BIL/IRA Implementation Digest — June 24, 2024

by Joe Cullen

Jul 1, 2024 | BIL/IRA Implementation Digest

New BIL/IRA Implementation Grant Announcement in EPA Region III

Environmental Justice – Thriving Communities Program    

EPA Region 3 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Meeting – Join Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) Thriving Communities Team in Phila. on Friday, June 28 to learn about EPA Environ. Justice grants and resources. Register Here.

GHHI & EPA Region 3 are launching the EPA Region 3 Thriving Communities Grantmaking (TCGM) program on Friday, June 28, 2024 @ 11:00AM-2:00PM in Philadelphia.

 

In August, GHHI’s TCGM program will begin accepting applications to fund more than 170 eligible EJ projects in historically disinvested communities throughout EPA’s Region 3 (includes Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and 7 federally recognized tribes). Click here for more information.

 

Projected TCGM Award Levels:

  • 60 Tier I subgrants: 1 year up to $150,000 assessment projects
  • 51 Tier II subgrants: 1-2 years up to $250,000 planning projects
  • 50 Tier III subgrants: 2 years up to $350,000 project development projects
  • 10 Noncompetitive subgrants (1 year up to $75,000) for capacity building

 

 

New BIL/IRA Implementation Legislation Passes House in PA

Potential for Implementing EPA’s Solar for All & Green Bank Programs

 

Pa. House passes bill that would allow the state to use federal funds for energy development – by: John Cole – June 25, 2024 Pennsylvania Capital Star – Legislation aimed at restructuring the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) passed the Pennsylvania House on Tuesday. “This bill will simply give PEDA, an existing authority, permission to seize federal money, multiply it with private capital, and initiate energy projects,” state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia), who introduced House Bill 2338 said Tuesday, adding it would help create jobs.

Fiedler bill to modernize Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority passes House with bipartisan support by Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler – June 25, 2024

 

Testimony on BIL/IRA Implementation Legislation in PA

Potential for New Economic Development Opportunities in PA Energy Markets

 

Power grid concerns complicate talks about incentivizing green energy in Pa. by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA | June 27, 2024 – As billions of federal dollars for clean energy projects become available to Pennsylvania, state lawmakers are increasingly talking about making the commonwealth’s energy network greener. But underlying those discussions are big questions about the future of the state’s electrical grid.

  • See June 24, 2024 Testimony on Gov. Shapiro’s Energy Plan (including PJM & PA’s electrical grid at Appendix A) 

 

BIL/IRA Implementation News Clips of the Week

 

Federal & State Agency Announcements on BIL/IRA Implementation

Funding Notice: Methane Emissions Reduction Program Oil and Gas Methane Monitoring and Mitigation – June 21, 2024 – EPA and DOE announced that applications are open for $850 million in federal funding for projects that will help monitor, measure, quantify, and reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sectors. Deadline for Full Applications is August 26, 2024.

 

DOE announced additional funds available under its Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program – The bonus credit provides a 10 or 20 percentage point increase to the investment tax credit for qualified solar and wind energy facilities with a maximum net output of less than five megawatts. Solar projects in or benefiting low-income communities, or as part of affordable housing developments can apply for the initial tax credit application window for up to 2.1 gigawatts worth of solar projects by June 27, 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis in the order they are received thereafter.

 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Environmental Justice Community Innovator Challenge – HHS is seeking community-led strategies and tools to address health disparities in communities disproportionately impacted by environmental risks and hazards, including those related to climate change and the cumulative impacts of other stressors. Deadline is July 15, 2024.

 

DOT announced $1.8 billion in Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Awards – See 2024 Grant Awards Fact Sheet. Projects included:

  • Westpark Redevelopment Infrastructure Project (Philadelphia)
  • Reconnecting the Allegheny Riverfront to Economic Opportunity

Project (Sharpsburg)

  • Regional operations and maintenance facility and transit center (Harrisburg)
  • Codorus Greenway (York County)

 

DOE opened the second-round funding opportunity for Enhanced Geothermal System Pilot Projects in the Eastern United States, providing up to $14.2 million in funding. Letters of Intent are due July 18, 2024, and full applications are due September 25, 2024.

