On May 22, the House of Representatives voted to pass a budget bill that drastically cuts America’s clean energy tax credits. I’m disappointed to see that the House advanced this legislation.

Make no mistake: These cuts will hurt Texas if they go on to become law. Experts are already warning that these changes would raise energy costs for American households, increase pollution, and threaten growing economic investments we’ve seen in Texas. The House passage of this bill just put these investments at risk.

These federal tax credits—designed to boost clean energy manufacturing in the U.S. – have been working, just as decades of tax-related supports have helped oil and gas. Since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022, Texas has benefited from nearly $8 billion invested in 29 projects leading to over 10,000 new jobs from clean energy projects. Besides our strengths in oil and gas production, Texas can continue to be the leader among states in clean energy deployments. But by some estimates killing these tax credits will jeopardize as many as 122,000 jobs and up to $130 billion in private investments in Texas.

The need for power – and clean power in particular – is almost infinite in the face of future demand from high-consumption applications like datacenters and water purification. Why not continue to unleash our state’s huge potential for sun, wind, and geothermal?

The tax credits were passed by Democrats, so they have been an easy target for Republican attacks. But nationwide the legislation has overwhelmingly benefited Republican-held districts – 78% of the funding has gone to rural and suburban areas held by the GOP. That includes Texas, where manufacturers like Samsung C&T Renewables, General Electric and many, many smaller companies announced major investments thanks to these tax credits.

But that success story could unravel quickly. The legislation is now in the Senate’s hands, and the House passage has set them on a path toward drastic cuts.

If the cuts become law, energy prices will rise. Rolling back these tax credits means Texas ratepayers will face higher electricity prices in coming years.

By contrast, if Congress protects clean energy tax credits, it would boost Texas’ economy over the next decade, helping meet the challenges of a growing population and growing high-energy demand industries. Clean energy projects can even help stabilize our water supply in the Permian basin where oil and gas production requires huge amounts of water that can be reused if enough energy is applied to clean it up.

Encouragingly, some Republican members of Congress are vocalizing their support for the clean energy tax credits. Four Republican Senators sent a letter to leadership last month saying that repeal would “lead to significant disruptions for the American people and weaken our position as a global energy leader.”

The numbers are clear: clean energy tax credits are working for Texas. Undoing clean energy tax credits now – as the House just voted to do – would be reckless and harmful. I urge Senators Cornyn and Cruz to work with their colleagues in the Senate to protect these tax credits.

Cynthia Lesky, Group Development and Organization for Citizens’ Climate Lobby Austin, Texas

Letter submitted to the Austin American-Statesman

May 25, 2025

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From the Citizens’ Climate Lobby secure conversation platform, Austin Chapter:

“I’ve been a member of CCL since the fall of 2017. I joined shortly after moving to Austin from Highland Park, IL. For the last 30 years I’ve devoted most of my energies to my family and to a small business I built serving the needs of corporate information centers (I’m a librarian by training.) When I finally had the time to give back a little bit, I went searching for ways to get involved in climate change activism and also to meet people in my new community.

The laser focus on carbon pricing and the genuinely big-hearted, bipartisan, respectful culture of CCL were the big draws for me. I’ve been growing steadily more active as I find my strengths intersect with the various needs of the organization and of the cause. My involvement with Citizens’ Climate Lobby has been an affirming, learning experience for me, a source of new friends, and an avenue for personal growth.“