As originally published in The State Journal Register on February 18, 2018
It is wonderful to see utilities in Illinois pass along their savings from the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act to consumers.
Not only will tax cuts lower your energy bill in the short term, but over the long term, Illinois residents will benefit from greater investment in energy efficiency. Existing clean energy businesses will get a major boost from reduced costs while startups will be able to take advantage of 100 percent expensing of the value of their business assets in the first year of ownership.
These changes to the tax code will help all businesses, but they were particularly needed in order to spur further innovation in the clean energy sector. This is beneficial for overall economic growth as the solar and wind industries are each creating jobs at a rate 12 times faster than the rest of the economy.
I applaud Congressman Darin LaHood for the significant role he played in getting tax reform passed and for his ongoing support for developing clean energy.
Heather Reams
Managing Director of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions