By Ellen Cruse, Space Coast Citizens’ Climate Lobby
The U.S. House recently voted to cut the clean energy tax credits that have created economic development in Florida and across the country. Without these tax credits, significantly fewer consumers will purchase solar panels, electric vehicles and efficient appliances. They are less likely to take steps to make their homes more energy efficient.
Why should you care about this if you are not planning to do any of these things?
- Stifling clean energy progress will result in increased prices for electricity and gas for everyone. This is because fewer clean and cheap power sources will be deployed at a time when electricity demand is expected to rise fast. Adding more solar and wind while reducing energy consumption (through heat pump HVAC systems, efficient appliances and other efficiency upgrades) helps to keep energy supply in balance with growing demand. When supply keeps up with demand, it is harder for energy suppliers to justify big price increases. Similarly, if fewer EVs are sold and vehicle fuel efficiency standards are relaxed, demand for gas will increase – and so will your price at the pump.
- Jobs will be lost. Florida has more than 172,000 clean energy jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. These are high-paying jobs and represent a step forward in deploying newer, cheaper and more innovative means of collecting energy. Manufacturing capacity to produce clean energy solutions will also take a hit if demand is driven down by the administration’s preference to burn fossil fuels. Experts estimate that America’s gross domestic product could decrease by more than $1 trillion as a result. The Solar Energy Industries Association finds the GOP budget bill could kill as many as 330,000 American jobs in the solar and storage sectors by 2030.
- Energy security will be reduced. While natural gas turbines are facing delivery backlogs, solar panels and batteries can be quickly deployed to meet our rapidly growing demand. If less new power generation is built, you can look forward to blackouts and power outages. Recently, Texas was able to better navigate an early heat wave because of its high deployment of solar and batteries. Florida can benefit, too. We will need all our power production sources to meet the estimated 25% to 50% rise in demand for energy over the next 10 years.
- Increased pollution will worsen our health while fueling more powerful hurricanes. Total emissions would be up to 3 billion tons higher over the next decade than they would be if we kept current clean energy incentives. Insurance premiums will continue to skyrocket as Florida becomes an even greater insurance risk. And some constituents will pay the ultimate price when worsening air quality results in thousands more premature deaths.
The government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers. So why are they pandering to dirty traditional fuel interests, instead of encouraging American innovation and forward-thinking solutions? It is important to note that fossil fuel companies are major donors to the election campaigns of our national leaders.
This may be the reason that reductions in fossil fuel subsidies are not being discussed as cost-saving measures. Should the “Big Beautiful Bill” be called the “Bonus for Billionaire Barons”? It has been endorsed by many in the fossil-fuel industry.
Slowing our move to cleaner and also cheaper energy is terrible in the short term and even worse in the long run. This bill strategically undermines America’s long-term health, wealth and security. It flies in the face of government efficiency.
Please reach out to your senators by phone or email. Urge them to stand up to stop these rollbacks that will derail progress, create job losses, harm our health and increase our energy prices. We do not want them to steal the possibility of progress from future generations, while also condemning them to an uncertain future.
Since we are ultimately the ones that make our choices at the ballot box, we should remind our elected officials that we understand that these vital tax credits are worth defending. Choosing dirty campaign contributors over the health and safety of their constituents is a losing strategy. And it will cost them the next election.
It doesn’t matter how much fossil fuel interests pay for their campaign advertising. We will remember that they voted against us when it’s election time.
Ellen Cruse is co-leader of the Space Coast Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and president of the Cocoa Beach Rotary Club. Banner photo: Workers install solar panels on a rooftop (iStock image).
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