What They’re Saying: Manufacturing, Labor, and Energy Industry Experts Speak Out – Republican Repeal Bill Will Kill Jobs and Raise Costs

Washington, DC – As House Republicans make their massive bill funding tax cuts for billionaires even more extreme, including even more severe repeal of clean energy tax credits, a new wave of experts across manufacturing, labor, and energy industries is coming out to agree: this legislation will bring manufacturing to a screeching halt, kill hundreds of thousands of American jobs, and raise costs on consumers. 

Today, the Solar and Storage Industry released a new analysis showing that gutting these tax credits will raise electricity costs by $51 billion and kill nearly 300,000 jobs in their industry by 2028, and the North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) denounced the bill, saying, “It eliminates hundreds of thousands of energy jobs for our members” — both consistent with Climate Power’s own analysis showing that nearly 400,000 clean energy jobs newly created since 2022 are at risk under this legislation. 

Here’s what leaders across industry and labor are saying about the clean energy repeal bill:

Energy Industry Leaders:

• Solar Energy Industries Association: Sean Gallagher, Senior Vice President of Policy, said: “It’s [the phase out of federal solar tax credits] going to be devastating for companies, their employees, and their customers, […] It’ll kill an industry that supports hundreds of thousands of workers and tens of billions of dollars in investment every year.”

• American Clean Power Association: Jason Grument, CEO, said: “The practical effect [of the GOP bill] is an abrupt repeal of these [clean energy] incentives that translates into significant tax hikes that are going to freeze [clean energy] investment.” 

• Advanced Energy United: Harry Godfrey, Managing Director, said: “I have a hard time thinking that the economic opportunity, the business forecast, the investment forecasts for the lithium loop that that have existed the past couple years in Nevada can endure and continue in the present state, given the demand destruction [without IRA clean energy tax credits.]”

Labor Associations and Leaders

• Utility Workers of America: James Harrison, Director, Renewable Energy, said: “The new clean energy jobs that are coming to our community need to be as good as the coal jobs were, with family-supporting wages and good benefits. I have hope that we can get there due to the historic clean energy investments that are coming through the Inflation Reduction Act.” 

• North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU): President Sean McGarvey said: “As currently written, the House Republicans’ reconciliation bill cannot be supported by the men and women of North America’s Building Trades Unions. It eliminates hundreds of thousands of energy jobs for our members and includes other deeply troubling provisions. One of our top priorities in this process has been protecting meaningful job opportunities, but that priority is being completely undermined. Job cuts for blue-collar Americans should not foot the bill for billionaire tax cuts. We’re counting on our allies in Congress to fix this bill before it heads to the House floor — and we’ll be mobilizing to ensure our voices are heard.”

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 567: Kilton Webb, Member, said: “Mainers across the state have benefited from these important investments, from ironworkers building wind farms in Aroostook County to electricians installing battery plants in Lincoln and Gorham to the many solar fields spread across the state.”

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 46: Nicole Grant, Political Director, said: “My fellow members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 46 in Western Washington are buying their first homes or getting out of debt after a job on a new clean energy project.”

Clean Energy Financers

• Monarch Private Capital: George Strobel, CO-CEO, said: “It [clean energy manufacturing] will come to a screeching halt without the credits, […] That’s just the way it is.”

• Clifford Change: Alexander Leff, Partner, said: “It’s a significant loss of business for industry participants such as banks that were brokering transferability transactions, […] The loss of transferability will likely reduce overall the volume of tax credit monetisation transactions.”

Auto Manufacturers:

• Lucid: Adrian Price, Senior Vice President of Operations, said: “Manufacturing is a hugely capital-intensive business […] and you have to be careful about how you invest and grow, […] Those credits and those opportunities are part of the fabric of how we structure the business to enable us to grow at the fastest rate we can.”

Policy Experts 

• Solar United Neighbors: Glen Brand, Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: “It would put solar out of reach for millions of people. […] What the House has done is to put ordinary Americans in a really hard place. They are basically saying they aren’t going to help people with rising energy costs.”

• BlueGreen Alliance: Ted Fertik, Vice President, Manufacturing and Industrial Policy, said: “The bills reported out of committee earlier this week are a repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act, in all but name, […] This is a sledgehammer to investments and tax credits that are already creating jobs, lowering costs and bolstering manufacturing across the country.”

• Union of Concerned Scientists: Steven Higashide, Director, said: “[Eliminating credits for new and used EVs] means thousands of dollars in costs for households that want to make the switch, ending the clean vehicle infrastructure credit, making it harder for people to put a charger at their home, specifically in rural and underserved areas.”