Although federal priorities are shifting, billions of dollars are still available via tax credits and financing for clean energy strategies. Now more than ever it is important to understand the resources available to reduce operating costs, increase comfort and safety and make progress toward our shared goals of cutting countywide emissions in half by 2030.
The Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change is sharing resources about federal funding to encourage everyone in Dane County to take advantage of the available opportunities to go green.
Federal Funding Opportunities
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has spurred significant activity in Wisconsin's clean energy sector, driving both investment and job creation. At least 82 clean energy projects in Wisconsin have so far been eligible for IRA incentives, signaling a substantial shift towards renewable energy deployment across the state. This has translated into over 2,500 new jobs in the clean energy sector, particularly in areas like solar installation, wind energy development, and energy efficiency upgrades. With this investment, Wisconsin now supports more than 73,000 clean energy jobs.
The availability of these incentives has helped to attract private investment, boosting the state's clean energy economy. To date in Wisconsin, the IRA has generated more than $5.4 billion in investments in climate and clean energy, an over 50% increase since 2022.
Check out the success stories to see the local impact of IRA federal funds in action across Wisconsin and learn about how the federal investments are helping Wisconsin communities, schools, businesses, and residents.
The climate crisis is inherently inequitable because those who suffer the most from climate disasters are often the ones who contribute the least to our climate crisis. Recognizing that, the Biden Administration set a priority that 40% of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments are allocated to communities that were historically underserved or disproportionately impacted by climate change.
President Trump revoked Biden's Justice40 priorities, which means that the federal goverment is no longer encouraging increased investment in underserved communities.
Locally, in the 2020 Dane County Climate Action Plan, we committed to environmental justice, to ensuring that all members of our community benefit from the transition to a clean energy economy. Our commitment remains.
Download our handouts for distrubution at events or within your organization:
Download our infographics to send in your newsletter or repost on your own channels:
UW Extension has a series of webinars outlining the federal funding available to spur America's transition to a clean energy economy. This series covers funding from both the Bipartian Infrastructure Law as well as the Inflation Reduction Act.
On this episode of The Dane County Podcast, County Executive Joe Parisi sits down with Kathy Kuntz, Director of the Dane County Office of Energy and Climate Change, and Heather Allen, Policy Advisor at RENEW Wisconsin, to celebrate Earth Month. Together, they discuss Dane County government achieving 100% renewable energy status at county facilities—the first county in Wisconsin and only the fourth county in the nation to do so. They also share how everyone can go green and save money under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Listen to Kathy Kuntz talk about elective pay in the IRA as well as learn more about agricultural funding from Brenda Heinen, Western Regional Coordinator USDA Rural Business Co-op Service.
Email us with questions about how your business or organization may be able to benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act.
Information provided above is meant as an overview of eligible tax credits; all information given should be utilized in conjunction with a tax professional. It does not constitute professional tax advice or other professional financial guidance and may change based on additional guidance from the Treasury Department.
