Program areas at SEIA
Federal affairs2022 was a landmark year for seia's federal advocacy efforts, highlighted by the passage of the inflation reduction act (ira), the most transformative piece of clean Energy legislation in the nation's history. Seia and its allies and member organizations worked closely with members of congress and the biden administration to develop and refine the clean Energy policies that would eventually be included in the ira, and coordinated a variety of lobbying efforts to ensure its final passage. Once the bill was signed into law, seia immediately began working to ensure timely and effective implementation of complex and varied regulatory guidance to ensure the Solar and storage industry can take full advantage of the incentives and policies included in the legislation. In addition to advocacy and implementation for the ira, seia was also active in other federal policy initiatives, including advocacy efforts to oppose new anti-dumping and countervailing duties (ad/cvd) on imported Solar cells and modules, and regulatory filings and advocacy in support of transmission system reforms and other key topics at the federal Energy regulatory commission (ferc).
Public affairsseia's communications and public affairs activities supported all of the organization's key policy victories in 2022, including a comprehensive media and public engagement campaign for the passage of the inflation reduction act and a multi-pronged effort to oppose new anti-circumvention tariffs, which resulted in president biden's proclamation to pause any new tariffs for a two-year period. The Association's public affairs apparatus also executed a variety of proactive, positive, messaging campaigns to build support for Solar and storage, including promotion of the organization's ninth annual Solar means business report chronicling Solar adoption from top corporate brands and businesses and targeted promotion of seia's tools and programs to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within the Solar industry and its customer base.
State affairsseia's state policy efforts included several key legislative and regulatory accomplishments in 2022, including blocking an anti-solar net metering proposal in Florida, adoption of new rate design rules in Mississippi, significant growth and adoption of the Solar automated permit processing (solarapp+) tool, a new approved Solar resource plan in Georgia, an increase in the cap for net metered residential Solar projects in Massachusetts, an extension of property tax exclusions for Solar projects in California, and the launch of a new large-scale Solar program in new jersey.