US to detail plan to draw clean energy into oil, coal communities

[April 04, 2023]  By Jarrett Renshaw
 
 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Tuesday will release final guidance on how clean energy companies can secure additional tax credits when investing in U.S. communities economically tied to fossil fuels like oil and coal.  

A pile of coal in an active coal mine located next to a new solar power plant development site in Hurley, western Virginia, U.S., May 11, 2021. Picture taken May 11, 2021. REUTERS/Dane Rhys

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed last year by Democrats extended a 30% tax credit for wind, solar and other green energy projects, but also provided an extra 10% boost to those investing in so-called "energy communities."

The boosted tax credit is central to the administration’s goal of ensuring areas long dependent on fossil fuels benefit from clean energy. It also helped secure West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin's essential support for the bill.

The extra credit will likely cover projects in places like coal-heavy Appalachia decimated by mine and plant closures.

"Communities like coal communities have the knowledge, infrastructure, resources and know-how to play a leading role in the move to a clean energy economy," U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said.

The Treasury Department is slated to release a searchable mapping tool that helps identify areas that may be eligible for the energy community bonus based on the fresh guidance. The bipartisan infrastructure bill and IRA tend to favor red states, including those that have been heavy coal producers.

The Department of Energy is also announcing that it is making $16 million available through the IRA to the University of North Dakota and West Virginia University to complete design studies on refineries that will extract and separate rare earth elements and other critical minerals from coal ash, acid mine drainage, and other mine waste. Those minerals are crucial to producing clean energy technologies like batteries and solar panels.

(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

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