 

PA DEP – BIL/IRA Implementation Updates

On June 25, 2024, PA DEP hosted a Climate Change Advisory Committee (CCAC) meeting. CCAC serves as the advisory committee mandated under the Pennsylvania Climate Change Act to advise PA DEP on the implementation of the provisions of Act 70 of 2008. PA DEP provided an update on 2024 BIL/IRA implementation projects and Climate Change Planning to the CCAC – See Presentation Slides. See additional details provided by ICF on the status of the 2024 Pennsylvania Climate Impacts Assessment & Climate Action Plan at Presentation to Climate Change Advisory Committee.

New Program to Boost Energy Efficiency in Pennsylvania’s Municipal Buildings – Story by Maryann Pugh – June 20, 2024 – MSN/Bing

 

New BIL/IRA Implementation Report/Guide

The Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) in partnership with Climate Mayors  released a Report: Seeking Federal Funding: A Guide for Local Governments. This resource offers a collection of insights, lessons learned, best practices, and common challenges and pitfalls faced by local applicants in seeking federal funding. It is intended to support local governments with their process of developing and applying for BIL/IRA funding. Read the Full Report Here.

 

Appendix A: June 24, 2024 – House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee Testimony on Governor Shapiro’s Energy Plan

Testimony on PA Climate Emission Reduction Program (PACER) House Bill 2275 (Abney-D-Allegheny); Sen. Bill 1191 (Comitta-D-Chester) & PA Reliable Energy Sustain. Standard (PRESS) House Bill 2277 (Otten-D-Chester); Sen. Bill 1190 (Santarsiero-D-Bucks)

Key Hearing Takeaways

  • Meets 3-Part Energy Policy Test: House Bill 2277 meets Governor’s 3-part test for energy policy: protect and create energy jobs, take real action to address climate change, and ensure reliable, affordable power for consumers in the long term
  • Investors Support Renewables: The PJM Interconnection queue is showing us where investors are headed– 97.8% are renewable or energy storage projects– we need to skate to where the puck will be in the energy market.
  • Grid Is OK Now, But: PJM regional grid is in an excellent position now, but generation is coming off the grid as we’re seeing that demand increase.
  • One Fuel Dependence Leads To Grid Vulnerability: Over-reliance on one or two sources of power makes it easier to topple the electric grid– 59% of PA electric generation is now fueled by natural gas– the PRESS proposal would support 21.
  • Price For Inaction: We have already paid a price for inaction as a result of our over-dependence on methane gas when price spikes caused by geopolitical upsets in the world energy markets increased power costs 40% to 60% in Pennsylvania.
  • 40 GW of Renewables Approved Not Built: PJM has already approved 40 GW of renewable energy generation that has not yet been built.
  • Onsite Solar Generates More Jobs: Building onsite solar offers the largest opportunity to grow jobs compared to larger centralized energy generation.
  • Winning The Clean Energy Transition: Pennsylvania cannot avoid the clean energy transition, but we can win it– this is a critical moment to recognize that we need energy, but we also need to pair it with the goals of reducing emissions, creating jobs, reducing consumer impact.
  • Opposition: Pennsylvania is America’s number one exporter of electricity, second largest producer of natural gas, and third largest producer of coal.  This proposal would upend competitive markets on Pennsylvania-generated electricity, is an insult to consumers and a death wish for our economy.

Click Here to watch a video of the hearing.

This Summary is adopted from Monday’s June 24, 2024 PA Environment Digest Blog by David Hess – Full version is Here.

 

Governor Shapiro’s Two-Part PA Energy/Climate Plan

The PA Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS) is one part of a two-part PA Energy/Climate Plan announced by Gov. Shapiro in March with labor, business and environmental groups. PRESS Includes:

  • PRESS continues the successful elements of the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS) while making it more inclusive: adding nuclear power, next generation technologies like fusion, and cleaner forms of natural gas.
  • PRESS raises the target for the cleanest and renewable energy projects in Tier I to 35% by 2035; it raises the target for Tier II to 10%; and it creates a new Tier III that includes important alternative sources or of power like co-blended or low emission natural gas and other step-stone resources with a 5% target by 2035.
  • PRESS ensures the continuity of our existing clean energy nuclear fleet by creating a mechanism for facilities to receive support if threatened with closure.

