manager with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 466. “These are good-paying, union jobs working to create 21st-century energy right here in West Virginia, and our elected officials need to fight for them in Congress.”

“We are deeply disappointed in the efforts to repeal popular tax credits that are creating new jobs, creating new revenue streams for local governments, and helping the American people save money,” said Quentin Scott, Federal Policy Director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN). “This isn’t about a failed policy that isn’t working. This is about political games at the expense of American jobs and affordability.  Since the IRA became law, we’ve seen thousands of jobs created across 200 different projects. In West Virginia, we’ve seen multibillion-dollar investments and thousands of jobs come to a state that has seen coal jobs shrink every year. West Virginia has always been an energy hub for the United States and now can be at the forefront of the clean energy revolution, but only if political leaders like Rep. Carol Miller protect the investments coming to her district.”

Last November, the American people were promised lower prices and more jobs, but these cuts would do the absolute opposite. The draft proposal abruptly ends popular consumer-facing energy tax credits like the home energy efficiency and electric vehicles credits. For over two years, these tax credits have helped Americans lower their skyrocketing energy bills and made it easier for many American households to make the clean energy transition. West Virginia, in particular, has benefited enormously from those policies, and stakeholders across the state are speaking out, calling for those investments to continue.

The Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credits have already spurred significant growth in West Virginia’s clean energy sector, with additional investments and job creation on the horizon. The loss of these incentives would jeopardize ongoing projects and threaten the livelihoods of thousands of West Virginians.      

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund is dedicated to driving change in public policies at the local, state, and national levels to address the climate crisis. Through voter education, lobbying, and participation in the electoral process, we seek to advance our country’s leadership in the global movement toward clean energy solutions, focusing our efforts primarily in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. We know that a vibrant democracy is central to our success, so we work to defend democratic integrity wherever we can.