Lawyers for Good Government has launched their Clean Energy Tax Navigator – an interactive online tool designed to help under-resourced communities access and leverage the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) $360-600 billion in tax credits for clean energy projects. These eligible communities include: state governments; municipalities; frontline communities; tribal groups; school districts; territories; NGOs; nonprofits; religious institutions; and more.
The Navigator provides an easy to use framework and interactive form that walks the user through the process of determining eligibility for these IRA tax credits, offers technical resources and, in specific cases, direct pro bono services. It provides guidance to entities based on their level of knowledge about the IRA on six available tax credits that include the most commonly seen clean energy projects: EV purchase, EV infrastructure, Wind, Solar, Geothermal, and other clean energy technologies under the investment and production tax credits. In addition to the interactive form, the tool includes a collection of key self-help resources on direct pay, and connects eligible entities in need with direct access to pro bono attorneys with expertise in tax, project finance, and administrative law.
“While clean energy tax credits have been around for decades for private industry, the incentives for tax-exempt entities have not. With months to catch up on how to leverage tax code to develop projects, tax exempt entities like cities, nonprofits, and school districts are struggling to take advantage of these powerful new incentives,” said Jillian Blanchard, L4GG’s Climate Change and Environmental Justice Program Director. “Our goal is to make the process more accessible to cities, states, and under-resourced communities who have access to this brand new source of funding for the first time by providing technical tax, financial and legal guidance as easily and efficiently as possible, driving the clean energy transition and making the IRA an indispensable law with staying power.”