Opinion: Congress Can’t protect us without protecting clean energy – The Morning Call

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In the summer of 2009, I had solar panels installed at my house. Rooftop solar wasn’t as widespread then as it is now, but I took the leap, and I haven’t looked back. I was so happy with my little 2.7 kilowatt solar system that, the next year, I installed a solar-powered hot-water heater to complement it. None of this would have been possible without incentives supported by the federal government, our own commonwealth and Pennsylvania Power & Light (now PPL Electric Corporation). These incentives cut the cost of installation by more than 30%, making solar power more accessible.
But now, affordable clean energy like rooftop solar could go away, as Congress considers cutting cost-saving programs at the expense of everyday people’s pocketbooks. Meanwhile, in its first 100 days, the Trump administration has frozen congressionally appropriated funds for clean energy and energy-efficiency incentives.
Billions of dollars are on the line. If these federal incentives are cut, the pain would be felt across the country. Businesses, nonprofits, school districts and local governments would see their energy costs rise.
We don’t have to wait to see what would happen if these federal resources were cut. We’re getting a preview of the consequences already. Allentown hoped to leverage both state and federal energy-efficiency incentives to cut energy costs and save hundreds of thousands of local taxpayer dollars. The city had prepared a pilot program to save money by replacing aging city vehicles with electric vehicles. Just the eight vehicles in the pilot program would have saved over $19,000 per year in energy and maintenance costs. If this level of savings were applied to the city’s entire fleet of about 600 vehicles, it would add up to over $1 million of savings per year.  For a city like Allentown, that’s a significant sum.  But now, these programs cannot proceed because of the Trump administration’s federal funding freezes.
This scenario is playing out in cities across the country, and it will play out on an even wider scale if Congress reduces or eliminates more cost-saving federal incentives. Why anyone would want such an outcome remains unclear. If you’re concerned about government efficiency, why make it harder for local governments to save taxpayer dollars? If you’re concerned about lowering the overall cost of living, why cut funding for cost-saving clean-energy programs? Why would you propose these cuts in the midst of a growing global trade war that is already wrecking supply chains, raising prices and causing layoffs? There are no good answers to these questions.
What is clear, however, is that we need more investment in clean energy, not just for the environment but also for the economy, for our own financial well-being. This is something that I can personally speak to. My own solar array isn’t large at all but over 16 years, it has saved me more than $5,400.
Even if you put aside the environmental concerns, even if you care only about your own finances, you should care about these federal clean-energy incentives. You should want Congress to protect and expand these programs, not cut them. Even some members of Congress who are skeptical about climate change agree on this. In a letter to the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, 21 Republican members of Congress wrote that getting rid of clean-energy investments “would increase utility bills the very next day.” That’s an outcome that everyone — not just environmentalists — should want to avoid.
Additionally, the job-creating benefits of these programs can’t be ignored. The growth in clean-energy jobs has been a critical part of industrial Pennsylvania’s comeback, and we should want it to continue. Cities with industrial roots, such as Allentown, need more family-sustaining jobs that don’t require a college degree, and we need leaders in Washington to support the incentives that create these jobs. But so far, all we’ve seen is talk, rhetorical nostalgia-pumping about how things were better for everyday workers in the distant past. Words will not revive our old industrial job base. To replace what was lost, we need continued federal support for jobs of the future which include clean energy. With that support, we can create the 21st-century economy that we deserve.
I don’t see this as much of a choice. Supporting clean energy is supporting what’s good for us, whereas cutting clean energy would hurt our physical and financial well-being and our economy. We don’t deserve that. Let’s hope Congress recognizes as much.
This is a contributed opinion column. Tinku Khanwalkar is an Allentown resident. The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author, and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication. Do you have a perspective to share? Learn more about how we handle guest opinion submissions at themorningcall.com/opinions.
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