[USA] Biden administration grants $623M in funding for EV charging infrastructure

On January 11, 2024, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced $623 million in grants to build out the electric vehicle (EV) charging network.[1] The Biden administration aims to build at least 500,000 publicly available chargers by 2030. The grants announced by DOT are part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $2.5 billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program. They will fund 47 EV charging and alternative-fueling infrastructure projects in 22 states and Puerto Rico, including the construction of about 7,500 EV charging ports. As part of the announcement, the Federal Highway Administration will award $311 million to 36 community projects, including two Indian Tribes in Alaska and Arizona. Community projects invest in EV charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure in urban and rural communities. Another $312 million in funding will go to 11 corridor recipients whose projects are located along roadways designated as Alternative Fuel Corridors. Corridor projects will fill gaps in the core national charging and alternative-fueling network.

More than 70% of the announced CFI funding will support project sites in disadvantaged communities, advancing the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal of 40% of the overall benefits of federal investments flowing to disadvantaged communities. EV chargers constructed with CFI funds must follow the same standards established for chargers funded under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program, including domestic manufacturing and workforce standards.

[1] https://highways.dot.gov/newsroom/biden-harris-administration-announces-623-million-grants-continue-building-out-electric

[USA] Biden administration releases blueprint for decarbonizing transportation sector

As part of President Biden’s goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions, on January 10, 2023, the Biden administration released the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, which would bring together the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector by 2050.[1] The blueprint follows a September memorandum of understanding between the four agencies to enable them to accelerate the nation’s affordable and equitable clean transportation future. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act required the agencies to develop the plan by the end of 2022. The blueprint details how the agencies will work together to promote existing technology like battery power to cut emissions from light-duty cars and trucks, as well as research new fuel sources for hard-to-decarbonize sectors.

According to the White House, the plan is the first blueprint for the decarbonization of transportation and exemplifies the whole-of-government approach to addressing climate change. The Biden administration said that decarbonizing the transportation sector, which includes all modes of transportation in the country, would eliminate a third of all domestic greenhouse gases.

[1] https://www.energy.gov/eere/us-national-blueprint-transportation-decarbonization-joint-strategy-transform-transportation

[USA] First offshore wind lease auction on West Coast generates $757 million

According to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the first offshore wind lease auction on the West Coast drew bids from 5 companies totaling $757.1 million.[1] The lease sale, announced in October 2022 and held over two days in December 2022, offered five lease areas covering 373,268 total acres off central and northern California. The leased areas have the potential to produce over 4.6 GW of floating offshore wind energy. The provisional winners include RWE Offshore Wind Holdings, California North Floating, Equinor Wind US, Central California Offshore Wind, and Invenergy California Offshore.

The sale included a 20% bidding credit for bidders who committed to funding workforce training or supporting the development of a domestic supply chain for the floating wind energy industry. This credit is expected to result in over $117 million in investments for these critical programs or initiatives. The auction included 5% credits for bidders who committed to entering community benefit agreements (CBAs). Under the lease stipulations, leaseholders are required to engage with local stakeholders that may be affected by their lease activities.

[1] https://doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-winners-california-offshore-wind-energy-auction

[USA] IRS releases draft notices on IRA tax incentives

On October 5, 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued six notices requesting comments on different aspects of extensions and enhancements of energy tax benefits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).[1] The announcement is the first formal step in the process of implementing the IRA. Most of the IRA’s $369 billion for energy and climate efforts are in the form of tax credits. The value of these tax credits is estimated at $270 billion. The six notices focus on the production tax credit (PTC) and investment tax credit (ITC), credit enhancements that would boost the credit value for meeting certain prevailing wage and domestic content requirements, home and building incentives, clean vehicle credits, manufacturing credits to help build clean energy supply chains, and credit monetization.

The Treasury Department also released a fact sheet that outlined the IRS’s implementation process. The department said it will convene roundtables with industry, labor unions, and climate and environmental justice advocates over the coming weeks. The Treasury stated that it would ideally like comments from the public on the new notices within 30 days.