 

Under the PA Climate Emission Reduction Program (PACER) PA DEP will calculate a PA-specific cap on carbon emissions and hold our own independent PACER credit auctions. The proceeds will be invested as follows:

  • 70 percent returned directly to electricity consumers, including those in rural areas, as an across-the-board, on-bill rebate by the Public Utility Commission (PUC). This reflects the proceeds expected to come from Pennsylvania electricity customers.
  • 30 percent to support energy efficiency projects that reduce air pollution in Pennsylvania, invest in new job-creating clean energy projects, and support low-income energy consumers with their energy bills through a year-round LIHEAP program. Of that project funding, 40 percent will be dedicated to directly benefit Environmental Justice communities.

Click Here for a more detailed summary of the Gov.’s Energy/Climate Plans.

 

Testimony on June 24, 2024

Governor’s Office – Jacob Finkel, Deputy Secretary of Policy, Office of the Governor, provided an overview of the PRESS proposal, saying,

“The Governor has consistently laid out a three-part test for new energy policy: it must protect and create energy jobs, take real action to address climate change, and ensure reliable, affordable power for consumers in the long term.

“PRESS meets all three parts of the Governor’s test.

“First, PRESS will accelerate economic development and grow our energy workforce. Second, PRESS will enhance reliability and resiliency while lowering emissions. And third, PRESS will help control costs for consumers in the long run.

“But PRESS does more than just pass the Governor’s test – it is a key competitive tool in the race to modernize our energy grid and to ensure the next generation of energy resources gets built here in Pennsylvania.”

“Each of these is a strong reason on its own to support PRESS, but taken together, you can see why organized labor, the environmental movement, and Pennsylvania’s Consumer Advocate all stand together alongside the Governor embracing this proposal.”

“As we sit here today, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory tells us there are an unprecedented number of new energy projects queued to be developed in our region, powered by remarkable federal incentives.

“The queue allows us to see what may be built in the future and where—right now, it shows 97.8% of future PJM projects will be renewable or energy storage and that, too often, those projects are skipping over Pennsylvania.”

“PRESS is skating to where the puck will be in the energy market.”

“If we do not act, we risk losing the mantle of energy leadership Pennsylvania has proudly carried since the 1800s. If we do not signal to the marketplace that we want new generation built here, those resources will still be built, but in other states.”

“Reliability is at the core of PRESS. We know that the next two decades are going to hold unprecedented challenges: demand for electricity is increasing—PJM recently tripled its estimate for electricity demand by 2034—legacy generation sites are retiring, and extreme weather that puts pressure on the grid is growing more common.

“PRESS is designed to meet these challenges and to promote a reliable grid.

“First, as we’ve been discussing, it encourages the construction of a lot more power resources that will supply what’s most needed: more sustainable electrons.

“Second, it ensures those resources are not all the same. Over-reliance on one or two sources of power makes it easier for extreme weather events to topple even the best-planned grid.

“Just look at states, like Texas, which have seen catastrophic blackouts during extreme weather. Texas responded in part by expanding the share of diverse sources on its grid in the last three years.

“PRESS takes the same approach, expanding the two Tiers of power sources under AEPS into three Tiers and requiring that minimum amounts of all three types exist in Pennsylvania.”

21 Different Energy Sources

“Overall, PRESS includes 21 different sources of energy across those three Tiers. This ensures we will grow the diversity of power sources on our grid in the years ahead.”

“PRESS also strongly encourages the development of baseload resources. It provides a dual credit for long-term battery storage. That will incentivize advanced batteries that can supply power in the moments when they’re most needed.

“PRESS also directs Alternative Compliance Payments towards resilient resources like geothermal and distributed generation for the first time.

“PRESS is cost conscious. We have designed PRESS to be the best value energy portfolio standard in the nation. It has built-in cost control mechanisms that ensure prices remain within defined bands for each Tier of energy.

