By Jim O’Reilly
At a time when costs are high and Americans are concerned about the economy, clean energy is creating jobs and cost savings across the country.
As the business manager of SMART Local 22, I know firsthand how important clean energy is to making our economy work for all Americans. If we want to build back American manufacturing and maintain our competitive edge, we must continue to invest in energy.
Unfortunately, the latest budget bill from House Republicans would undermine these investments. Their budget chairman has suggested that clean energy incentives should be “low-hanging fruit” to pay for new tax cuts that mostly benefit the rich.
These efforts in Washington to repeal or gut clean energy investments would be a devastating mistake, and family budgets would bear the brunt.
Due to the Trump administration‘s tariffs and executive orders, over 60,000 clean energy jobs have been threatened or lost nationwide, including 7,700 in New Jersey alone.
Even among the companies that have seen growth since the new clean energy investments were passed in 2022 have experienced losses, with announced jobs falling from 406,000 at the end of last year to 399,000 at the end of the first quarter of 2025.
Too many Americans are struggling under the weight of high energy costs, with more than a quarter of households unable to afford their energy bills. More than three-quarters of households nationwide say they’re overwhelmed by their energy payments.
Experts say this could get much, much worse, because AI and crypto are going to start using massive amounts of energy and drive costs even higher. This is the exact wrong time to be undermining these new American energy industries, which are our only chance to produce enough energy to keep up, and to keep our utility bills from spinning out of control.
Clean energy investments are already saving Americans make-or-break money on their electricity bills: 3.4 million American families have already saved more than $8.4 billion on clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades that lower their energy costs. According to a report by the nonpartisan group Energy Innovation, repealing critical clean energy investments would increase annual energy costs by $240 for every family — that’s $32 billion more in total household energy costs.
In addition to making energy bills more affordable, clean energy investments at the federal level and in the private sector are fueling a clean energy economic boom in New Jersey and across the country, a boom that will be jeopardized if these investments and tax credits get repealed.
These investments are making a real difference for people in our state. Wind, solar, and other renewable energy projects are now a critical part of New Jersey’s economy, creating high-quality jobs that often don’t require a four-year degree.
Since the passage of these clean energy investments, private companies have announced 405 projects totaling $204 billion in investment and 216,322 new jobs in 152 districts represented by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The clean energy plan also supports unions like mine, making sure that American workers don’t get left behind. Under that clean energy plan, projects that pay prevailing wages and hire registered apprentices to work on clean energy projects will receive a fivefold increase in clean energy deployment tax credits.
However, after two years of clean energy incentives spurring the highest factory construction investment in American history, and more than 400,000 new jobs announced primarily in manufacturing, there has been a multi-pronged assault on clean energy of all kinds.
Now, we’re seeing firsthand how enormous the impact of repealing or undermining these investments are. Hundreds of thousands of good jobs like mine will go overseas and raise energy costs across the country. American automakers are already warning that thousands of Americans working in the EV, hybrid, and battery industries face losses.
Both Democrats and Republicans acknowledge the importance of clean energy investments.
On March 10, 21 Republican members of Congress wrote a letter to the House tax-writing chairman in support of the clean energy tax credits that have brought direct benefits to many of their districts. Four Senate Republicans have followed suit. Outside Washington, many Republican governors have taken the same approach.
I hope our Republican Congressmen — Jeff Van Drew (R-2nd Dist.), Chris Smith (R-4th Dist.) and Tom Kean Jr. (R-7th Dist.) — understand that repealing or undermining the federal investments propelling the U.S. to the forefront of the clean energy competition would set our country back and threaten the livelihoods of the millions of Americans who work in clean energy.
Politicians of both parties have been talking about bringing back American manufacturing, making more here at home, and creating good middle class jobs for decades – so why would we repeal the investments that are finally starting to make all of that happen?
Clean energy is a cost of living and economic issue. Repealing clean energy investments would be bad for American businesses and bad for American workers.
Preserving America’s competitive edge in clean energy is essential for ensuring an economically prosperous future, and New Jersey can continue leading the way if we protect our investments.
Calling your elected representative in the U.S. House Of Representatives or U.S. Senate is the most effective way to influence policy. To find your representative and senator to voice your position, go to the House website and the Senate website.
Jim O’Reilly is the business manager of SMART Local 22, a Kennilworth-based sheet metal workers union.
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