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Nicholas Janzen is policy and partnerships director at Maine Conservation Voters. Francis Eanes is executive director of the Maine Labor Climate Council.
Just a short two years ago, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) proved that tackling climate change and growing the economy are not mutually exclusive. The law unleashed a clean energy boom nationwide, creating thousands of good-paying union jobs, lowering household energy costs, and giving communities the tools to protect themselves from extreme weather.
In Maine, the impact was clear. We’ve surpassed our ambitious heat pump goals and are weatherizing our homes, small businesses are using solar, and we started laying the groundwork for pioneering offshore wind projects that could power our state for decades.
Now, Congress is working to undo that progress. On July 4, lawmakers passed, and President Donald Trump signed, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill.” More like the “Big Ugly Bill” to us. Instead of lowering costs like clean energy does, this bill drives them up. It’s nothing more than a Republican rate hike on everyday people.
This legislation guts the very programs that made the IRA such a success. The result will be higher home energy bills, lost jobs, and weaker competitiveness for Maine businesses, all while handing out tax breaks to billionaires and polluting oil and gas companies.
The bill phases out wind and solar tax credits unless projects break ground immediately, eliminates incentives for new and used electric vehicles, and ends funding for home energy upgrades, including rooftop solar, heat pumps, and insulation, all by the end of 2025. By slashing the very incentives that have fueled clean energy growth, it threatens to stall projects, kill jobs, and drive up energy costs for Mainers.
While the IRA fueled innovation, kept energy dollars in-state, and created family-sustaining work, the Big Ugly Bill forces families to pay more while padding the profits of the wealthiest corporations. One builds us up, the other drags us down.
Many solar projects — including a 140-megawatt array in Hartland — have already been put on hold. Union electricians are seeing hours dry up. Maine is projected to lose 1,600 clean energy jobs, and households could pay $80 more per year by 2035.
All of this comes on top of recent electricity rate hikes, driven primarily by the costs of recovering from severe winter storms intensified by climate change.
Yet our organizations know that Maine has always led and will continue to lead on climate. Even as federal policy falters, during the most recent state legislative session we strengthened emergency planning, funded climate adaptation projects, and strengthened clean electricity goals that keep energy dollars local, create union jobs, and help households save. With a new cabinet-level Department of Energy Resources, Maine is building the capacity to guide a clean energy future efficiently and effectively.
But while Maine acts, federal policy is moving in the wrong direction. Many Mainers knew the Big Ugly Bill was bad long before it passed. Dozens of organizations, businesses, labor unions, and community leaders successfully advocated to Maine’s congressional delegation, urging them to reject these clean energy rollbacks.
And while it wasn’t enough to prevent passage, Maine’s entire federal delegation heeded that call and voted against the legislation.
Even as the Big Ugly Bill drives up costs, cuts jobs, and stalls critical clean energy projects, Maine must continue to act on its own to mitigate the damage. By continuing to invest in renewable energy, strengthen climate adaptation, and support families and workers, the state can and will keep moving forward.
Two years after the Inflation Reduction Act showed what’s possible, Maine has proven that fighting climate change, creating good jobs, and saving families money can go hand in hand.
We know we can’t do it all on our own. Federal partnership is essential, but by pressing ahead, staying bold, and keeping communities at the center of our work, Maine can continue to lead.
The Big Ugly Bill is a rate hike on everyday people. Maine’s path is clear: We lead, we build, and we keep costs down for families.