“Those price limits, the Alternative Compliance Payments (ACPs), get triggered if the cost of energy in a given Tier exceeds reasonable amounts.

“We also have limited the Public Utility Commission’s ability to raise those cost limits for the first five years, and only in small increments after that if it is found to be in the public interest.

“Equally important, many of the resources that qualify under PRESS are low or zero-marginal-cost, meaning that once they are built, the fuel is free. That includes wind and solar, as well as geothermal and advanced nuclear power.

“As I mentioned, Texas has increased the amount of renewables on its grid; in fact, it now has more wind and grid-scale solar power than any other state and studies have shown that those zero-marginal-cost resources are saving Texas consumers close to a billion dollars per month.

“Similarly, deployment of these resources at greater economies of scale in Pennsylvania will reduce our electricity prices, lowering utility bills for everyone.

Saves Consumers $252 Million

“Overall, the Governor’s two energy policy proposals, the Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Act (PACER) and PRESS, will unlock billions of dollars in investment in communities across the Commonwealth, create tens of thousands of jobs, and save consumers $252 million in the first five years.”

Click Here for a copy of Finkel’s written testimony.

 

Natural Resources Defense Council – Robert Routh, Natural Resources Defense Council, told the Committee their analysis found the PRESS proposal would:

  • Accelerate the build out of renewables in-state, resulting in greater near-term deployment of new clean energy.
  • Results in significantly higher total PA generation and exports, especially into the 2030s. Net exports grow in the policy case to almost 120 terawatt hours (TWh) annually (whereas they decline under BAU). In the 2030s, Pennsylvania is exporting twice as much as the next largest exporter in the country.
  • Results in a cumulative total increase of 278,000 new jobs (full-time equivalent job-years) in Pennsylvania by 2040. That represents an average annual increase of nearly 17,500 new jobs from 2025 to 2040.
  • Pennsylvania is expected to see $25 billion in federal clean energy tax credits flow into the state over the next two decades, which will minimize costs to ratepayers and local companies. With PRESS, those investments are accelerated. Under BAU, $3.9 billion in credits will have flowed to PA by 2032 (after which there is less certainty about their availability).
  • “The governor’s Energy Plan would cut climate pollution, lower bills, grow and protect jobs, and accelerate federal clean energy investments in-state. PRESS drives energy production, job creation, and federal funding.”

Click Here for a copy of Routh’s written testimony.

Pennsylvania Solar Center – Sharon Pillar, Pennsylvania Solar Center, said

“According to PJM’s 2024 Long-Term Load Forecast, rising energy demand across the PJM footprint due in large part to the development of data centers and acceleration of the beneficial electrification of transportation and industry, PJM is now experiencing substantial load growth for the first time in decades.

“Solar, wind, and storage comprise the majority of PJM’s [new energy generation] queue, which are the energy generation projects investors are willing to build.

“To meet future energy needs Pennsylvania must encourage investors, businesses, manufacturers, and other stakeholders to invest in Pennsylvania’s renewable energy generation industry as fast as possible in order to actually build these resources.

“Pennsylvania must take advantage of federal programs that strongly encourage the development of these resources that can support Pennsylvania’s energy communities, school districts, local governments, and others to reduce energy costs and improve energy reliability and security.”

“Renewables and storage are reducing costs of electricity to consumers across the globe; however, the lack of action on making these benefits more widely available is twofold.

“According to the International Energy Association (IEA, 2024) – “issues of affordability and fairness are central to clean energy transitions, with debate fueled by two misperceptions.

“First, that today’s pressures on the cost of living are related to clean energy, rather than the real cause – the gas supply crunch that followed the Russian Federation’s cuts to deliveries to Europe.

“Second, the view that clean energy technologies are always more expensive than fossil fuel-based ones, which is not supported by the data.”

“The quicker you move on clean energy transitions, the more cost-effective it is for governments, businesses, and households,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. “If policymakers and industry leaders put off action and spending today, we will all end up paying more tomorrow. …the way to make energy more affordable for more people is to speed up transitions, not slow them down.”

