Northwest energy experts and conservation leaders are in Washington, D.C. to urge policymakers to invest in modernizing the region's grid. Updating the energy system will provide for increased demand in the Northwest and also help endangered species like salmon, they said.

Nancy Hirsh, Northwest Energy Coalition Executive Director, said the Bonneville Power Administration is a key player and urges the agency to help develop new transmission and energy storage and build new renewable energy resources.

"It's going to help the region be more resilient, create a more flexible power system and take pressure off of the federal hydro system, which is going to be better for fish," she said.

As summers get hotter from climate change, the Northwest is expected to see a 50% increase in demand by 2050. One of the biggest impediment for salmon in the region is four lower Snake River dams. Experts in D.C. hope to build on momentum from Washington Senator Patty Murray and Governor Jay Inslee's report from last year that provided a roadmap for how the dams could be removed and the energy grid modernized.

While some people have argued the lower Snake River dams provide valuable services such as irrigation and barge transportation, Erin Farris-Olsen, the Northern Rockies and Prairies regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation said they do not provide much energy to the region, and called for a vision for the Northwest's future that includes modernizing its infrastructure.

"The question is not just about recovering salmon but defining a future where both salmon and communities can exist," she said.

Hirsh called on the Bonneville Power Administration to be more forward-thinking in its conservation approach instead of protecting the existing energy system.

"We're interested in thinking about what's that future system look like and how do we start the investments needed today to get where we want to go so that the fish have a chance?," she said.

After being debated for days, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, are among those who voted to advance the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" to push President Donald Trump's agenda forward.

Curtis was one of a handful of Republicans who wanted to preserve clean energy tax credits but the Senate made major cuts to tax incentives for wind and solar projects. Now, the bill does not allow for a project to get the tax credit if it does not begin producing electricity by 2028.

Sean Gallagher, senior vice president of policy for the Solar Energy Industries Association, said the change could reverse years of progress and innovation.

"It has really devastating impacts," Gallagher emphasized. "Not just to the solar industry, but to American energy security and national security. Solar energy is putting more new power on the grid than every other fuel source combined in the last several years."

Curtis was able to remove a provision that would've enacted a new tax on solar and wind projects and ended a ban on solar leasing. While Curtis expressed gratitude to Senate leaders for including his changes, Gallagher hopes the concessions do not hinder the industry's ability to meet demand. The budget bill now goes back to the U.S. House for what could be the final vote.

Projects started before the bill is enacted would be protected from penalties and setbacks. Current projects would also retain all of their tax-credit value through December 2027. Gallagher argued the tax credits, passed under the Inflation Reduction Act, are working.

"Every dollar spent on clean energy tax credits has a $2.67 return in the form of lower energy costs for consumers, and taxes paid by clean energy infrastructure projects, mostly property taxes," Gallagher pointed out.

The Trump administration has called for energy dominance and so far has focused on supporting more development of fossil fuels over renewable energy. And while wind and solar energy are still popular across the board, recent polling indicates some people, especially Republicans, are less supportive of renewable energy than in Trump's first term.


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Groups representing workers in the renewable power sector are slamming the possible repeal of clean-energy tax credits in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" currently before the U.S. Senate.

The bill would repeal tax credits for solar and electric cars, part of President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.

Bob Keefe, executive director of E2, a national organization of business leaders who advocate for smart clean-energy policies, said the bill could crush the clean-energy economy and not just in blue states such as California.

"If we ever wanted a policy in this country that would kill jobs, reduce business investments and make us less competitive, while also reducing our electricity supplies in this country, we've got it," Keefe contended.

In the past three years, companies have announced more than $130 billion in clean energy projects. Trump campaigned against the tax credits and wants to put the savings toward an extension of his 2017 tax cuts. A new report from E2 showed since Trump took office in January, companies have canceled more than $15 billion worth of projects.

Keefe pointed out California has the most clean energy jobs in the country, so it has the most to lose.

"There are more than a half a million Californians who work in clean energy, solar, wind, energy efficiency, electric vehicles," Keefe reported. "When you take away a 30% tax credit for building solar projects, sales are naturally going to decrease, projects are going to get canceled and jobs are going to be impacted."

Data show more than 75,000 Californians work in the electric vehicle industry. The bill eliminates the $7,500 EV tax credit which makes EVs more affordable. If the bill passes it would have to be reconciled with the House version and reapproved before it reaches the President.

Federal tax credits for electric vehicles are helping drive clean transportation in the Lehigh Valley, but advocates warn they're at risk of being cut by the budget reconciliation bill being heard in Congress.

Supporters say the credits lower emissions, grow the economy, and save Pennsylvanians money.

Sarah DeGrendel, sustainability manager with the City of Bethlehem, urged Pennsylvania lawmakers to oppose any efforts to eliminate the EV and charging tax credits and vital EV manufacturing investments.

"Bethlehem has committed to reducing our overall transportation emissions by 30% by 2030, with an overall goal reduction of emissions by 33% by 2025 and 60% by 2030," said DeGrendel. "This is a journey to route zero, and it is one we are pursuing with a purpose."

The federal EV tax credit is worth up to $7,500 and is currently available through 2033. In Congress, senators are divided over whether to keep the Biden-era tax credits.

The budget bill passed in the House and is currently under consideration in the Senate.

Tony Bandiero, executive director of the Eastern Pennsylvania Alliance for Clean Transportation, said Pennsylvania has over 139,000 electric vehicles on the road.

He said he believes federal EV tax credits are helping to boost the economy.

"We have seen double digit growth of EV sales year over year in the US," said Bandiero, "which is being driven by federal EV tax credits bolstering manufacturing sectors, and ensuring growing long term job stability for clean energy workers and suppliers."

Andrea Wittchen, president of the Lehigh Valley Sustainability Network, stressed the importance of federal investments in electric vehicles for public health.

She noted that the transportation sector is the largest source of carbon pollution nationally, and the second largest in Pennsylvania.

"In 2024 for the second year in a row," said Wittchen, "the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America identified Allentown as the number one worst place to live in the United States for people who suffer from asthma and allergies."

Wittchen also pointed out that electric vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions, and they drastically reduce air pollution caused by tailpipe emissions from fossil fuel cars and trucks.

She noted that cleaner air and healthier communities result from zero tailpipe pollution.




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