Why It Matters
Plug Power Inc. reported lobbying on hydrogen tax incentives, including IRC 45V, as two bills in the 119th Congress would affect the clean-hydrogen production credit: H.R. 3330 would repeal green-energy tax subsidies that include the credit, and H.R. 4714 proposes changes to it. A repeal bill introduced in May 2025 and a separate measure introduced in July 2025 both remained pending in committee as of the filing date.
By the Numbers
The in-house third-quarter 2026 report lists $320,000 in lobbying expenditures, signed Oct. 20, 2026. That is up $20,000 from the in-house third-quarter 2025 figure of $300,000 and unchanged from the second quarter of 2026.
Across all six registrants, Plug Power's third-quarter 2026 total was $510,000, down $10,000 from the second quarter of 2026, as Bracewell LLP's amended third-quarter figure of $30,000 (down from $60,000) was partly offset by $10,000 increases at Ridge Path Strategies LLC and Washington Tax and Public Policy Group LLC.
Outside firms and third-quarter 2026 amounts:
- Bracewell LLP (amended): $30,000 — Tim Urban, Kimberly Pinter
- Ridge Path Strategies LLC: $30,000 — Brian Diffell, Madison Smith
- Cascade Associates: $30,000 — Jennifer Schafer, Colden Franklin
- Covenant Government Affairs LLC: $50,000 — Chad Bradley, Jeff Loveng
- Washington Tax and Public Policy Group LLC: $50,000 — Max Pedrotti, Greg Nickerson, Zach Price The in-house team: Erin Lane, vice president of public affairs; Don Boyajian, director of government affairs and counsel; Andrew Temple, government affairs director. Boyajian served as a legislative assistant in the 111th Congress.
Broader Context
The filing lists three issue areas: promoting hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, hydrogen tax incentives including IRC 45V, 48, and 48E, and supply chain, trade, and tariff policies related to hydrogen and fuel cells.
Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published final regulations for the Section 45V credit on Jan. 10, 2025, and Public Law 119-21, enacted July 4, 2025, subsequently changed the credit's construction deadline to require qualifying facilities to begin construction before Jan. 1, 2028.
Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK) introduced H.R. 3330, the Energy Freedom Act, on May 13, 2025; the bill would repeal green-energy tax subsidies, including the clean-hydrogen production credit, and was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee, where it remained pending as of the filing date. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced H.R. 4714, the End Polluter Welfare Act of 2025, on July 23, 2025, and the bill proposes changes to the clean-hydrogen production credit; its House sponsor page lists 20 cosponsors in addition to Omar, and no Senate companion is identified.
A 2023 industry letter signed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Plug Power, and more than 30 other organizations called for practical Section 45V implementation guidance, warning that stringent eligibility limits could hinder investment; signatories cited estimates that clean hydrogen could cut economy-wide emissions 10% and create 3.4 million jobs by 2050.
In September 2024, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse and Jeff Merkley, Reps. Jamie Raskin and Don Beyer, and 62 other lawmakers urged the administration to retain stringent proposed Section 45V rules, arguing that weak safeguards could increase emissions, citing an Energy Innovation analysis estimating a 2 to 3 percentage-point increase.
A March 2026 Congressional Research Service (CRS) analysis notes that Section 45V's tiered structure creates "cliffs" that can make incentives inconsistent for incremental emissions reductions, and reports a Joint Committee on Taxation estimate that the credit would reduce federal revenue by $400 million in fiscal years 2025 through 2029.
The Bottom Line
Plug Power's in-house lobbying spend rose to $320,000 in the third quarter of 2026, up $20,000 from the same quarter of 2025, while its combined total across all registrants fell to $510,000 from $520,000 in the second quarter. H.R. 3330 and H.R. 4714 were referred to House committees and remained there as of the filing date.
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