Clean energy advocates in North Carolina are calling on Congress to pass a bill which would restore tax credits for wind and solar power and further regulate data centers.

The Energy Bills Relief Act would reinstate clean energy tax credits to continue wind and solar projects phased out under President Donald Trump’s "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." Since the initial tax credits were passed, North Carolina has seen more than $20 billion in clean energy investments. The figure is the fifth highest in the country, including more than 17,000 new jobs.

Matthew Davis, vice president of federal policy for the League of Conservation Voters, said North Carolina has seen a surge in solar panel and battery storage buildouts across the state.

"What that battery storage allows is for those solar panels to be charging the grid and charging up the batteries," Davis explained. "When there is a large surge of energy demand, to discharge those batteries and help bring down costs."

Trump has asserted he wants to contribute to America’s energy dominance through the use of fossil fuels. Opponents of the tax credits argued they distort the popularity of renewable energy.

The bill also takes aim at data centers, which critics argued consume massive amounts of electricity and drive up prices for North Carolinians. Davis stressed requiring data centers to bear more of their own costs is only fair.

"Not only should data centers be paying for the electricity that they use, but they need to also pay for the infrastructure improvements to the grids that are required for large loads like this to come online," Davis contended. "This bill would ensure that is the case."

The bill has more than 100 Democratic sponsors in the House but its fate remains uncertain as Republicans control all branches of government.

Source: Public News Service