 

Over-Reliance On Natural Gas

Pillar explained, “I think the cost of not doing anything has been very clear in the last few years. “We’ve seen this enormous over reliance on natural gas generation and the prices that we’ve paid. “We’ve seen each electric distribution company territory, the cost of electricity has jumped between 40 and 60%.

“During that time, most of that was because of the geopolitical issues that were occurring around natural gas, which is priced on a worldwide market.

“So that’s why it’s so important that we diversify our energy mix with a number of different resources.

“So we’ve already paid for not taking more action, and we will continue to pay more if we don’t diversify.

“The beauty of renewables is that the cost is in the equipment upfront. Once it’s installed, the energy is free.”

“While working on its essential passage, we are eager to work with the legislature along with our industry coalition partners to also assure the inclusion of provisions that support distributed energy resources, including distributed solar, so that Pennsylvania will have the necessary infrastructure in place for effective management of the Commonwealth’s future energy systems.

“Distributed solar, otherwise referred to as onsite solar or “customer-generator” in the AEPS, allows homeowners, nonprofits, businesses, municipalities, schools, farmers, manufacturers, warehouses, and many others generate electricity onsite to directly reduce their electricity bills.

“Distributed solar also benefits other electricity users by reducing distribution congestion and line loss because distributed solar energy directly serves local electricity needs, and it also creates a stronger grid that protects communities from the breakdowns that can occur from over reliance on centralized generation systems.

“Building onsite solar also has the largest opportunity to grow jobs compared to larger centralized energy sources. Distributed solar is crucial for enabling utilities to manage solar output along with storage, demand response, and electric vehicles to effectively regulate power availability.

“Pennsylvania must prepare for the modern energy economy in order to meet our future energy needs, to take full advantage of technologies of the 21st century grid, to provide thousands of new energy economy jobs to our citizens, and to create energy security and reliability.”

Click Here for a copy of Pillar’s written testimony.

Pennsylvania Environmental Council – John Walliser, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, said,

“PEC has long advocated for expansion of the AEPS [Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards] into a broader clean energy standard that values cost-effective low and zero emitting energy resources.

“Foremost is the expansion of leading renewable technologies like solar, wind, and low-impact hydropower, which generate emissions-free electricity and support business and job growth across the Commonwealth.”

“Even better, these technologies are now on equal footing with, if not more advantageous than, traditional fossil-based generation from a cost standpoint.

“They are not subject to the same price volatility and supply concerns as commodity-based generation. That’s a long-term win for consumers.

“PRESS also places value on energy storage, which, when paired with renewables, helps address concerns about curtailment or intermittency. Other innovative technologies like advanced nuclear and geothermal are also part of the energy playbook with PRESS.

“Pennsylvania is home to established and emergent companies who are at the forefront of these new technologies, which will be a fundamental part of energy job growth – both skilled and technical – in the years to come.

“Let’s pair that with maximizing manufacturing investment opportunities and cost savings provided by the [federal]  Inflation Reduction Act and [federal] Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and build the clean energy future here.”

“PRESS establishes a mechanism to support our existing nuclear generation fleet over the long term – which is essential for both emissions-free and baseload power delivery.

“PRESS also includes a place for fossil-based generation with carbon capture, or co-fired with clean hydrogen, to compete when emission reduction performance metrics are met.

“Given that fossil generation will remain part of our energy mix for some time, we need to deploy control measures to dramatically reduce emissions.

“There are unprecedented federal incentives for industry to implement them, and they will soon be required under both recently finalized and additional forthcoming federal regulation.

 

Over Dependence On One Fuel

“PRESS will also increase the resilience of our energy system.

“Pennsylvania is increasingly dependent on one type of generation that is subject to price volatility and commodity competition.

“As experienced during recent extreme cold weather events and the resultant failure11 of energy delivery, over-reliance is a recipe for disruption.

“With energy demand growing, we are much better served doing everything we can to bring more – and cleaner – source online to stabilize costs and energy availability.

“PRESS provides the additional benefit of valuing energy efficiency measures, which helps lower demand, saves consumers money, and creates jobs.”