[1] https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-asks-for-comments-on-upcoming-energy-guidance

[USA] Democrats unveil bill with $369 billion in energy and climate spending

On July 27, 2022, with Senator Joe Manchin's (D-WV) support, Senate Democrats unveiled a budget reconciliation bill that includes $369 billion in climate and clean energy policies.[1] The proposed bill, called the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, follows months of negotiations between Democratic leadership and Senator Manchin, who had opposed the Build Back Better bill passed by the House last fall. It would be the country's largest climate change bill if it makes it through the Senate and House. According to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) office, the legislation would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 40% by 2030.

Under the bill, existing renewable tax credits would be extended, and after 2025, they would become technology neutral and based on greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Existing nuclear power plants would be eligible for a production tax credit. In addition, the 45Q credit for carbon capture and storage (CCS) would be expanded and extended. The bill will offer a $4,000 credit for used clean vehicles and up to $7,500 for new clean vehicles. The deal includes the Methane Emissions Reduction Program, which would put a fee on excess methane emissions and offer up to $850 million in grants to industry to monitor and reduce methane. It also contains $60 billion for environmental justice, $60 billion for clean energy manufacturing, and $27 billion for a new federal green bank.

[1] https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/inflation_reduction_act_of_2022.pdf

[USA] Biden administration announces new initiatives to cut building emissions and create jobs

On May 17, 2021, the White House announced new federal investments to energy efficiency in buildings and new opportunities to modernize buildings while creating new jobs.[1] The plans include developing the first building performance standards (BPS) for federal buildings. The new BPS will be spearheaded by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and will establish metrics, targets, and tracking methods to reach federal carbon emissions goals. The Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it will invest $30 million into workforce initiatives designed to train people to develop and construct high-performance buildings. In addition, the DOE is launching a low-carbon buildings pilot program, and in coordination with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the program will partner with 55 commercial, industrial and multifamily organizations to participate and share lessons about constructing and developing energy-efficient buildings. The DOE also announced a new initiative in partnership with the Advanced Water Heating Initiative to increase market adoption of heat pump water heaters in residential and commercial buildings.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that it is launching new residential and commercial sector partnerships to accelerate efficiency and electrification retrofits in underserved residential households through the ENERGY STAR Home Upgrade program. The White House also announced new ENERGY STAR standards to improve heat pump technology and fast chargers for electric vehicles.

[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/05/17/fact-sheet-biden-administration-accelerates-efforts-to-create-jobs-making-american-buildings-more-affordable-cleaner-and-resilient/

[USA] Biden signs executive order to bolster federal cybersecurity

President Biden signed an executive order on May 12, 2021, to strengthen cybersecurity in the U.S. and protect federal networks.[1] The executive order, titled “Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity,” comes in the aftermath of the ransomware attack that shut down the 5,500-mile Colonial oil pipeline on May 7, 2021. Colonial is the largest gasoline pipeline in the U.S. and supplies an estimated 40-45% of all fuel used on the East Coast. As of May 13, 2021, Colonial has restarted operations of the pipeline, but the brief shutdown caused widespread uncertainty.[2]

The executive order’s main directives are to 1) set more rigorous IT and cybersecurity policy, 2) remove barriers to information sharing among federal agencies, 3) modernize federal government cybersecurity, 4) enhance software supply chain security, 5) establish a cybersecurity safety review board, 6) standardize the federal government’s response to cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents, 7) improve detection of cybersecurity issues on federal networks, 8) improve the federal government’s investigative and remediation capabilities, and 9) adopt national systems security requirements. The Cybersecurity Safety Review Board will be co-chaired by the government and the private sector and will analyze lessons learned from major cybersecurity incidents. Although the order does not apply to the private sector, private companies will need to increase their own security to contract with the federal government.

