Breaking: House Bill Threatens Residential Solar Industry, Job Cuts Feared

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives is poised to advance a sweeping tax and spending cut bill that industry experts warn could devastate the residential solar sector and lead to significant job losses. The proposed legislation, which already passed the Senate, targets crucial clean energy incentives, most notably eliminating the 30% tax credit for rooftop residential solar by year-end.

The move directly contradicts the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, which had extended these credits into the next decade. Former President Donald Trump has been a vocal critic of such clean energy tax credits, labeling them a ‘green new scam’ that improperly subsidizes what he calls the ‘globalist climate agenda.’

Industry leaders are sounding the alarm. Will Etheridge, CEO of North Carolina-based Southern Energy Management, informed his 190 employees that the changes would ‘almost certainly include the loss of jobs on our team.’ He anticipates laying off 50 to 55 workers if the bill becomes law, calling the elimination of residential tax credits a ‘bait and switch’ for businesses that invested based on their stability.

Bob Keefe, executive director of E2, a business group advocating for pro-environment policies, stated, ‘The residential solar industry is going to be absolutely creamed by this.’ The sentiment is echoed by Karl Stupka, president of NC Solar Now, whose business is 85% residential. He fears laying off half his 100 employees, noting the Senate’s version eased impact on commercial projects ‘while destroying the residential portion of the tax credits.’

The bill’s passage could trigger a frantic rush to complete installations before the credit expires, followed by a ‘pretty severe shock wave’ of job losses across the sector, according to Stupka. This comes after experts from E2 reported in May that $14 billion in clean energy investments nationwide had already been postponed or canceled this year, even before the current legislative debate intensified.

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