“There are other positive facets to what PRESS can leverage for Pennsylvania – from site-specific wins like revitalizing legacy minelands with solar,  to increasing deployment of smaller scale generation that can add even greater resiliency to the grid, but today I wanted to emphasize the broader environmental, employment, economic, and consumer benefits of this legislation.

“Pennsylvania cannot avoid the clean energy transition, but we can win it. PRESS is one of several policies needed to do that, and we urge you to support it.”

 

Winning The Clean Energy Transition

In response to a question about government subsidizing energy generation, Wallizer said, “It is true that both at the federal level and at the state level, we have been incenting, subsidizing whatever phrase you’d like to use, energy production for more than a century.

“And I think what’s important about this moment is that we recognize that we need that energy, but we’re also pairing it with the goals of reducing emissions, creating jobs, reducing consumer impact.

“And I think that’s really what the value of this legislation & these policies are: How do we make sure that PA gets the most bank for the buck? And brings those dollars here.”

Click Here for a copy of Walliser’s written testimony.

 

PJM Interconnection – Stephen Bennett, PJM Interconnection, provided the Committee with a general overview of its function as the operator of the regional electric grid that includes Pennsylvania.

“PJM’s primary focus, our mission, is reliability. It’s to keep the lights on, and to do so at the most efficient cost possible.

“You heard before that we are a grid operator and a market operator, and that role does not actually lend itself to policymaking or a lot of policy pronouncements. Our focus is on reliability and the markets that are necessary to do so at an efficient cost.

“For those states that choose decarbonization as a policy priority, PJM works collaboratively with those states to create a platform that hopefully can be leveraged for those states to reach their goals.”

In response to a question about what trends PJM is seeing in the supply and demand of electricity, Bennett said, “What we’re seeing now is significant growth for the first time in years, and a lot of that comes from data center development.”

“We’re seeing electrification of the [vehicle] fleet, as well as building electrification drive load for the first time.”

“PJM’s been here at this Committee and other committees in the state and other states talking about the fact that with that increasing demand, we need to make sure that we have appropriate levels of supply.

“And right now, PJM is actually in an excellent position.

“If you look at NERC [North American Electric Reliability Corporation], which is the federally chartered international agency that looks at reliability across the North American grid, PJM is actually in a really good place from a resource adequacy perspective.

“But what we’re seeing is generation coming off the grid as we’re seeing that demand increase.

“And there’s the potential that if those trends continue at the current velocity, where we could eventually get to a place where we would see our reserve margins and our resource adequacy go below the levels that we would be comfortable with from a reliability perspective.”

“So what we are doing now is, one, raising that potential issue now when we can make changes and look at the trends and hopefully influence them.

 

40 GW Of Renewable Generation Approved

“And we’re just looking for more and more watts to come onto the system. I think you’ve seen or heard my boss say PJM wants the watts.

“We want natural gas watts, we want nuclear watts, we want renewable. And if you look at our queue right now, it is largely made up of renewable generation.

“So the generators, the developers, the investment that’s coming onto our system is predominantly renewable. So we need those facilities to come on.

“We need the 40 or so gigawatts of renewable generation that’s sitting there with a certificate to build, we need that to build.

“So whatever can be done to maintain the generation that we have and to bring more generation onto the system is a benefit to our markets and to our grid.”

Click Here for a copy of Bennett’s PPT presentation.

PA Manufacturers’ Association – David N. Taylor, Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association, told the Committee:

“Pennsylvania is America’s number one exporter of electricity, second largest producer of natural gas, and third largest producer of coal.

 

China Dominates Global Supply

“China dominates the global supply chain for batteries and component minerals. Any policy mandating or incentivizing the need for these batteries jeopardizes U.S. energy security to China’s advantage.

“All of the supply chains for solar panels are dominated by the dictatorship in Beijing as the national policy of that government. Handing control of our energy production to a hostile foreign power is foolhardy in the extreme.

“For all of the differences between Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, labor and business, I hope we could agree on this much: No American worker should ever have to compete with slave labor and no American consumer should ever be exposed to slave-made goods in the U.S. marketplace.”

