Senate Republicans Celebrated Clean Energy Boom in Their States, Now Face Vote to Kill It

Washington, D.C. — As the Senate prepares to vote on a budget reconciliation package that would gut clean energy tax credits, Republican Senators who have repeatedly recognized the importance of clean energy investments and manufacturing jobs in their states now face a critical decision: will they protect the projects they’ve celebrated or vote to eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs, hike energy bills, and undermine America’s energy independence?

The pending legislation would phase out or terminate tax credits for clean electricity, clean hydrogen, and advanced manufacturing—putting at risk the very investments these GOP Senators have celebrated in their home states at ribbon cuttings and in the press.

“Many Republican Senators have spent years rightly celebrating the clean energy projects in their states—the jobs they created, the investments they attracted, and their importance for achieving American energy independence,” said Climate Power senior advisor Jesse Lee. “Now it’s the moment of truth: were those just empty words, or will they actually stand up for their constituents and vote to protect the clean energy economy that has been providing jobs and lower costs to the people they represent?”

Republican Senators On-the-Record Supporting Clean Energy

• Sen. Thom Tillis represents North Carolina, which has seen 34 new clean energy projects announced since the IRA, creating 17,515 new jobs and attracting $20.72 billion in investment. Tillis has 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.

• Sen. Susan Collins represents Maine, which has over 15,000 clean energy jobs and the fastest-growing clean energy economy in New England. Collins has vowed to “reduce greenhouse gas emissions and spur the creation of clean energy jobs” in her state.

• Sen. Jerry Moran represents Kansas, which has seen 5 new clean energy projects creating over 21,000 jobs since the IRA. Moran celebrated Panasonic’s De Soto investment for “bring[ing] thousands of good-paying, high-quality jobs to our state.”

• Sen. John Curtis represents Utah, which has attracted 10 new clean energy projects since the passage of the IRA, creating 4,326 new clean energy jobs. Curtis has claimed that provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act are “actually Republican priorities” and warned that a full repeal could lead to “significant disruptions” and weaken the United States’ standing on the global stage.

• Sen. Shelley Moore Capito represents West Virginia, which has seen 7 new clean energy projects creating 5,768 jobs since the IRA. Capito has emphasized job creation benefits and praised projects’ potential to “transform and spark development” in rural communities.

Every single one of these Senators now faces a vote that would eliminate the very clean energy tax credits that made these investments possible, putting hundreds of thousands of jobs on the chopping block and hiking energy costs for families across their states.