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With the goal of incentivizing companies to build and manufacture new energy projects in areas such as northern Butler County, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., released a new map Tuesday, Aug 22, detailing communities in the state eligible for a 10% tax credit.

Casey announced that more than half of Butler County will qualify for the tax credit as an “energy community” which is defined as “an area with significant fossil fuel employment, or a census tract or any immediately adjacent census tract with a recent coal mine or coal plant retirement.”

Eligible townships within Butler County include all townships north of Butler city, as well as Summit, Clearfield, Penn, Jefferson and Winfield townships to the south east.

The tax credit is part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act and is administered by the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service in collaboration with the Department of Energy.

“Our coal communities have a storied tradition of powering our nation since the Industrial Revolution, and that’s what makes them uniquely qualified for new energy jobs,” Casey said. “With the new tax credits I fought for in the Inflation Reduction Act, more clean-energy projects will be built in our communities, and Pennsylvania workers will continue to light the way into the future.”

Butler County Commissioner Kevin Boozel said he feels this is a “positive move” for the state, but expressed some concerns with these projects if and when they do arrive to Butler County.

“I look forward to seeing what comes of it,” Boozel said. “There is some concern about where they are placed, how large they are and are they taking up fertile ground for farms. All that has to be taken into consideration."

County Commissioner Leslie Osche said those looking into the tax credit should “do their homework and see what they are getting into before they launch into these projects” due to their typically high price tags.

Osche also expressed concerns about the tax credit and how it will all work. She said more research would have to be done on the commissioners’ part.

"When you push money out, there's a retraction some place,“ Osche said. ”The question becomes when we start offering those types of things, what is the sacrifice?“

Jason McBride, chairman of the Marion Township supervisors said he would have to “investigate a little deeper“ into the tax credit and see what projects could qualify for it.

He mentioned the township would be interested in learning if its estimated $4.2 million sewer project would qualify for the tax credit.

"Obviously if it's available we want to jump on it,“ McBride said Wednesday. ”With our new sewage facility being installed that started this week, we have a lot to offer. Anything like that we would be absolutely interested in."

The only parts of Butler County that did not qualify are the southwest corridor of the county and the townships that share a county line with Allegheny County.