(The Center Square) – Ohio’s leading business group, along with city leaders and clean energy companies, want federal energy provisions enacted in 2022 to remain as Congress continues to negotiate President Donald Trump’s budget reconcilliation bill.
Those leaders say clean energy tax credits have produced nearly a half-million jobs nationwide and resulted in $10.6 billion in local investment in Ohio. Almost 15,000 jobs have been created in Ohio alone.
Those business leaders used a news conference Tuesday to encourage Ohio Republican Sen. Jon Husted to keep the credits alive.
“I think every area of the state will be impacted,” said Tony Long of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. “Everything could be impacted, including what companies are doing to hold down the costs of energy. Since President Trump’s first term, he’s been trying to get manufacturing back in the United States, and this could have a devastating impact.”
A House-passed plan would roll back federal incentives for solar, wind and hydrogen energy and begin to phase out benefits for consumers for electric vehicles.
Michael McLean, with IlluminateUSA, said that ending those credits could impact 1,600 jobs at Illuminate, which isheadquartered in Pataskala and is the largest manufacturer of solar panels in North America.
Husted, who championed clean-energy development projects around the state during his time as lieutenant governor, said last month as the Senate began working on Trump’s bill – called the One Big Beautiful Bill by the president and its supporters – that the federal government cannot “completely pull the rug” out from companies already invested in clean energy projects.
“We’re a state of innovators, and if we are going to keep our young professionals here after they graduate, we have to keep the momentum going that Sen. Husted started when he was lieutenant governor with things like the innovation hubs,” Long said. “We shouldn’t be shortsighted in taking that tool away.”
The push from business follows the recent release of a Meetings Street Insights poll that showed 75% of Ohio voters think Congress should keep the tax credits in place.
The majority of poll responders (55%) also said eliminating the credits could carry political consequences in the next election, and 56% believe it would have a negative impact in Ohio.
The same poll also showed that only 37% agree the arguments to end the credits that include too much government spending, increase in the national debt and the private sector and marketplace should decide clean energy issues.
