Garbarino right to lead fight to preserve clean energy tax credits

As Washington braces for a Senate vote Friday on a spending bill that could end up causing or avoiding a government shutdown, one group of House Republicans is looking ahead to another battle: the fight to preserve clean energy tax credits that were part of the Inflation Reduction Act. 

It's one part of the huge ongoing budget bill reconciliation process. But this piece of the puzzle is particularly critical because it impacts enormous investments already being made across the country, including on Long Island. A large chunk of the credits — which encourage the development of energy infrastructure, for both traditional and renewable sources — have landed in Republican congressional districts.

Long Island Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) is leading the effort to stop the repeal or revamp of the clean energy tax credits, which promised hundreds of billions of dollars in incentives to communities across the country. He has garnered additional Republican support for what has been primarily a Democratic initiative; 20 other House Republicans, including Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), signed on to a letter Garbarino led earlier this month asking House Ways and Means Committee chairman Jason Smith to "unite House Republicans" on the issue.

While Long Island data wasn't available, a Garbarino spokeswoman said New York State has drawn more than $5.5 billion in investments so far, out of $23.5 billion allocated to the state. That leaves about 75% of announced investments statewide at risk if the credits were to end, she said.

The tax credits enable larger investment efforts in everything from manufacturing and technology to energy production. And because they're often spread out over a decade, some developers already have made plans based on future tax incentives. Garbarino and the other Republicans rightly note in their letter that changes to those plans could lead to "drastically higher power bills for American families," in some cases increasing utility bills "the very next day."

Other advocates caution that a halt to new energy production could lead to brownouts, blackouts and other power concerns as electric demands are projected to skyrocket — all legacies neither President Donald Trump nor his supporters would want. 

Garbarino's leadership on this issue is welcome, but he'll have to maintain the pressure he's begun to exert. His message is important: Even if Republicans want to get rid of parts of the IRA, they shouldn't dump everything, especially the pieces that directly create jobs and bring money into their districts. In one sense, the clean energy tax credits can be seen as supporting Trump's promise to "unleash" American energy.

Trump has often extolled an "all of the above" energy policy which, it is becoming increasingly clear, must include renewable energy like solar and wind. Checking off that "all of the above" box has to include the clean energy tax credits that make that possible.