Scott Segal, co-chair of the firm’s Policy Resolution Group, discussed with Inside EPA the effect that the November elections will have on both the future of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and climate- or energy-related policies.
Segal, who called 2025 the “tax Super Bowl,” noted there is a “de facto pro-IRA caucus” of Republicans, citing a letter from 18 House Republicans urging House GOP leadership against full repeal of the law. He added that “there are probably plenty more that feel that same way but were not in a position to sign a letter.”
Instead of a wholesale IRA repeal, Segal points to grants that require additional annual appropriations as the most vulnerable to GOP attacks, as well as politically charged IRA credits such as those for EV purchases.
Segal believes credits related to power generation – including wind, solar, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen – are in “fairly good shape.” To rescind them, Republicans would have to agree to “raise taxes on an existing capital project,” which Segal said would be politically challenging.
Meanwhile, Segal argued Vice President Kamala Harris’ “most interesting play” would be enforcing various IRA provisions, given her prior experience as a prosecutor.
For example, Segal sees a tension between quick permitting to deploy IRA-backed projects, and environmental justice priorities. A Harris administration might have an “overly restrictive view of environmental justice enforcement policy” that could “run at counter purposes to permitting reform,” he asserted.
