Tillis Authors Tax Bill that will Raise North Carolinians’ Energy Costs by $13 Billion and Kill 45,000 NC Jobs

Washington, D.C. — As Senate Republicans prepare to vote on a proposal that will gut clean energy incentives, Senator Thom Tillis faces a pressing question: will he protect clean energy incentives or raise costs on his constituents to appease the MAGA right and corporate donors?  

Sen. Thom Tillis previously said he is “proud of our work in NC to be a leader in promoting renewable energy,” and praised investments in his state’s clean energy economy. North Carolina has seen 34 new clean energy projects, creating 17,515 new jobs and attracting $20.72 billion in investment. Yet, Tillis – a member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee – has helped write a federal budget bill that amounts to a full sledgehammer repeal of clean energy tax credits, will raise energy costs in North Carolina by $13 billion, and potentially kill at least 45,000 good North Carolina jobs.

“Releasing this text as a member of the Finance Committee, Senator Tillis is endorsing higher utility bills for his constituents and creating an energy crisis all to appease the MAGA right and give tax breaks to billionaires,” said Climate Power senior advisor Jesse Lee. “Tillis understands the vast benefits clean energy has brought to North Carolina – it’s why he’s on the record touting projects and claiming he would protect job growth and domestic energy production. Senator Tillis’ support of this proposal is a cynical betrayal of his constituents – and no doubt they will remember.” 

Specifically, Senator Tillis’ bill would:

• Increase North Carolinians’ annual energy bills by $13 billion over the next decade, meaning every household will pay an average of about $300 more per year than they do now.
• Kill at least 45,000 North Carolina jobs that would be created in the next decade – and 840,000 jobs nationwide
• Risk over $23 billion in private investments in energy and manufacturing facilities.

North Carolina projects that could now be at risk financially include:

• Toyota’s $13.9 billion battery plant in Greensboro, which is in the process of hiring 3,000 workers and has plans for 5,100 total employees. 
• Natron Energy’s $1.4 billion battery plant in Rocky Mount, which is expected to create over 1,000 jobs.
• Siemens Energy’s $149.8 million investment to build large power transformers, which is expected to create 475 manufacturing jobs in Mecklenburg County and 84 new jobs in Raleigh.

Expanding AI, crypto, and data centers are causing energy demand to skyrocket across the U.S. North Carolina is home to 83 high energy data centers and more are being built across the state. Destroying North Carolina’s home-grown clean energy supply would lead to higher prices, more chaos, and less reliability for everybody.

Actions speak much louder than words, and time is running out for Senator Tillis to save North Carolina jobs and lower energy costs.