Op-Ed: Senator Tillis: Don’t Let North Carolina Lose Its Clean Energy Edge
By Matt Adams, Board Member, Conservatives for Clean Energy
North Carolina has quietly become one of the country’s clean energy success stories. We’re now ranked among the top states for solar power, have attracted billions in private investment, and support over 80,000 clean energy jobs across the state. That progress didn’t happen by accident. It came from smart policies that encouraged innovation and rewarded results.
Now that momentum is at risk.
The House-passed budget bill targets key clean energy tax credits that have helped fuel this growth. It eliminates production and investment tax credits for solar, wind, and energy storage without a reasonable phaseout or transition period. It also removes credit transferability, a tool that’s been essential for small and mid-sized developers to finance projects. These changes could stall or cancel hundreds of projects nationwide, including many here in North Carolina.
This isn’t just about clean energy. It’s about jobs, economic development, and keeping energy costs manageable for families and businesses. In cities like Goldsboro, Fayetteville, and Wilmington, solar and battery projects are already reducing costs, improving grid resilience, and creating new opportunities for workers.
Senator Tillis has often emphasized the importance of growing North Carolina’s economy and securing American energy independence. The tax credits now on the chopping block are helping achieve those goals. They support companies that reduce emissions, meet performance benchmarks, and invest in local communities.
There’s no doubt that Americans need real tax relief. Families are feeling squeezed by inflation, and we should be looking for ways to ease that burden. But we shouldn’t pay for that relief by pulling the rug out from under industries that are creating jobs, lowering energy costs, and helping the U.S. stay globally competitive. Cutting programs that work isn't reform—it’s a step backward.
Clean energy has never been a purely partisan issue in North Carolina. Leaders across the political spectrum have recognized its potential to bring economic benefits to rural towns, strengthen our military infrastructure, and attract forward-looking industries. That’s why this rollback is so concerning—it risks setting us back just as the global competition to lead in energy innovation heats up.
The Senate still has a choice. We’re asking Senator Tillis to protect a policy that’s working for North Carolina and to reject efforts to roll back the tax credits that are building our clean energy future.
Let’s keep investing in what’s proven to work—for our workers, our communities, and our future.
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