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
One year in, the IRA has led to increased investment in clean energy, lower up-front costs energy costs for clean energy technologies, and job creation in the clean energy sector.
One immediate impact has been the surge in investment in clean energy, which has increased by over 50% sice 2022. And projects announced have accounted for at least 170,000 new jobs, and is expected to continue to drive economic growth for years.
And in addition to tax credits, $70 billion in grants, rebates, and other non-loan funding has been made available to governments, tribal entities, nonprofits, and others across the nation.
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.
