ATLANTA – U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., introduced legislation Tuesday aimed at making the installation of rooftop solar panels more affordable for American businesses and homeowners.
The RAISE the Roof Act (Revamping Appropriate Incentives for Solar Energy) would expand solar tax credits to cover roof repairs and replacements necessary to accommodate solar panels. It also would help property owners pay for integrated solar roofing systems, a cutting-edge technology that involves making solar panels a part of the roof rather than using brackets to attach them.
“This bill will make it more affordable for all Americans to install rooftop solar panels, saving them money on their electric bills and boosting renewable energy production nationwide,” Ossoff said. “I will continue leading Senate efforts to scale up renewable energy production.”
The rooftop solar bill follows legislation Ossoff introduced in June providing tax credits to U.S. manufacturers of solar panels. Both bills enjoy widespread support across the solar energy industry.
“We need millions of new solar installations to decarbonize the economy, and that starts with equal tax treatment for solar built on new home construction, manufactured homes, and existing homes,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association.
“This legislation will make sure that homes that have solar built into the original design are eligible for the same [investment tax credit] benefits as any other residential solar installation and will extend the cost-saving benefits of solar energy to all Americans.”
A companion bill to Ossoff’s legislation is being introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, sponsored by Democratic Reps. Bill Pascrell Jr. and Mikie Sherrill, both from New Jersey.
The U.S. Senate infrastructure bill could help fund MARTA’s plans to build bus-rapid transit lines.
ATLANTA – The nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill now before the U.S. Senate would be a good fit for public transit in Georgia, officials with Atlanta’s MARTA bus and rail system said Tuesday.
The legislation, which contains $550 billion in new spending, would increase funding for MARTA and other transit agencies across the country by 65%.
A key provision in the bill for transit systems would raise the project eligibility for federal Small Starts program grants from $300 million to $400 million. The federal share of those projects would increase from $100 million to $150 million.
Most of MARTA’s capital projects are expected to cost between $300 million and $400 million.
The first two MARTA capital projects in the pipeline to receive federal support if Congress passes the bill are a planned bus-rapid transit line (BRT) in Clayton County connecting College Park, Riverdale and Morrow, and the Campbellton Corridor, either a BRT or light-rail line to be built in southwest Atlanta. Both already have secured matching local funds.
“We have at least a dozen projects on our wish list that need federal funding, and this bill will have a major impact on eligibility and amount awarded per project,” MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker said.
The Senate bill also would raise federal formula funds for transit, increasing MARTA’s annual share from about $108 million to $140 million.
The legislation also provides additional support for transit systems to transition to zero-emission electric buses, modernize bus and rail fleets and improve accessibility for seniors and passengers with disabilities.
The infrastructure bill enjoys rare bipartisan support in the Senate and, thus, stands a good chance of passing. However, its fate in the House is uncertain amid Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s attempts to link it with a larger bill boosting funding for “human infrastructure” including child care, health care and climate change measures.
ATLANTA – Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is leaving elective office next year to try to restore bipartisanship to the search for solutions to the problems facing America, the Republican from Cumming told a business audience Monday.
“Both sides are guilty of trying to politicize every issue,” Duncan said during a luncheon speech before the Rotary Club of Atlanta. “It’s this type of mindset that drove me in a new direction.”
Duncan announced in May he would not seek a second term as Georgia’s lieutenant governor to focus on creating a national nonprofit called “GOP 2.0” aimed at rebuilding the Republican Party in the aftermath of former President Donald Trump’s ongoing claims of widespread voter fraud following his defeat last November.
“It’s not about winning elections,” Duncan said Monday. “It’s about creating a movement that lets us focus on real problems with real solutions.”
Duncan was outspoken after Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden about the need for the GOP to move on from 2020 and stop dwelling on lawsuits charging election fraud that were dismissed in court after court. On Monday, he called the controversies that swirled after Election Day a “post-election disaster” that was unnecessary.
While Duncan puts together his new organization, he vowed to continue working on the key challenges facing Georgia during his last 17 months in office.
He plugged a proposal he unveiled last month calling for a $250 million state income tax credit to raise money for fighting crime. The money raised through donations made in exchange for the tax credit would go to police officer pay raises, to hire more officers and to increase training.
“Crime is something that’s been politicized way too much,” Duncan said. “[But] crime affects Democrats and Republicans equally.”
Duncan also pledged to continue his efforts to make Georgia the technology capital of the Southeast. He launched a public-private partnership last year dedicated to that goal.
“Every business in the 21st century is a technology company,” he said. “We want to make sure they have a safe home here in Georgia.”
ATLANTA – Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black is telling University of Georgia football icon Herschel Walker to put up or shut up in next year’s Republican race for the U.S. Senate.
Walker, former President Donald Trump’s pick to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, has been hinting he may run for the seat but hasn’t made a firm decision.
Black, who is already in the race, has released a TV ad contrasting his Georgia background with the fact that Walker now lives in Texas.
The ad starts with a video showing Walker in front of car with a Georgia license plate, saying he’s ready to “run with the Big Dogs.” The spot then cuts to Black standing beside and then getting into a tractor.
“For fun, my ride’s a tractor, and I’ve had Georgia plates all my life,” Black said.
While some potential Republican Senate candidates are on the sidelines waiting to see whether Walker will run, Black and two others haven’t hesitated to get into the contest.
Latham Saddler, an Atlanta banking executive and former Navy SEAL officer, and Kelvin King, a small business owner and Air Force veteran from Atlanta, have joined Black in declaring their candidates for the GOP Senate nomination.
Black and Walker attended the University of Georgia together during Walker’s freshman season.
“If my old classmate from UGA wants to join the conversation here in Georgia, I welcome hearing his ideas,” Black said. “But it takes more than pretending to change your car tags. Move here, pay taxes here, register and vote in some elections, and learn what Georgians have on their minds.”
