By Mark Moran
Lawmakers in Congress are considering repealing financial incentives for clean energy in order to fund other priorities of the Trump administration.
In Nebraska, startup funding for wind and solar projects is on the line, as well as hundreds of jobs. Right now, Nebraska is 47th in the nation for its amount of installed solar power infrastructure.
Liz Veazey, Omaha-based director of state policy campaigns for Solar United Neighbors Action, said cutting the financial incentives for the state to expand solar would send Nebraska's environmental health in the wrong direction.
"As a state, we also don't have much natural gas or coal, and most of that has to be imported from out of the state," Veazey pointed out. "That requires us to send millions of dollars out of the state to import those dirty fuels."
Veazey added creating more solar and other clean energy infrastructure also creates more jobs and lowers consumers' energy bills. Right now, expansion is underway in Grand Island on the second-largest solar farm in the state, which will provide power for 10,000 Nebraska homes when it comes online.
Research shows removing clean energy tax credits would increase residential electricity bills by 9% and cost the state more than 2,000 jobs.
Jack Pratt, associate vice president of political engagement for Environmental Defense Fund Action, said cutting the tax incentives could hobble recent high-tech investments in the Nebraska economy.
"There's been a ton of data centers in Nebraska," noted. "Those do create a lot of jobs and a lot of investment, but they also consume a lot of energy."
Click here to see more...