House Democrats on Wednesday proposed a bill through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that would restore clean energy tax credits that Republicans canceled last year.
The Energy Bill Relief Act, signed by more than half of House Democrats (122 total), aims to establish new incentives for renewable projects and protect consumers from rising electricity prices due to grid demand from large energy users such as data centers.
In addition to reincreasing clean energy credits introduced in the Inflation Control Act of 2022, the sweeping bill would restore subsidies for renewable energy projects that the Trump administration ended and authorize $2.1 billion to address shortages in transformers and other grid technology.
The bill also seeks to block executive orders that would curb renewable energy projects and impose an energy emergency to slow the retirement of fossil fuel power plants. Expands and reissues financial assistance programs for low-income and rural Americans and directs the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service to authorize 60 gigawatts of wind, solar, and geothermal development on public lands by 2030.
The bill is unlikely to pass in the Republican-controlled Congress. But it could become the basis for future legislation if Democrats take back the House or Senate in November’s midterm elections.
Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.), one of the bill’s sponsors, said the bill prioritizes consumer affordability over profits and seeks to prevent large energy users such as data centers from passing costs on to families and small businesses. “American families were promised lower energy costs,” Levin said.
U.S. electricity prices rose 5% overall last year, with double-digit increases in some states, according to an Inside Climate News analysis of federal data. Levin said the Trump administration’s efforts to lower the price of cheap renewable energy aren’t helping.
“The Energy Bill Relief Act completely changes that equation and provides the real comprehensive relief that families across this country deserve,” Levin said.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
The proposed measure would direct states to consider implementing standards to ensure that residential consumers do not pay for grid upgrades needed for large-load facilities.
Joanna Slaney, vice president of political and government affairs at the Environmental Defense Fund, said the bill is timely because people need relief.
Slaney said in a statement that the Trump administration is “blocking the cheapest and fastest-to-deploy energy source.” “The Energy Bill Relief Act will provide the grid with the affordable, clean, reliable energy it needs, significantly improve grid reliability, and help people pay their electricity bills.”
GoodPower, a group focused on decarbonizing the global economy, sees an opportunity to modernize outdated systems while addressing rising costs.
“This is not a red or blue issue. Americans broadly support solar energy across political lines and want our leaders to act to lower household costs,” Good Power CEO Leah Kusuba said in a statement.
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Arcelia Martin
Texas Renewables reporter
Arcelia Martin is an award-winning journalist with Inside Climate News. She is based in Dallas and covers renewable energy in Texas. Prior to joining ICN in 2025, Arceria served as a staff writer for the Dallas Morning News and The Tennessean. She is a native of San Diego, California and a graduate of Gonzaga University and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
