The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia

Displaying items by tag: gop ira clawback

bluebirdMacon-based Blue Bird is among Southeastern manufacturers that invested heavily in electric vehicle development thanks in large part to parts of the Inflation Reduction Act. The Biden-era IRA is facing blowback from the Trump administration, and the GOP-led Congress is trying to claw back billions already committed by the law.  Blue Bird

After DOGE, thousands of jobs still threatened and climate action under assault by GOP-led Congress

Stephen Smith is the executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and chairs the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Global Sustainability, of which Hellbender Press is a project.

KNOXVILLE — As we navigate the complex landscape of America's energy transition, the Southeast finds itself at a critical juncture where federal policy decisions are attempting to block and reverse our region's clean energy future—and push up your monthly utility bills. This is not hyperbole; it is a sad reality that needs a strong response from those of us who want a clean, safe, vibrant future in which we all thrive.

The GOP-backed bill that moved from the House to the Senate threatens to undermine $73 billion in clean energy investments across our region by abruptly blocking federal policy support that has unleashed America’s clean energy economy, grown manufacturing and investments in the Southeast, and given citizens across our region ways to save money on energy while protecting human and environmental health.

If passed, this legislation could trigger utility rate increases nationwide, hitting households already struggling with rising costs. The timing couldn't be worse, as utility companies across the Southeast are rushing headlong into expensive and risky ventures—from nuclear plant construction to powering energy-hungry data centers—without adequate planning, regulation, or public input. Georgia Power's latest Integrated Resource Plan process and TVA’s rush to build new small nuclear reactors exemplify this troubling trend, proposing changes virtually guaranteed to increase customer bills while maintaining heavy reliance on polluting fossil fuels. 

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