U.S. Senators “Last Line of Defense” on Saving Jobs, Lower Bills for North Carolinians
RALEIGH, June 5, 2025 – EDF Action alongside clean energy companies and consumers today called on Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd to protect clean energy tax incentives in the tax and budget bill currently being debated in the upper chamber. New analysis cited by Energy Innovation showed repeal of federal clean energy tax credits will impact tens of thousands of jobs and billions in investment for North Carolinians, while spiking electric bills. The Tar Heel State has benefited more than most states from a clean energy boom in solar, wind, battery and transportation development.
“Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd are on the last line of defense against a tax and budget bill voted on by the House that is a de facto repeal of clean energy tax incentives,” said Will Scott, director, climate and clean energy Southeast, EDF Action. “These incentives give business and families a way to cut costs while supporting local jobs and reducing pollution. We’re seeing generational job growth in electrification and transportation, wind and solar – the economy of the future is here, and we can’t turn back the clock now.”
“Businesses like ours rely on policy and economic certainty above all to make the kind of transformative clean energy investments in North Carolina that are changing lives,” said Daniel Copple, vice president, risk management, Leyline Renewable Capital, a Durham investment firm. “The tax and budget bill in its current form turns its back on years of clean energy manufacturing and job growth that has positioned North Carolina as a national – even global – leader in the clean energy race. Make no mistake, a U-turn here takes us back to a less prosperous, less innovative past – one where investors will be reluctant to commit capital because the deck is stacked against success.”
“As a business that has developed utility-scale solar in North Carolina and across the southeastern U.S. for the past 20 years, we understand firsthand why these tax incentives are so critical for lowering costs for North Carolinians,” said Carson Harkrader, CEO of Carolina Solar Energy. “If the Senate pulls the rug out from investments we’ve already made, our goal of bringing economic development to rural communities and achieving an affordable energy future will be undermined.”
“Warning signs are flashing for America’s economy as layoffs mount, recession looms, and inflation surges – this isn’t the time to cancel billions in investment and cut off thousands of jobs,” said Robbie Orvis, senior director, modeling and analysis, Energy Innovation. “Repealing federal clean energy tax incentives will grind North Carolina’s clean energy economy to a sputtering halt by scrapping more than $15 billion in clean energy and transportation investments, along with more than 17,000 jobs in less than three years. North Carolina families and businesses simply can’t afford this bill.”