Washington, D.C. — Earlier today, the House passed a deal that would extend certain tax credits set to expire at the end of this year. Shannon Heyck-Williams, director of climate and energy policy at the National Wildlife Federation, responded to the deal expressing concern over major missed opportunities:

“The tax credit extensions for clean energy that are included in Congress’ spending deal are weak at best. At worst, they are furthering investments in approaches such as biomass energy and biodiesel fuels that could perpetuate climate disruption and increase air pollution, particularly in low-income communities.

“Market forces for clean energy are strong, but the absence of any tax support for energy storage, offshore wind, solar power and electric vehicles risks hindering the ability of these needed technologies to scale up at the pace necessary to protect people and wildlife from climate catastrophe. In 2020 Congress must turn immediately to other legislative pathways for supporting deployment of zero-carbon technology. There is ample bipartisan interest in a clean energy bill with tax credits that would bring clean air, economic opportunity, and carbon reductions to towns across the country.”