What the OBBB Act Means for Creation – and What’s Next

Dear Friend, 
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We know this month has been particularly challenging and full of grief for many. Our hearts and prayers are with those hurting from the devastating floods in Texas, the increasing ICE raids targeting our immigrant neighbors, and those seeking shelter from extreme heat this summer. Wherever you are and whatever you may be holding, we are with you. 

The same day we watched a small community in Texas experience catastrophic levels of flooding, the President signed the most anti-environmental law in U.S. history. At a time when the threats of climate change are increasing and becoming more dangerous, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB Act) will only make our work together more challenging. The bill not only significantly threatens climate progress, but will have harmful effects on our neighbors in communities across the country. The reckless cuts to weather forecasting and disaster preparedness are leaving communities vulnerable when they need protection the most.

From rising energy bills and the cost of healthcare, destabilizing the clean energy economy and jeopardizing jobs, the OBBB Act will force people off of life saving programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Other vulnerable communities, like our immigrant neighbors, are now more at risk of being terrorized by increased ICE raids and family detentions. We know climate change impacts historically marginalized communities first and worst. This bill places all of us in harm's way from increased pollution and increased costs, but especially those who are already vulnerable. 

We know many of you contacted  your Members of Congress, urging them to stand with Creation and to care for your neighbors. Thank you for sharing your voice. 
We also thank all members who voted for this bill, and ensure those who voted for it will be held accountable. 

Below, you will find an overview of some of the components included in the OBBB Act. It is not comprehensive, but highlights many of the programs and issues we’ve worked on together. To put it lightly, it is disheartening. We encourage you to go through it as you are able, taking time to process or grieve when it feels right. 

Deep breath, let’s dive in and pray together.

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Since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, many faith communities have been able to claim the value of clean energy tax credits through elective pay, also known as direct pay. Although elective pay was untouched in the bill, the aggressive phase out and additional restrictions imposed on the credits significantly impact the ability to claim them through elective pay. 

Solar and wind tax credits: The OBBB Act phases out the applicability of the clean energy investment tax credit (ITC) and production tax credit (PTC) to wind and solar projects over the coming two and a half years. There are additional restrictions applied for wind and solar called, Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC), which essentially require certain supply chain restrictions on the use of credits by any projects tied to companies with a connection to certain nations. These restrictions are tied to projects starting after January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2027.  This means the timeline to install clean energy is significantly shorter, and it will be more challenging to install clean energy on personal and commercial property. That being said, if you’ve been thinking about going solar now is the time to do it. 

Commercial EVs: The OBBB Act eliminates the Commercial Clean Vehicle Tax Credit under Section 45W of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) for all vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025. This tax credit made electric vehicles more affordable and accessible for many families. 

EV charging. The Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit under Section 30D is in effect until June 30, 2026. Projects must be in service before this date in order to claim the credit. The 30D credits covers up to 30 percent of the costs of EV charging, hydrogen fueling, and other low-emissions fueling installations in low-income areas and non-urban census tracts. Along with the electric vehicle tax credit, the infrastructure tax credit was created to incentivize the building of clean energy infrastructure to make it easier to drive an EV. The repeal of these tax credits will make it more challenging to install these projects. 
The repeal of these clean energy tax credits threaten domestic manufacturing and thousands of clean energy jobs that many communities rely on. 

Pray with us: “God, have mercy on your creation and the communities impacted by pollution.”

Sustainable Agriculture: Four USDA conservation programs intended to support farmers implement sustainable farming practices have been significantly gutted. The Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Incentives Program saw a loss of roughly $9 billion dollars. This means small and medium scale farmers won’t have the support they need to implement conservation practices in their farming that lead to more resilience in the face of climate change, stronger wildlife habitats and stronger soil health. 

Pray with us: “God, have mercy on your creation and the farmers who grow the food that sustains us.”

Oil and gas leasing: The OBBB Act mandates increased onshore and offshore oil, gas and coal leasing including quarterly onshore oil and gas lease sales on federal lands in 9 Western states over the next ten years.  It reinstates noncompetitive leasing, amends the Mineral Leasing Act to make all eligible lands available for leasing, removes agency discretion to deny leases based on environmental, private land, or community concerns, and increases the term of an onshore drilling permit from 3 to 4 years. It also requires the Interior Dept. to conduct 30 lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico over the next 15 years, and six lease sales over the next 10 years in Alaska’s Cook Inlet.  This means more sacred lands and waters are at risk of being opened for extractive industries at a cheaper rate, ultimately leading to higher energy costs for everyone else. 

Coal leasing: The OBBB Act requires the Bureau of Land Management to promptly issue more coal leases on federal lands and reduce the federal coal leasing rate from 12.5% to 7%. This means the dirtiest form of energy, that has seen a decline in usage over the last two decades, is now easier to pursue as a form of energy. 

For oil, gas and coal projects, the OBBB Act allows project sponsors to pay a fee for expedited review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the bedrock environmental law that requires community input and environmental impact reviews. By expediting the NEPA process, it significantly threatens thorough review from impacted communities. 

Pray with us: “God, have mercy on your creation and the communities living on sacred lands.” 

NOAA funding: The OBBB Act rescinds roughly $193 million of funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration dedicated for coastal resilience, national marine sanctuaries, environmental reviews, and atmospheric research and weather forecasting. NOAA science is critical for tracking hurricanes, forecasting storms and keeping our communities safe in the face of any climate disaster. 

Pray with us: “God, have mercy on your creation and the communities impacted by current and future climate disasters”

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding: In addition to the rescission of IRA funds mentioned above, the following programs were defunded, the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), Environmental Justice Block Grants, and Climate Pollution Reduction Grants; DOE’s State-Based Home Energy Efficiency Contractor Training Grants; and DOT’s Neighborhood Access and Equity Program. These programs were essential to address the legacy of environmental racism across the country, while making it easier for communities to address pollution and transition to clean energy. 

Pray with us: “God, have mercy on your creation and our country’s complicity in environmental racism.

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In light of all of this, our mission remains clear now more than ever: we must do all we can to protect and rightly restore Creation so that all people and all creatures can thrive for generations to come. 
Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson reminds us in “What if We Get This Right?: Visions of Climate Futures,"
“There are innumerable possible futures. I know that we can each get some way in which future we’ll collectively have, and a chance to help build it. I know that every tenth of a degree of warming we prevent, every centimeter of sea level rise we avoid, every increasingly unnatural disaster we avert, every species we save, every bit of nature we protect and restore, matters. I know that our efforts add up, and that our fates are intertwined. Averting climate catastrophe, this is the work of a lifetime. So, go where there is need and where your heart can find a home. When it all feels too much, return to this simple question: What if we act as if we love the future? Be tenacious on behalf of the earth.”

Let’s be tenacious on behalf of Creation together. 
In gratitude, 
Madison Mayhew
Policy and Advocacy Manager ​