The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Grant Provost of Brunswick is vice president of the Maine AFL-CIO, Maine Labor Climate Council board member, and business agent for Ironworkers Local 7.
Currently, thousands of good-paying union jobs are at stake in Maine. The U.S. House of Representatives just rammed through a budget bill that would gut clean energy tax credits and upend Maine’s energy future. The elimination of those critical federal energy investments creates massive uncertainty for energy companies, imperiling energy projects — and the livelihoods of union workers — that are already in the pipeline to be developed across our state.
Working Mainers are already in a tough spot. As prices continue to rise and the economy’s future looks more uncertain, we are looking for relief and stability wherever we can find it. Thankfully, through federal tax credits for energy projects, union jobs and utility bill savings are on the way — as long as Congress doesn’t make them disappear in exchange for tax breaks for the wealthy.
Right now, tax credits for clean energy projects are supporting hundreds of projects across Maine that are set to bring in thousands of family-sustaining, union jobs to our communities. A recent estimate identified 145 clean energy projects in the development pipeline that could take advantage of federal tax credits with strong labor standards that ensure they create good jobs.
It’s hard to overstate the impact that these jobs, and the federal investments making them possible, are already having on our state. Behind each of these jobs is one of our neighbors, a friend or a family member. When Mainers have good, union work, the whole economy benefits — especially our rural communities where many of these projects are being built. And that’s exactly what’s happening through clean energy projects.
Union clean energy jobs and the economic boost they’ll bring are just the beginning. Once completed, these projects would produce and store a combined 4,986 MW of power, enough electricity to affordably power more than 1.5 million homes.
American energy should be produced in America, by American workers, and that’s being made possible by clean energy tax credits.
Unfortunately, the latest budget dealings in Congress have left the future of these clean energy tax credits, and the economic future of Maine, hanging in the balance. To help pay for tax credits that would mostly benefit millionaires and billionaires, the latest budget proposals signal an accelerated phase-out of these tax credits — along with Maine jobs and affordable energy. It also includes cuts to Medicaid and other vital programs.
Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree, together with Sen. Angus King, cast votes in favor of these credits almost three years ago, and we thank them for their ongoing support. Today, we need our elected leadership in Washington, together with Sen. Susan Collins, to defend these tax credits as the budget reconciliation process plays out in the Senate. I believe the cost of their repeal would be far too high. If they’re taken away, Maine could wave goodbye to billions of dollars of investment that help to fund the training for skilled union apprentices and workers, access to affordable, locally produced energy, and all of the economic benefits down the road. We can’t let that happen.
Thankfully, protecting these IRA tax credits is picking up steam in Congress and the tax credits have garnered bipartisan support, including from key Republican lawmakers who realize that the benefits the clean energy tax credits have already brought to their state are too good to cut.
Federal investment in clean energy isn’t just good policy for Mainers. It’s good politics. A recent poll found that 70 percent of Americans oppose taking away federal energy incentives. Americans across the country want the lower bills and good-paying union jobs that clean energy projects will deliver, not tax cuts for the rich.
If federal investments go away, Mainers could see a 16.7 percent increase in energy prices by 2040. That’s not what we sent our representatives to Washington to do. We sent them to stand up for Maine residents, to bring jobs to the state, and to lower prices. That means protecting the clean energy tax credits powering our future.
