Support clean energy tax credits

Technological innovation is important to me. The US has been a world leader in technology. We’ve met the moment when called upon. We are now facing an energy shortage. Let’s meet this moment too. We can do it by preserving the clean energy tax credits in the Federal reconciliation package being worked on now in Congress.
I followed in my dad’s footsteps and earned an engineering degree. We both experienced rapid advancements in technology during our careers. My dad was an engineer during the space race, working on both the Gemini and Apollo projects. I spent most of my career in telecommunications seeing the early introduction and widespread use of the Internet and fiber-optic cable. These and other important innovations did not happen without federal investment in technology.
Over the years the US has seen a decline in its share of global research and development spending, ranking 12th in 2021 behind European countries and even South Korea. China is the global leader in battery development and estimated to be 10 to 15 years ahead of us in advanced passive nuclear reactors.
The world’s technological challenge now is electricity production. A recent EIA (Energy Information Administration) forecast says the US is on track to add 65 gigawatts in electricity generation capacity in 2025. A whopping 81% of that added capacity is deployment of solar and battery. Only 7% is natural gas. None is coal. Innovation in new energy sources has brought prices down considerably making energy more affordable and much quicker to deploy.
But this added capacity is not enough to meet our forecasted demand. We need all-of-the-above solutions. Energy tax credits encourage public-private partnerships that drive innovation and scientific progress. Let’s not fall behind by hindering innovation in promising baseload technology like advanced nuclear and enhanced geothermal systems. We should continue to support them with energy development tax credits as they mature. In the meantime, we should keep in place tax credits for solar, battery and wind electricity production which can be deployed quickly to keep up with the electricity demands of today.
We can meet the energy challenge of our lifetime by using technological innovation. Call Senators Daines, and Sheehy, and Congressman Zinke today and ask them to support clean energy tax credits in the reconciliation package. With energy innovation we can use technology to create a healthy and affordable future we’ll be proud to tell our grandchildren about. 

Robin Paone, Whitefish