Indiana is home to more than 90,000 clean-energy jobs, spanning solar, wind, battery manufacturing and energy efficiency. (Adobe Stock)
Workers and families in Indiana could feel the impact of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" moving through the U.S. Senate. The legislation would roll back clean-energy tax credits and investments passed in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Jim Clarida, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in northwest Indiana, said those investments have helped create jobs and attract nearly $8 billion in private energy development to the state.
"Since the IRA was passed," he said, "$7.8 billion in private clean-energy investments have flown into my home state here in Indiana, fueling the construction and manufacturing of EV battery plants, expanding solar and wind developments."
Clarida said Indiana has about two gigabytes of utility-scale solar projects under its belt and has another gigawatt in the pipeline.
Supporters of the big budget bill have argued that the changes are necessary to cut federal spending and reduce the national deficit by eliminating costly subsidies, although it also includes an extension of tax cuts that benefit mostly wealthy Americans.
U.S. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned that the bill could drive up household electricity costs by hundreds of dollars and eliminate clean-energy job growth across the Midwest.
"This could create a recession if we lose them all," he said. "And so first, our union members - not just electricians, but everyone - should know that jobs are at stake in their union, either for themselves or their brothers and sisters who are in the union."
Indiana ranks among the top 10 states for clean-energy job growth since the Inflation Reduction Act passed. Schumer urged Hoosiers to weigh in on what he calls "critical energy investments" as the Senate debates the bill.
Joe Ulery, Anchor/Producer