According to the proposed rulemaking, companies who adhere to the prevailing wage incentives practices outlined under the Inflation Reduction Act will be eligible for up to five times the value of certain clean energy tax credits.Speaking on a call Monday, White House clean energy adviser John Podesta described the enhanced tax credit provision as “one of the most powerful ways that targeted investments in workers and communities have been woven into the fabric of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Biden administration officials touted the enhanced tax credits as a way to develop and retain a skilled workforce in the clean energy space, noting that building at the pace needed to meet its clean energy and emissions reduction goals will require “tens of thousands of carpenters, electricians, and construction workers."
It also comes at a critical time for President Joe Biden, who has struggled to balance his goals on electric vehicles and clean energy manufacturing without also alienating his longtime union allies in the process. "Why is Joe Biden’s administration facilitating this corporate greed with taxpayer money?" he said in a statement.