[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/05/12/fact-sheet-president-signs-executive-order-charting-new-course-to-improve-the-nations-cybersecurity-and-protect-federal-government-networks/

[2] https://www.colpipe.com/news/press-releases/media-statement-colonial-pipeline-system-disruption

[USA] Biden’s budget proposal includes major increases in overall clean energy spending

On April 9, 2021, President Joe Biden sent a preliminary outline of his budget request for Fiscal Year 2022 to Congress.[1] The $1.52 trillion budget request included new climate change investments, totaling more than $14 billion more compared to FY2021, across nearly all agencies. This is the first time that a budget request has detailed funding of specific climate programs. The administration is requesting a 10.2% increase to $46.1 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE), a 21.3% increase to $11.2 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and a 16.3% increase to $17.4 billion for the Department of the Interior (DOI). At the DOE, funding for clean energy programs includes $1.9 billion to support the development of a new energy efficiency and clean electricity standard, provide local grants to incentivize clean energy workforce support, and support the development of streamlined transmission. For the EPA, funding requested by the administration includes $110 million to restore EPA staff capacity to pre-Trump administration levels and $1.8 billion in programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Biden’s budget request for the DOI includes $450 million to remediate orphaned oil and gas wells, remediate mining sites, and develop new jobs.

Proposed clean energy spending in other agencies includes $6.5 billion to the Department of Agriculture to spur rural clean energy projects and $300 million to the General Services Administration to electrify its vehicle fleet. The budget request follows the April 2021 release of the administration’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan, which proposed a federal clean electricity standard[2] and expanding clean energy tax credits. Both the budget request and the infrastructure plan are intended to put the U.S. on a path to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/FY2022-Discretionary-Request.pdf

[2] A clean electricity standard requires a percentage of retail electricity sales to come from low- and zero-carbon electricity sources. The share of clean electricity typically increases with time. Clean electricity standards are similar to renewable portfolio standards, which require that a certain percentage comes from renewable sources.

[USA] Biden announces sweeping $2 trillion infrastructure plan

On March 31, 2021, President Joe Biden unveiled a $2 trillion, 8-year infrastructure plan, called the American Jobs Plan, which includes billions of dollars of investment in electric vehicles (EVs), transmission, and clean energy.[1] The plan is intended to create millions of new jobs, rebuild the country’s infrastructure, and position the U.S. as a global leader. According to the administration, the proposal would put the U.S. on the path to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2035 and a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. If signed into law, the plan would be one of the largest federal efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Biden’s plan proposes investing $174 billion in EVs, $100 billion in the electric grid, $46 billion in clean energy manufacturing, and $35 billion in research and development to address the climate crisis. The proposal would also create a national Energy Efficiency and Clean Electricity Standard (EECES) to reduce electricity bills, increase market competition, encourage more efficient use of existing infrastructure, and boost carbon-free energy from existing sources like nuclear and hydropower. For tax credits, the administration proposes extending the tax credit phasedown by another decade and expanding tax credits to include a direct pay option for clean energy resources.[2] Biden’s plan also calls for the repeal of subsidies and foreign tax credits for fossil fuels.

[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/31/fact-sheet-the-american-jobs-plan/

[2] Expanding tax credits to include a direct pay option would allow tax credit holders to receive a direct cash payment from the U.S. Treasury instead of getting benefits through the tax equity market.

[USA] House passes four bipartisan bills to bolster DOE’s cybersecurity fight

On September 29, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed four bipartisan bills yesterday to boost the Department of Energy's (DOE) capabilities to help maintain cybersecurity. All four bills were passed by voice vote under suspension of the rules, a means of fast-tracking noncontroversial bills. Bills passed by voice vote have to pass with supermajorities (two-thirds of the House) and without floor amendments. The bills passed by voice vote are:

·   H.R. 360, the Cyber Sense Act of 2020, which would direct the DOE to launch a voluntary Cyber Sense program to identify products secure enough for the bulk power system.[1] The bill was introduced by Representative Robert Latta (R-Ohio) and cosponsored by Representatives Jerry McNerney (D-California), Ralph Norman (R-South Carolina), and Josh Harder (D-California).

·   H.R. 5760, the Grid Security Research and Development Act, which would support DOE research into cybersecurity and physical protections of the grid.[2] The bill is from Representatives Ami Bera (D-California) and Randy Weber (R-Texas).