PMA concluded its testimony by saying– “For these reasons and more we, the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association, oppose any expansions to the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act, including House Bill 2277, seeking to implement Governor Shapiro’s PRESS plan.”

In response to a question about why PMA “is not interested in growing Pennsylvania’s economy and jobs through clean energy,” Taylor said–“We are not willing to take the opportunity cost of losing organic economic growth from the distortions that will result from all of this government directed market manipulation.”

Click Here for a copy of Taylor’s written testimony.

Click Here to watch a video of the hearing.

Copies Of Written Comments Submitted:

 

 

Appendix B: White House Council on Environmental Quality — Updated RESOURCE HUB

  • Climate Capital Guidebook: Guidebook providing a simple, comprehensive map of capital programs across the federal government that are available to climate-related start-ups, small- and medium-sized businesses, and their investors.
  • Justice40 Covered Programs List: List of federal programs working to advance the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
  • Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST): Geospatial mapping tool that identifies areas across the nation where communities are faced with significant burdens. These burdens are organized into eight categories: climate change, energy, health, housing, legacy pollution, transportation, water and wastewater, and workforce development.
  • Invest.gov: Interactive map showing the historic public and private sector investments President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is bringing to states and territories across America.
  • Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act Technical Assistance Guide: Guide highlighting programs that help communities navigate the more than 100 Federal technical assistance programs that can help communities deliver infrastructure, clean energy, and climate resilience projects.
  • Inflation Reduction Act Guidebook: This guidebook provides an overview of the clean energy, climate mitigation and resilience, agriculture, and conservation-related tax incentives and investment programs in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.
  • Inflation Reduction Act Tribal Guidebook: Guidebook to the Inflation Reduction Act’s Clean Energy and Climate Investments in Indian Country, which provides descriptions of the law’s tax incentives and funding programs for which Tribes are eligible.
  • Direct Pay Through the Inflation Reduction Act: Find resources on the Inflation Reduction Act’s “elective pay” (often called “direct pay”) provisions, through which tax-exempt and governmental entities can take advantage of tax credits for building clean energy projects.
  • Tribal Access to Capital Clearinghouse: A website that provides a searchable database of federal funding opportunities, including grants and loans, available to Tribal Nations and Native businesses.
  • Grants.gov: Learn about current federal grant opportunities.
  • Cleanenergy.gov: A one-stop shop for information on President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and how the Inflation Reduction Act helps lower energy costs for consumers and small businesses while creating good-paying jobs as America’s clean energy economy and manufacturing sectors grow.
  • DOE Interactive Map: Interactive tool showcasing where clean energy investments are occurring across the United States thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
  • Energy Savings Hub | Department of Energy: Access resources made possible by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which will help lower your energy costs and make your home safer and more comfortable while helping the planet.
  • Environmental Justice Scorecard: Find information about what federal agencies are doing to advance environmental justice in communities across America.
  • Department of Housing and Urban Development Funding Navigator: Find hundreds of available Inflation Reduction Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and other programs across a range of federal agencies in these categories: Energy Efficiency and Renewables, Utility Scale Energy, Resiliency, Lead and Healthy Housing, Brownfield and Waste Management, Transportation, Broadband, Workforce Development and Environmental Justice.
  • Department of Transportation Navigator: Explore federal funding opportunities that help plan for and deliver transformative infrastructure projects and services.
  • Wetland and Water Protection Resource Guide: Resource Guide highlighting technical assistance and funding opportunities available across the federal government for Tribes, States, Territories, local governments, private landowners, and non-governmental organizations to advance water resource protection.
  • Federal Flood Standard Support Tool (Beta): The Federal Flood Standard Support Tool helps federal agencies, and their non-federal partners and grantees identify if a federally funded project will be located within a FFRMS floodplain using the freeboard value approach (FVA), and climate-informed science approach (CISA).
  • Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers: 16 centers across the country are now accepting requests for training and other assistance to build capacity for navigating federal grant application systems, developing strong grant proposals, and effectively managing grant funding. If you are interested in technical assistance for the Community Change Grants $2 billion Notice of Funding Opportunity, please visit: Community Change Grants Technical Assistance.

Joe Cullen