Month: September 2025

Hello friends –

It’s been awhile since I sent any information about Helene recovery, but there are some important application deadlines coming up that I want to share. Please feel free to share the information below with your friends and neighbors who still need help recovering from Helene.

I also want to take a minute to comment on the murder of Charlie Kirk that happened on Wednesday. He and I did not likely agree on much, if anything. And I would put his voice in the category of those who are hateful at worst and unhelpful at best. Our public political discourse should not be filled with hate toward any one person or any group of people, and I wish everyone who takes that approach would act differently. But nothing he said can justify his murder, and his death further imperils all of us who spend our lives speaking publicly on politics or controversial issues. As a society, we have to re-learn how to disagree, even vehemently, without hate and certainly without violence. Simply put, we have to do better.

Julie

Upcoming Helene Recovery Program Deadlines

NC Private Road & Bridge Reimbursement Program – open for applications up to 6 months.

Oct. 28, 2025 – Deadline to apply for the next round of Small Business Infrastructure Grants (SmBIZ), which will be awarded on Oct. 30. Applications are open for this rolling grant opportunity for local governments.

Oct. 31, 2025 – Deadline to submit Residential Mitigation Intake Letter of Intent through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

Dec. 1, 2025 – Deadline to apply for Infrastructure Advance Assistance through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

Dec 31, 2025 – Deadline to apply for assistance with repairing or rebuilding homes impacted by Hurricane Helene through the Renew NC Single Family Housing Program.

Dear Friends,

Most of you know about the rollbacks of climate-related programs, research, and incentives by the Trump administration. It is a huge step back for our country, but there is still time to take advantage of these programs before they go away. So if you’ve been thinking about going solar, buying an electric vehicle, or upgrading your home with cleaner, more affordable energy, now is the time to act. You can save thousands of dollars up front, while also lowering your monthly energy bills for years to come.

Here are just three major tax credits that are good through the end of the year:

• EV Credits: Find out which new and used EVs still qualify for federal tax credits of up to $7,500 until September 30, 2025.

• Residential Clean Energy Credits: Claim 30% of the total cost of solar panels, battery storage, and geothermal systems if you buy by December 31, 2025.

• Energy Efficient Home Upgrade Credits: Make home energy upgrades, like insulation, windows, or efficient electric appliances, by December 31, 2025 to claim the credit.

See below for the full list of tax credits and when they expire.

For cities, towns, school districts, nonprofits, and other non-taxable entities: The federal government has opened a new pathway called elective pay (sometimes called “direct pay”), which allows you to receive the full value of certain clean energy tax credits as a cash payment. Click here for more information about elective pay.

Despite these big steps backward, let’s all do what we can to make progress toward a cleaner, more affordable future together.

All the best –

Julie