Significant Energy Legislation Poised to Become Law with COVID-19 Relief
USA
December 23 2020
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Act), which passed both chambers of Congress on December 21, 2020, for the purpose of funding the government in fiscal year (FY) 2021 and providing COVID-19 relief, also included the most comprehensive bipartisan energy and climate legislation of the past decade. If signed into law, the legislation authorizes over $35 billion for the development of various clean energy technologies, including wind, solar, energy storage, energy efficiency, carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS), carbon removal, and nuclear energy, primarily through programs run through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and authorizes additional monies to be allocated to emissions-reducing projects through the DOE’s Title XVII loan guarantee program. It also extends and in some cases expands a number of energy tax incentives that support investments in renewable and cl