SEEC Statement on the draft clean energy tax package released by House Ways and Means

WASHINGTON, D.C.  (November 20, 2019) – Today SEEC Co-Chairs Reps. Gerry Connolly, Paul Tonko, and Doris Matsui released the following statement in response to the release of a draft clean energy tax package, the Growing Renewable Energy and Efficiency Now (GREEN) Act, by the House Ways and Means Committee.

“This legislation is a critical step in taking immediate action to address the climate crisis, and we thank Chairman Thompson, Chairman Neal and the Ways and Means Committee for their work. We were pleased to see the inclusion of priorities advocated for by SEEC, including an extension of tax credits for wind and solar, an expansion of the credit for zero-emission vehicles, extensions for energy-efficiency, and a stand-alone tax credit for storage, among other important policies to support environmental justice and the expansion of clean energy resources,” said SEEC Co-Chairs Reps. Paul Tonko, Gerry Connolly, and Doris Matsui. “But our work does not stop here—we must make sure that critical provisions in this bill are included in must-pass legislation this year. We look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues and House Leadership to advance these important policies.”

Last month SEEC led a letter signed by 166 Members of Congress to House Leadership calling for the inclusion of clean energy tax policies in must-pass legislation this year. They were joined in this effort by the New Democrat Coalition and the Congressional Progressive Caucus. In May SEEC leaders submitted testimony for the record at the House Ways and Means Committee’s Member Day Hearing encouraging Chairman Richard Neal and the Committee to prioritize the passage of critical clean energy tax policies this year in must-pass legislation.