·   H.R. 359, the Enhancing Grid Security through Public-Private Partnerships Act, which would create a DOE program to enhance cybersecurity at utilities through increased collaboration and public-private partnerships.[3] The bill is from Representatives Jerry McNerney (D-California) and Robert Latta (R-Ohio).

·    H.R. 362, the Energy Emergency Leadership Act, which would codify the new DOE assistant secretary position related to cybersecurity.[4] The bill was introduced by Energy Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) and cosponsored by Representatives Tim Walberg (R-Michigan), Jefferson Van Drew (D-New Jersey), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania).

[1] https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/360

[2] https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/5760

[3] https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/359

[4] https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/362

[USA] Biden outlines $2 trillion climate plan

In a speech on July 14, 2020, presidential candidate Joe Biden outlined his climate plan which seeks to invest nearly $2 trillion to boost renewable energy and rebuild infrastructure with the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.[1] [2] The plan is the second piece of Biden’s new economic agenda (called "Build Back Better") which he first detailed on July 9, 2020.[3] Biden has described the plan as a “one-time” opportunity to reestablish the U.S. as an economic and political leader.

The plan calls for major investments in infrastructure, the auto-industry, transit, buildings, the power sector, housing, innovation, agriculture and conservation, and environmental justice. These investments would include electrifying government-owned vehicle fleets, creating a nationwide network of 500,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, building 1.5 million energy efficient homes, retrofitting 4 million buildings, and decarbonizing electrical generation. Biden’s plan also emphasizes the importance keeping existing carbon-free energy provided by nuclear and hydropower while investing in new technologies like renewable hydrogen and advanced nuclear. According to Biden, the sweeping investments proposed in his plan would spur millions of jobs and would end carbon-based electrical generation by 2035.

[1] https://joebiden.com/clean-energy/

[2] https://www.npr.org/2020/07/14/890814007/biden-outlines-2-trillion-climate-plan

[3] https://joebiden.com/build-back-better/

[USA] Department of Homeland Security announces plan for securing critical infrastructure against cyberattacks

On July 7, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the federal civilian agency responsible for advising critical infrastructure (CI) partners on how to manage industrial control systems (ICS) risk, revealed a five-year plan titled Securing Industrial Control Systems: A Unified Initiative FY 2019–2023 to address the challenges posed by protecting critical infrastructure networks from hackers.[1] ICS is a term used to describe different types of control systems which include the devices, systems, networks, and controls used to operate or automate industrial processes. ICS underpin everything from power grids to oil and gas pipelines. According to CISA, cyberattacks on ICS can "result in significant physical consequences, including loss of life, property damage, and disruption of the essential services and critical functions upon which society relies.” CISA’s plan lays out a four-part initiative to secure ICS against cyber threats. The four parts are: (1) deepen existing partnerships while expanding the scope of activities with the broader ICS community; (2) develop and use technology to mature ICS cyber defense; (3) build “deep data” capabilities to analyze and deliver information the can be used to disrupt cyberattacks; and (4) enable informed and proactive security investments by understanding and anticipating ICS risk.

[1] https://www.cisa.gov/publication/securing-industrial-control-systems

[USA] House Democrats release new proposal to address climate crisis

On June 20, 2020, Democrats in the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released a comprehensive proposal called the Climate Crisis Action Plan which establishes a goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States by 2050; directs the president to set ambitious interim targets to meet or exceed that goal; and calls for achieving net-negative GHG emissions after 2050.[1] The report recommends investments in infrastructure; investments in clean energy and decarbonization technologies; and decarbonization of the transportation and electricity sectors. The report does not directly recommend an end to natural gas fracking or coal-fired power. It also leaves the door open for carbon capture technology and nuclear power to play a role in a net zero-carbon grid.

