Green Energy Faces New Political Reality

Firms tweak pitch and stress country's need for more power as GOP takes over

- JENNIFER HILLER

Green-energy companies are freaking out, trying to figure out how to navigate the Republican sweep of the White House and Congress.

After being a favorite punching bag of Presidentelect Donald Trump’s campaign, they are contacting incoming cabinet appointees, hunting for friendly members of the transition team and calling on Republican members of Congress, according to executives. Some say they raced to order equipment or move dirt on projects before the new year to grandfatherin lucrative tax credits.

Stakes are high. Significant reductions to tax credits, and Trump’s promised tariffs on imports, could reduce investment in new renewables plants by $350 billion during the next decade, said Chris Seiple, vice chairman of power and renewables at Wood Mackenzie.

Defense mode

In Washington, D.C., the industry has gone into defense mode. Executives traveled to the capital to meet with Republican members of Congress in December, say people familiar with the matter. Advisers have suggested the industry tweak its talking points. Instead of touting projects as “clean and affordable,” renewables firms are highlighting their projects’ ability to “meet energy needs.”

Some executives say they are pinning their hopes on North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s choice for Interior Department secretary who also would chair a planned National Energy Council.