MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The climate change portion of the Build Back Better Bill has a goal of clean electricity by 2035.
The plan includes $25 billion in tax credits to encourage construction of clean energy components and facilities they would be built in.
Monongalia County Delegate and principal with Downstream Strategies Evan Hansen explained the tax credits on MetroNews Talkline recently.
“So, this isn’t incentives to build a solar array, for example,” Hansen clarified. “But, it would be an incentive to build the equipment used in the solar arrays.”
Currently, about 20-percent of energy is generated from renewable sources. If enacted, the plan hopes to cut up to 750 million metric tons of carbon emission and achieve “clean electricity” by 2030.
“Four billion has been set aside for what they call “energy communities” and that’s defined as areas where there has been loss of jobs at coal mines or coal-fired plants,” Hansen said. So, much of West Virginia qualifies for that.”
Hansen believes as the shift takes place demand for equipment and tools will increase steadily. Meeting the goal will require labor, materials and other components and technology to support the plan.
“Across all sectors it’s about 9,000 to 12,000 jobs but just in the manufacturing sector it would be 3,000 to 4,000 jobs,” Hansen said.
If the bill passes, West Virginia would be in a position completely unique to it’s past, According to Hansen. The new position could also create another set of jobs to promote the area and bring people to the region for the jobs.
“We could be marketing West Virginia as a welcoming state for new energy jobs,” Hansen said. “Because a lot of people don’t even think about West Virginia in that light because we know the economy has been reliant on the coal industry for so many years.”
The tax credits and jobs are not endless, being prepared for the transition will put West Virginia in a position to capitalize. Hansen cautions that other states will be competing for the opportunities adding some urgency to action.
“There is going to be a dramatic increase in these types of manufacturing operations as the world and as the country moves to address climate change,” Hansen said. “There’s going to be greater and greater need for low carbon technologies.”