Working as a solar developer and contractor in our country’s sunniest state seems like a no-brainer, fool-proof small business model, and I’m grateful for the pro-business environment we foster in Arizona. Yet, we’re now witnessing an aggressive approach at the federal level to roll back the bipartisan energy tax credit legislation that continues to fuel economic development and job opportunities in our state while improving access to cost-saving technology such as solar and energy storage.

I’m grateful that our Congressman Juan Ciscomani is not among those ignoring the benefits that this legislation brings to our state. His actions reflect an understanding that pro-business tax policies have helped and continue to help Americans improve their livelihood here in Arizona and across the country. Promoting energy independence through the solar and energy storage industry is as fiscally conservative and all-American as it gets, and I applaud him and the 20 other House Republicans for signing a newsletter supporting the technology-neutral Energy Tax Credit. Small businesses and Arizonans need consistency and predictability now more than ever, but these impactful tax credits may be on the chopping block as Congress considers tax policies this year.

As a solar and energy solutions contractor in Arizona, I witness the direct and indirect benefits that these tax credits bring to our state. Arizona ranks fourth in total installed solar capacity nationally, with almost 2,000 megawatts installed in 2024 alone. In my professional capacity, I’ve successfully deployed more than 250 school solar projects that have saved our public education sector more than $12 million since 2011. National policies such as the tax credits under consideration have helped my business immensely as well as over 50 new energy manufacturers in Arizona to churn out American-made products since 2022 and inject almost $1.46 billion in energy and transportation investments into the state. Is there a factual argument against these enormous and generationally impactful investments in our state, which continues to rank among the highest growth regions in the country?

Make no mistake, everyone will be impacted if Congress repeals the solar, storage and other energy tax credits. We will lose our freedom to hedge against rising monopoly utility costs through rooftop solar and the like, and, ironically, our utilities will lose access to their lowest cost new-build resource solar and storage systems which accounted for more than 90% of new utility-scale generation in 2024. One recent study says rolling back these tax credits could raise energy costs by nearly $500 per year, per household. Meanwhile, with Arizona accepting an influx of energy intensive data center buildouts, residents will shatter under the pressure of energy prices and demand skyrocketing as our state’s greatest generation resource, Palo Verde Nuclear, is dwarfed by an unprecedented base load requiring our state’s largest utility provider to triple their capacity by 2038. Frankly, American taxpayers can’t afford to lose access to these energy tax credits – Representative Ciscomani understands this.

Despite misinformed opposition, the solar industry in Arizona offers access to our state’s most recognized (and dare I say underutilized) strategic resource as well as high-paying, skilled construction and engineering professions. If the administration’s goal is to promote more domestic manufacturing and an all-of-the-above energy independence approach, then these technology-neutral energy tax credits are paramount. Recent data finds that repealing federal funding and tax credits would reduce our state’s GDP by $2.89 billion in 2030 and $1.8 billion in 2035.

I applaud Representative Ciscomani for standing up against the baseless attempts to discredit the value that these energy tax credits bring to businesses and residents of Arizona, and I encourage you all to share your support with him and other congressional delegates to ensure our freedom of energy choice and economic future is kept in focus. 

John Mitman is the founder of Obodo Energy Partners and board president of AriSEIA.