The RTC is refreshing our federal policy priorities now that the 2025 budget reconciliation bill, titled the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), was signed into law on July 4, 2025. Our updated policy priorities will help guide our messaging for congressional engagement, including during the October 15 RTC Hill Day. For reference, see the RTC’s 2024 Congressional Policy Priorities.
The policy priorities will include both near-term opportunities and longer-term plays.
- Near-term opportunities are policies that may be feasible within this Congress or the next Congress (i.e., in the next two to four years of the Trump administration). Examples could include:
- Modest research and development support for thermal energy technologies.
- Expanding the 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit to include geothermal components.
- Longer-term plays are policies that are unlikely to be feasible within this Congress but need refinement and socialization now as we look ahead to the next Congress and beyond. Examples could include:
- Creating a new clean heat production tax credit based on the amount of low- or zero-carbon heat used in manufacturing processes.
- Expanding the 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit to explicitly include components for industrial heat pumps, thermal energy storage, solar thermal, geothermal, hydrogen electrolyzers, etc.
We are seeking feedback on these examples and other federal policy ideas from RTC Members and Solutions Providers that will help advance renewable heating and cooling in the United States. Please complete this form by Monday, September 15 to provide input.
