Calling on Congress to Support Clean Energy & Innovation
By: Sandra Purohit, Andy Wunder | March 31, 2026
Leading cleantech investors, developers, and innovators visited federal legislators on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. in March for one of E2’s signature advocacy efforts. With energy prices soaring and demand for energy exploding – while the Administration continues to block essential energy projects across the country and destabilize clean energy innovation support at the Department of Energy (DOE) – E2’s delegation of business leaders delivered a critical message at a critical time.
The delegation had three key objectives:
- Solar, wind, plus storage remains the cheapest and fastest source of new power to connect to the grid; ready in as little as 15-18 months compared to the 5-year wait to add new gas plants. Our members urged Members of Congress for the deployment of these advanced energy resources to affordably get electrons on the grid to ensure we can keep the lights on.
- Advocate for critical electrical system upgrades, including specific support of the bipartisan REWIRE Act, introduced by Sens. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Peter Welch (D-VT). The bill fast-tracks new grid capacity using existing infrastructure and cuts costly permitting delays.
- Ensure sufficient energy innovation funding and oversight of the Department of Energy (DOE) to catalyze innovation and ensure that America remains globally competitive.
“If DOE uses innovation grants as political weapons, by revoking funding or ignoring grantees even when they are compliant with grants, it will have a chilling effect on American innovation writ large, and fail to catalyze the private investment that federal funding is meant to leverage. For innovation to thrive, DOE needs to be a predictable and accountable funding partner to American innovators,” said Sandra Purohit, E2’s Federal Advocacy Director.
The business leader outreach came at the perfect time as Congress begins to negotiate funding DOE for the upcoming fiscal year (FY27). To maximize impact, E2’s delegation met with the head Republican and Democratic offices for DOE energy innovation appropriations in both the House and Senate, along with several other key appropriators. They also met with Republican offices that have publicly supported clean energy in the past to urge their engagement in support of clean energy development and transmission permitting as key tools to affordably powering America’s energy demand surge.
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Timing, as some say, is everything. Electricity demand is at an all-time high with AI, data-center growth, and electrification of manufacturing and transportation driving electric energy needs, and the U.S. economy. Elevated demand has led to higher energy prices and increased grid volatility – without action, large portions of the U.S. will face blackouts by 2030, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.
Introducing Tech-IE
So, what better moment to introduce E2’s latest initiative – Tech for Innovation & Energy (Tech-IE) – to lawmakers. Tech-IE is a nonpartisan coalition uniting key technology industry stakeholders to advance public policies to address rising energy demand from data centers and AI, and make America more innovative, more energy secure, and more competitive. Tech-IE stakeholders, including the Association of University Research Parks, Infrastructure Masons, and the University of New Orleans Research Park joined E2 in the halls of Congress to make the case that unleashing advanced energy resources and energy innovation is critical for ensuring America’s economy remains globally competitive in the 21st century. Tech-IE’s message and messengers proved an excellent complement to E2’s traditional voice, and a strategic addition to our cadre of business voices advocating for policies that are good for the economy and the environment.
“America’s technology industry is at a crossroads as it searches for new power to fuel the data center boom. Tech-IE partners consist of advanced energy innovators, investors, developers, and technology industry stakeholders. They know that unleashing advanced energy resources is critical to powering new data centers, and the American economy, and building a technology industry that is able to compete internationally.” said Tech-IE Director Andy Wunder, who also leads E2’s broader advocacy work on the West Coast. The Tech-IE delegation was proud to deliver a letter signed by 25 stakeholders representing companies on the cutting edge of technology to federal lawmakers; calling on them to leverage clean energy deployment and innovation to meet this watershed moment.
Recent policy changes from this administration have made investing in clean energy innovation unnecessarily risky. DOE has abruptly cut-off, delayed, or cancelled innovation funding that it had previously approved. The administration has also reorganized the agency in a way that de-emphasizes innovation in key technologies, raising additional concerns about future commitments. As Congress prepares for next year’s budget, appropriators must exercise their funding and oversight powers to ensure that DOE remains a reliable innovation partner, and that funding levels are sufficient to ensure that the advanced energy of the future is American invented and built.
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Clean Energy Creates Opportunity for American Excellence
The job creators who joined us in D.C. know that this country needs to build more clean energy to guarantee affordability for companies and consumers. These job creators also recognize the importance of the clean energy industry to the American economy – and what’s at risk if lawmakers don’t pass smart policy leveraging the power of advanced energy sources. E2 research shows that as of December 31, 2024, the clean energy sector employed more than 3.5 million people in America. But in 2025, the private sector cancelled, downsized, or abandoned projects at three times the rate that they invested new money or created new jobs, as E2’s Clean Economy Works project tracker shows.
We need to invest in domestic capacity or risk ceding even more ground to China, Europe, and other countries leveraging the value of clean energy for their own benefit.
Meaningful face-time with policymakers. That’s how E2 and Tech-IE leverage the voice and perspective of our members.
Convincing, data-backed solutions derived from years of experience as business leaders. That’s what our members offer to Congress.
Bipartisan appeal. That’s the lens though which we advocate for important policy that is good for the economy and good for the environment.
Make Your Voice Heard in Congress
Join E2 or team up with Tech-IE and have your voice heard by lawmakers in Washington, D.C.