As the Congress ponders the budget bill for the next year, I am writing to encourage the Maine congressional delegation, and particularly Sen. Susan Collins, as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, to do everything in their power to protect the clean energy tax credits contained in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

These tax credits offer Maine families thousands of dollars in credits and rebates to weatherize their homes and install heat pumps and solar panels, significantly decreasing their energy bills in the future. Nationally, they have led to huge investments in domestic manufacturing in the United States, which means more and better jobs as well as less dependence on the supply chain from China.

James Richter
Lewiston