Hi John,
The First Presbyterian Church isn’t just a place of worship, it’s a hub for the Marshfield community. From running a robust food pantry to supporting immigration initiatives and local service organizations, this small congregation makes a big impact. But rising energy costs threatened to divert precious resources away from the church’s mission.
Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) direct pay provision, the church moved forward with installing solar panels and a heat pump system – with the expectation that 30 percent of the project costs would be reimbursed through federal incentives. But now, even that reimbursement is uncertain.
Right now, clean energy progress is under threat. A reconciliation bill making its way through Congress would gut key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act – ending clean energy tax credits years earlier than planned and eliminating incentives that nonprofits like First Presbyterian Church are counting on.
If passed, this rollback would stall or cancel dozens of similar projects across Wisconsin and pull the rug out from under local efforts to save energy, fight pollution, and support good-paying jobs. The stakes are high for communities that have already committed to a cleaner, more sustainable future – especially for nonprofits trying to do more with less.
We’ll be watching closely and continuing to speak out for the policies that support clean energy, economic opportunity, and climate action in every corner of Wisconsin.