The majority staff for the Select Committee previewed its draft policy recommendations with Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology LLC (Energy Innovation), a nonpartisan think tank. Energy Innovation modelled the emissions reductions and co-benefits from implementing a subset of the Select Committee’s recommendations. According to Energy Innovation, the Select Committee majority staff’s policy recommendations will set the country on a path to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

[1] https://climatecrisis.house.gov/sites/climatecrisis.house.gov/files/Climate%20Crisis%20Action%20Plan.pdf

[USA] Trump administration to reinstate tariff on two-sided solar modules

According to a notice published in the Federal Register on April 17, 2020, the U.S. Trade Representative will withdraw its exclusion of two-sided solar panel imports from the Section 201 tariffs established in 2018 following a review of the exclusion.[1] The two-sided solar panel exemption will be lifted as early as May 18, 2020 and the tariffs will end in 2022. Two-sided solar modules, a newer technology not widely manufactured in the U.S., are projected to grow in popularity due to power-generation advantages and relative cost-competitiveness, but a big part of their price advantage over one-sided panels is the tariff exemption.

In December 2019, when the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) first reviewed the effectiveness of the 2018 tariffs, several U.S. solar panel manufacturers argued for applying the tariffs to two-sided solar modules. Other members of the solar industry like the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and solar developers oppose the Trade Representative’s decision and are considering opportunities for a legal challenge.[2] [3] According to SEIA and other solar analysts, China's manufacturing and production, and the global solar module market, are starting to recover after the worldwide response to COVID-19. For developers, regaining supply of solar modules is critical for projects that have not already purchased and stocked up on panels. For solar manufacturers, though, the 2018 tariffs have spurred growth; five module manufacturing utilities have opened in the U.S. since 2018.

[1] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/04/17/2020-08189/determination-on-the-exclusion-of-bifacial-solar-panels-from-the-safeguard-measure-on-solar-products

[2] https://www.seia.org/news/seia-statement-ustr-calling-remove-tariff-exclusions-bifacial-solar-modules

[3] https://www.seia.org/initiatives/international-trade

[USA] FERC approves NERC’s request for delay on reliability standards

On April 17, 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) request to delay the implementation of seven reliability standards by three to six months (October 2020-January 2021), citing the substantial impacts of the pandemic on registered entities.[1] NERC stated that registered entities "would need to expend significant effort and resources in the coming months" in order to document compliance; the pandemic would make gathering these resources substantially harder.[2]

The delayed reliability standards include four other requirements focused on bulk electric system personnel and protection control standards, and three cybersecurity Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) rules. CIP rules are standards for preparedness and response to serious incidents that involve critical infrastructure. Protect Our Power, a non-profit focused on grid security, advocated for FERC to approve a shorter 30-day delay to the CIP standards, arguing that cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the electric sector supply chain need to be eliminated quickly. However, NERC says the three-month delay for the cybersecurity rules is unlikely to leave the grid vulnerable and is appropriate given the current crisis.

[1]https://www.nerc.com/FilingsOrders/us/FERCOrdersRules/order%20granting%20motion%20to%20defer%20the%20implementation%20dates.pdf

[2]https://www.nerc.com/news/Headlines%20DL/Motion%20to%20Defer%20Implementation%20of%20Reliability%20Standards.pdf

[USA] DOE Announces Crude Oil Storage Contracts to Help Alleviate U.S. Oil Industry Storage Crunch

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on April 14, 2020 that it is discussing contract awards with nine U.S. companies with the intention to storing their U.S. produced crude oil in the U.S.’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).[1] The U.S. oil industry is currently faced with storage demand exceeding availability which stems from the combined effects of a sharp decline in demand due to COVID-19 and an excess of supply. In a response to this, President Trump directed the DOE to fill the SPR to capacity in mid-March 2020, though Democrats were strongly critical of the move, stating that it is a waste of resources to save the oil industry.[2] [3] On April 2, 2020, the DOE issued a Request for Proposals to use available storage capacity at the SPR for temporary storage to alleviate the strain on oil companies.[4] The awards under negotiation are for approximately 23 million barrels of crude oil storage, to be distributed across all four SPR sites. Many of the deliveries will be received in May and June 2020, but there is a possibility of early deliveries in April 2020. Companies can schedule the return of their oil through March 2021, minus a small amount of oil to cover the cost of storage.

[1] https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-crude-oil-storage-contracts-help-alleviate-us-oil-industry-storage-crunch

[2] https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-applauds-swift-action-president-trump-initiates-process-purchase-oil-strategic

[3]https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020_03_12%20COVID%2019%20Oil%20Tax%20Break%20Trump%20signed%20copy.pdf

[4] https://www.energy.gov/articles/us-department-energy-make-strategic-petroleum-reserve-storage-capacity-available-struggling

[USA] Environmental groups sue DOE over revised appliance standards process

On April 14, 2020 the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) sued the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco over the DOE’s revised process for setting appliance standards.[1] Along with NRDC, parties to the suit include Earthjustice, representing the Sierra Club, Consumer Federation of America, and Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants; the U.S. Public Interest Research Group; and Environment America. According to the NRDC, this lawsuit is the 107th legal challenge to the administration’s rulings on environmental issues, and the third time in five months that groups have filed suit over the appliance standards program. DOE’s revised process requires a new standard to save 0.3 quadrillion BTUs of energy consumed by appliances on site over 30 years. However, the lawsuit argues that the new process sets an arbitrary baseline for “significant savings” to establish a new standard.

The DOE, however, argues that the current rules require too much investment for savings that are not always significant. The DOE is now taking public comment on how to prioritize its review of appliance standards under the revised process.[2] Environmental advocates say they will be following it closely and believe the move is unnecessary.

[1] https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/energy-efficiency-standards-20200414.pdf

[2] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/04/15/2020-07721/energy-conservation-program-procedures-for-use-in-new-or-revised-energy-conservation-standards-and

[USA] Senate reaches agreement on $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill

On March 25, 2020, the U.S. Senate reached an agreement on a $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill, the largest of its kind in U.S. history.[1] However, the package does not include the tax credit extensions and direct pay provisions lobbied for by wind and solar industries to help them withstand the supply-chain and economic disruptions caused by the global crisis.

Prior to the agreement on the stimulus bill, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) warned that a failure to pass provisions for tax credit extensions and direct pay provisions could threaten up to $43 billion in investments.[2] The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has warned that tens of thousands of solar jobs may be at risk from the coronavirus pandemic's economic effects.[3] To be eligible for the full PTC, wind projects must be completed by the end of 2020 and many U.S. projects are at risk of missing this deadline due to disruptions to the supply chain. Solar companies are also under pressure to lock in delivery and possession of key equipment by mid-April to assure they comply with the 5% safe-harbor provisions of the ITC to receive the full credit. In response to the stimulus bill, AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan released a statement that "while [AWEA is] disappointed clean energy sector relief did not make it into the phase three stimulus package, [AWEA] will continue working with Congress and other renewable energy leaders to find solutions to the specific challenges COVID-19 is causing our members."[4]

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/25/trump-senate-coronavirus-economic-stimulus-2-trillion/

[2] https://www.awea.org/resources/news/2020/american-wind-energy-association-releases-covid-19

[3] https://www.seia.org/coronavirus-information-resources

[4] https://www.awea.org/resources/news/2020/american-wind-energy-association-statement-on-the

［USA］House Democrats Release $760 Billion Framework to Make Infrastructure Investments Across U.S.

The Chairs of three committees in the U.S. House of Representatives released a five-year, $760 billion infrastructure blueprint, the Moving Forward Framework, on January 29, 2020 that they say would address the country's maintenance backlog while also cutting emissions in the transportation sector.[1] Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-MA) emphasized that a key part of their framework is the need to bring emissions down and fight against climate change.

The proposal would invest $329 billion to modernize bridges and highways, $105 billion in transit, $55 billion in rail, and $86 billion to improve broadband internet access to unserved and underserved areas.[2] It would also increase the amount of alternative fueling options like electric vehicle (EV) chargers available. A major obstacle to the proposal, though, is how to finance the proposed investments. Despite support from Americans to raise taxes to create revenue for transportation infrastructure maintenance, Congress has been unable to reach an agreement in years past due to concerns about possible political fall-out from increasing the taxes. At a press conference, Democratic leaders declined to say how they would foot the bill for the new proposal.

[1] https://transportation.house.gov/news/press-releases/chairs-defazio-pallone-neal-release-760-billion-framework-to-make-transformative-infrastructure-investments-across-us

[2] https://transportation.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Moving%20Forward%20Framework.pdf