(The Center Square) – A Virginia congresswoman testified in front of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee supporting clean energy tax credits, highlighting an “all-of-the above” energy approach.
Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans wants to put America first by “unleashing domestic energy production,” which is also a cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s presidential platform.
Kiggans argues that the U.S. should support an “all-of-the-above” approach to energy development, and one way to do it is by supporting existing clean energy credits.
“As Republicans, we support an all-of-the-above approach to energy development. While the Inflation Reduction Act contained countless harmful provisions that led to our conference wholly opposing its passage, some of the energy tax credits included in the bill have led to a significant increase in domestic manufacturing and energy production across the country, including in my district,” Kiggans told the committee.
Kiggans contends that the approach has created jobs and spurred billions in investments. She noted that over $445 million in IRA-supported private investments have been announced in Virginia alone, supporting 250 jobs.
The congresswoman cited a new report showing that a combination of federal programs, clean energy tax credits, and clean energy investments will contribute $37 billion to the commonwealth’s economy by 2035.
In contrast with Trump’s halting wind energy, the congresswoman claims that offshore windy energy has “allowed us to harness the power of America’s renewable energy to support the countless military installations along the Atlantic coast.”
“As someone who represents one of the most military-heavy districts in the country, I know that energy security is national security,” Kiggans added. “The public-private partnerhip with the wind turbine industry in my district will allow upgrades to a very outdated power grid at our Navy’s East Coast Master Jet Base, Naval Air Station Oceana.”
The congresswoman underscored that the country “cannot turn a blind eye” to clean energy benefits and tax credits because they benefit businesses, families, and the military.
“The bottom line is that in order to increase American energy dominance and bolster our domestic energy security, we need to protect as much production and innovation as possible. These clean energy tax credits have helped to accomplish that goal,” Kiggans argued.
She concluded by warning that repealing the credits could negatively impact the nation’s ability to counter “growing threats” from the Chinese Communist Party in the energy sector.
The congresswoman says the country should be “pragmatic” in developing energy independence by putting America first in prioritizing energy production.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has also championed the “all-of-the-above” energy approach, most recently in his State of the Commonwealth address. He has recognized that Virginia could potentially face an energy crisis between the commonwealth’s growth and the development of more data centers.
Youngkin supports transitioning to cleaner energy but is realistic in the approach.
“The Virginia Clean Economy Act, passed in 2020, simply is not working,” Youngkin said. “We need to nearly double our power generation in the next 10 years and wind and solar aren’t going to get it done,” said Youngkin.
“We must stop decommissioning our baseload generation, build more natural gas generation, lots of it, build small modular reactors,” and “finish the projects that are currently underway,” the governor added.
