Energy Secretary Chris Wright called on lawmakers Monday to keep tax incentives for nuclear and geothermal energy in place through 2031 — marking a direct request from a key Trump administration official to lawmakers as they reconsider cuts sought by House Republicans to energy incentives enacted by Democrats.
“My recommendation has been to leave behind the equivalent of the wind and solar tax credits — through if you start construction by 2031 — for nuclear fission and fusion and geothermal,” Wright said at an event in Washington.
Wright has previously urged the preservation of “every incentive we can get from the federal government” to help grow the nascent geothermal and nuclear technologies. But his new comments ramp up the pressure on the GOP as senators weigh the future of the energy tax incentives under Democrats’ climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act.
House Republicans passed legislation last month that would broadly curtail the energy incentives, except those for nuclear power, after a concerted lobbying campaign from several Republicans. Wright phoned into a meeting with GOP lawmakers ahead of their vote on that legislation.
