A school district pushes forward on clean energy before incentives disappear

The Green Bay Area Public School District is investing in a cleaner, more cost-effective future for its students. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act’s federal clean energy incentives, the district is installing solar panels, geothermal systems, and other energy-saving upgrades at schools across the city.

These projects are reducing long-term energy costs, freeing up resources for classrooms, and creating local clean energy jobs. But with recent federal legislation rolling back these incentives, future projects and the savings they bring are now at risk. The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” is already pulling the rug out from under districts like Green Bay.

By gutting clean energy provisions, it threatens to raise costs for schools, slow progress on climate action, and rob Wisconsin communities of the economic and educational benefits these projects deliver.