Democratic and Republican Leadership Signal Abandonment of Solar Legislation - We Need Your Help!

If you haven't already heard, there is a critical situation developing right now for solar energy legislation in Congress. We are sending out an emergency request for people to contact their state and local representatives to urge action on this issue. Please note the resources below to locate the contact information for your state Senators and Representatives.

"On Friday, we reported that Senate and House Democratic Leaders were considering a plan to drop the energy tax title, including the solar Investment Tax Credit provisions, out of the Energy Bill. The motivation, it appeared, was Democrats' concern that energy legislation might face a White House veto if certain provisions, including a tax title that repeals some of the subsidies for oil and gas, were included in the bill." - Noah Kaye, Solar Energy Industries Association

"We have learned that the House and Senate leadership, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid have decided to remove several provisions from the Energy bill that would benefit solar and other renewable energy technologies. At a time when oil is going to hit $100, when climate news is worse every day, and when domestic supply reports keep dropping, we need these provisions in the energy bill more than ever." - Jeff Wolfe, CEO groSolar

Please call your Representative and both Senators and ask them to urge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) to keep the ITC extension in the Energy Bill.

To locate your Representative and Senators' Washington phone number, go to http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt and type in your Zip Code. Alternatively, you can reach your Representative and Senators' offices through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-225-3121.

Talking Points:
- I work for (name of company) in your district (describe the company)
- The solar investment tax credits are critical to our company’s business and must be part of the energy bill this year!
- The solar tax credits would decrease energy costs, increase energy independence, and create more jobs in your district
- We need you to speak to Senator Reid / Speaker Pelosi and tell them how important it is to your constituents to keep solar tax credits in the energy bill.

What the Solar Industry Needs
- Eight-year extension of the 30% business ITC under Section 48
- Six-year extension of the 30% residential ITC under Section 25D
- Elimination of the existing $2,000 limit on the 30% residential solar ITC under Section 25D
- Permit corporate and individual taxpayers to claim the ITC against the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
- Elimination of the public utility exception to the ITC.

Please call in support of the solar ITC!