Five Republican Senators Support Clean Energy

Plus, new developments in New Jersey and Pennsylvania solar and storage

Aaron Nichols

Jun 06, 2025

Transcript

What's new

The clean energy industry is holding its breath as we wait for the Senate’s version of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”

Five Republican senators are voicing support for clean energy tax credits as the Senate considers repealing key parts of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

These are:

Thom Tillis
Lisa Murkowski
Jerry Moran
Susan Collins
John Curtis

Remarks we've heard from these five senators so far:

Sen. Thom Tillis (NC) told The Washington Post:

"An immediate phaseout would have a chilling effect on future investments in the domestic energy sector."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK) made this statement on the Senate floor earlier this year:

"Energy makes us stronger, makes us less vulnerable, and it is an asset, not a liability, and we need to treat it as such. We need to be unleashing our resources, including all of our renewables, because that's all part of the energy basket as well."

Sen. Jerry Moran (KS) said in a statement to KSHB 41 News:

"I will support policies, including tax credits that will benefit energy producers in Kansas… We need more investments in energy production, and tax credits are one way to bring production to the U.S., promote our energy independence, support manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and further investments in domestic energy production."

A spokesperson for Sen. Susan Collins (ME) told Maine Morning Star that:

"Senator Collins supports clean energy and this issue is one of many the Senate is going to have to consider as it puts together its reconciliation bill."

Sen. John Curtis (UT) published an op-ed on June 4 in Utah's Deseret News, warning that full repeal of IRA energy credits would hurt America's strategic position.

In it, he called for careful consideration as the Senate writes its version:

"We simply cannot afford to treat good policy ideas as guilty by political association. That would be a quest for political power over intelligence and strategy... We must build a thoughtful, principled bill that doesn’t pull the rug out from under American innovators. Doing otherwise risks freezing investment, delaying domestic production, increasing costs, and forfeiting our energy edge and national security to China and Russia."

Curtis also emphasized energy security, saying:

"The U.S. must never depend on adversaries for our energy… We shouldn't just be energy independent, we should be energy dominant... What will truly unleash energy production isn't a new spending or deduction line, it's liberating American ingenuity from the shackles of Washington bureaucracy and unnecessary regulation... Doing otherwise risks freezing investment, delaying domestic production, increasing costs, and forfeiting our energy edge and national security to China and Russia."

It remains to be seen if any of these Senators will fight for clean energy policy when it matters most. As we saw with the House, 21 representatives signed a letter supporting the tax credits, but none of them voted for it when it counted.

New Jersey Storage Program Needs Overhaul

The Issue:

A new bill in New Jersey could allow four large transmission-connected projects to claim 1,000 out of 1,500 MW of planned storage incentives, leaving little for behind-the-meter and distributed battery storage installers.

Why it matters:

Behind-the-meter storage can be deployed much faster than transmission-scale projects. New Jersey's grid needs storage fast, so behind-the-meter battery installers must be incentivized as well as larger companies.

The ask:

The Mid-Atlantic Solar and Storage Industries Association (MSSIA) is asking companies that install behind-the-meter storage projects in New Jersey to provide data on their past and current battery projects.

They'll share this data with the state legislature to show the speed of deployment of behind-the-meter storage vs. transmission-scale projects.

Companies interested in submitting battery data can call 973-886-0526 or use MSSIA's contact form to find out more.

Pennsylvania's Solar For All Funding is Still Trapped in Legislative Limbo

What's new

Pennsylvania has already been awarded $156 million through the federal Solar for All program to help 14,000 low-income households go solar, but the money is stuck in legislation.

The state legislature added a clause to last year's budget requiring separate approval before the money can be used. A new bill (HB 362) would fix that, but it was amended with language that threatens Pennsylvania's net metering policy if passed.

Why it matters

This is money already awarded to Pennsylvanians. Lawmakers need to remove the amendment and pass the bill or another similar piece of legislation.

If they don't, the state could lose funds intended to cut electric bills and create clean energy jobs in rural and low-income areas as the Trump Administration tries to claw back funding.