HARRISBURG, PA — A report released Nov. 16 says communities that once hosted coal, oil, or gas infrastructure make up only 18.6 percent of the U.S. population but received 36.8 percent of the new clean energy investment in the year after the Inflation Reduction Act’s passage. 

When the law passed, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) moved to include the Energy Communities Bonus Credit, which encourages clean energy manufacturing in “energy communities,” areas whose economies and jobs are or were dependent on the coal, oil or natural gas energy sectors. The bonus tax credit is worth 10 percent of the cost of any clean energy project placed in an energy community.

“Pennsylvania’s coal communities have powered our Nation since the Industrial Revolution, and are uniquely qualified for new energy jobs,” said Casey. “It is great news that, as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act and the energy communities tax credits that I fought for, these communities are receiving the investment that they need to continue to power the future.”

The report was conducted by the independent research firm Rhodium Group and MIT’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research.