Clean Energy is Booming in Republican States, Including in Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s Home of South Dakota
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Washington, D.C. — Today, Senate Republicans elected Sen. John Thune (R-SD) as the next Senate Majority Leader. In response to the Senate Republican leadership election, Climate Power executive director Lori Lodes issued the following statement:
“Republican senators know firsthand the importance of clean energy investments, including their new Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Thune’s own state of South Dakota is mostly powered by cleaner, cheaper wind energy. Because of the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits that are lowering the cost of energy, private investments from clean energy companies have soared in local economies. Manufacturing is coming back to communities long forgotten and, with it, hundreds of thousands of jobs. It’s now up to the Republican majority to listen to their constituents, protect these jobs, and bring more cleaner, cheaper energy options to communities nationwide.”
Clean energy is booming in Republican states, including in South Dakota:
- Three-fourths of South Dakota’s total in-state electricity comes from renewables, especially wind. In fact, wind makes up a larger share of South Dakota’s power than any other state except Iowa.
- The clean energy plan has created more than 149,000 good-paying jobs in states represented by Republican senators—and sparked over $142 billion in investments in those states.
- Since the Inflation Reduction Act passed into law, 1,350 new clean energy jobs have been announced in South Dakota.
- According to Fox News Exit Polling, 56% said that the better approach for US energy policy is to focus on expanding the use of solar and wind over expanding the production of oil and gas.