From the North Carolina Democratic Party:
The Inflation Reduction Act is the most significant legislation in U.S. history to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen American energy security. It will lower energy costs for households and businesses, create manufacturing jobs for American workers, and deliver a clean, secure, and healthy future for our children and grandchildren. The savings, jobs, and other benefits provided by this legislation will reach communities across North Carolina.
President Biden promised to combat the existential threat of climate change and build a clean energy future that creates jobs, advances environmental justice, and lowers costs for families.
He’s following through on that promise with the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
LOWER ENERGY COSTS: The Inflation Reduction Act will make it more affordable for
North Carolina families to purchase energy efficient appliances when they need to, make
repairs around their homes, and save money on their utility bills each month, through:
Rebates covering 50-100% of the cost of installing new electric appliances, including super-efficient heat pumps, water heaters, clothes dryers, stoves, and ovens. In North Carolina, millions of low- and moderate-income households are eligible for rebates.
Rebates for households to make repairs and improvements in single-family and multi-family homes to increase energy efficiency.
Tax credits covering 30% of the costs to install solar panels and battery storage systems, make home improvements that reduce energy leakage, or upgrade heating and cooling equipment. No income limits apply. For solar, uptake projections estimate that over 170,000 additional North Carolina households will install rooftop panels as a result.
Tax credits covering 30% of the costs of community solar projects—owned by local businesses that sign up families to save on their electric bills—with additional bonus credits of 20% for projects at affordable housing properties and 10% for projects in low-income communities.
Grants to help state and local governments adopt the latest building energy codes,
which would save the average new homeowner in North Carolina 16.3% on their
utility bills—$345 annually.
GOOD-PAYING JOBS: In 2021, there were already 103,854 North Carolina workers
employed in clean energy jobs. The Inflation Reduction Act will expand these
opportunities, bringing an estimated $2.7 billion of investment in large-scale clean power
generation and storage to North Carolina between now and 2030. It provides a historic set
of tax credits that will create jobs across solar, wind, storage, and other clean energy
industries. These credits include bonuses for businesses that pay a prevailing wage, so
that North Carolina workers earn a good paycheck as we build the clean energy future in
America.
DOMESTIC MANUFACTURING: Manufacturers employ 462,900 workers in North
Carolina, and the Inflation Reduction Act will help us make the technologies of the future
at home—supporting local economies and strengthening supply chains. The Inflation
Reduction Act will boost U.S. manufacturing of clean energy and transportation
technologies, as well as investments for a new Advanced Industrial Facilities Deployment
Program to position America to lead the growing global market for clean steel, aluminum,
cement, and more.
SMALL BUSINESSES: North Carolina is home to 964,280 small businesses,
representing 99.6% of all businesses in the state, and the Inflation Reduction Act will help them save money. Commercial building owners can receive a tax credit up to $5 per square foot to support energy efficiency improvements that deliver lower utility bills. Other programs that will benefit small businesses include tax credits covering 30% of the costs of installing low-cost solar power and of purchasing clean trucks and vans for commercial fleets.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The Inflation Reduction Act will make it easier and cheaper to
purchase an electric vehicle, with upfront discounts up to $7,500 for new EVs and $4,000
for used EVs, helping middle-class Americans skip the gas pump and save on fuel costs.
In North Carolina, millions of people will be eligible for these discounts. North Carolina
recently submitted a state plan for using funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law to build out EV charging stations along highways.
CLEANER AIR: The Inflation Reduction Act will significantly reduce pollution, resulting in
100,000 fewer asthma attacks in America in 2030, and position the U.S. to achieve
President Biden’s climate goals. Lowering greenhouse gas emissions will not only avoid
costly climate impacts from more extreme weather, but also improve local air quality—
preventing premature deaths and reducing air pollution. In addition to reducing pollution
across the economy, the Act will benefit communities most in need of cleaner air, with in
environmental justice block grants, investments for cleaner buses and trucks, and a Clean
Energy and Sustainability Accelerator that will prioritize emissions-reducing projects in
disadvantaged communities and fund state and local green banks like the North Carolina
Clean Energy Fund.
RURAL OPPORTUNITIES: The Inflation Reduction Act supports climate-smart agriculture
practices, which will help North Carolina’s 45,100 farms lead on climate solutions and
reward their stewardship. Electric cooperatives, which serve 1.1 million homes,
businesses, and other customers in North Carolina, will for the first time be eligible for
direct-pay clean energy tax credits. And this legislation dedicates investments for rural
electric cooperatives to boost resiliency, reliability, and affordability, including through
clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades.
RESILIENT COMMUNITIES: The Inflation Reduction Act will upgrade affordable housing,
including projects that boost resilience in the face of intensifying extreme weather. In North Carolina, tens of thousands of people live in affordable housing units that are eligible for upgrades like flood-proofing and storm resistance, as well as clean energy and electrification. A new Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program includes support
for transportation projects and planning to protect against flooding, extreme heat, and
more. The Inflation Reduction Act also invests in strengthening America’s forests,
including programs focused on preventing wildfires and for tree planting projects that help
protect communities from extreme heat.