Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the final version of the budget reconciliation bill, sending it to the President’s desk to be signed tomorrow morning. While the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) commends several meaningful agriculture conservation wins included in the bill, we are gravely concerned about deeply counterproductive rollbacks of fiscally responsible pollution protections and curtailed freedom for communities, churches, and families to choose clean energy.

On July 1, the U.S. Senate approved a reconciliation budget bill, sending it back to the House of Representatives for final approval. This version of the bill removes a proposed tax on solar and wind and includes incentives for clean firm technologies like geothermal and advanced nuclear. However, it also quickly phases out clean energy tax credits that are crucial for lowering costs for families and creating family-sustaining careers. In response to the bill’s passage in the Senate, EEN President & CEO Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman released the following statement.

The Senate’s proposed legislation makes important strides toward restoring a solid footing for clean ‘baseload’ energy to take root in the U.S. over the next decade. However, by rapidly phasing out ready-to-deploy electricity sources like solar and wind, the proposal sorely misses the mark on meeting America’s immediate energy needs and rising home energy costs that are straining household budgets across the country.