Report shows that PA coal communities are among the areas receiving disproportionate share of clean energy investment in the wake of the Inflation Reduction Act
Casey led the passage of the Energy Communities Bonus Credit, to boost investments in energy communities
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released a statement applauding a new report which shows that energy communities are leading the Nation in new clean energy investment, thanks to his provision in the Inflation Reduction Act. According to the report, the national share of wind, solar, battery, and manufacturing investment in areas classified as energy communities is almost double their share of the national population. Senator Casey fought to include bonus tax credits for energy communities in the Inflation Reduction Act to incentivize companies to build and manufacture new clean energy projects in the communities that have powered our Nation for generations.
“Pennsylvania’s coal communities have powered our Nation since the Industrial Revolution, and are uniquely qualified for new energy jobs,” said Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). “It is great news that, as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act and the energy communities tax credits that I fought for, these communities are receiving the investment that they need to continue to power the future.”
The report, conducted by the independent research firm Rhodium Group and MIT’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, communities that once hosted coal, oil, or gas infrastructure make up only 18.6 percent of the U.S. population, but they received 36.8 percent of the new clean energy investment in the year after the Inflation Reduction Act’s passage. When the law passed, Senator Casey fought to include the Energy Communities Bonus Credit, which encourages clean energy deployment and manufacturing in “energy communities,” areas whose economies and jobs are or were dependent on the coal, oil or natural gas energy sectors. The bonus tax credit is worth 10 percent of the cost of any clean energy project placed in an energy community.
You can see a full map of areas in Pennsylvania that may be eligible for the Energy Communities Bonus Credit here.
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