I’ve learned over the years never to think that a piece of legislation is dead until I’ve seen its proponents cut off its head and bury it at a cross roads with garlic around its neck and a stake through its heart.
But I’d certainly entertain the idea that the Biden administration’s Build Back Better plan is dead at the hands of West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin. And that defeat for Build Back Better means a huge set back in efforts to put the U.S. economy on the right side of the battle to temper global climate change.
For example, all those plans to spend billions of taxpayers money on a national network of electric car charging stations have, in all likelihood, become wishful thinking. Subsidies for buyers of electric cars? Not right now.
So it’s not surprising that many “Green” stocks got hauled out to the woodshed yesterday. Solar companies, for example. SolarEdge Technologies (SEDG) finished the day down 10.56% and competitor Enphase Energy (ENPH) dropped 5.47%. SunRun (RUN) fell 5.47%. Another losing sector: electric vehicle charging stocks. EVgo (EVGO) lost 5.22%. ChargePoint (CHPT) dropped 5.36%. Blink (BLNK) fell 5.85%.
Electric vehicle stocks themselves lost ground. Tesla (TSLA), for example, dropped 3.50%. Volkswagen (VWAPY), which is making a big bet on electric vehicles, fell 0.91%. Ford Motor (F), which has been gaining on hopes for its electric F-150 pickup and electric Mustang, gave up 1.77%.
All this is logical. If Build Back Better with its global warming initiatives, is indeed dead it will have the effect of stretching out current projections for growth in these sectors by a decade or more. There will be no–or at least decidedly less–funding to accelerate adoption of these new technologies.
And if Build Back Better isn’t dead? More on that at the end of this post.
Other “Green” stocks actually rose yesterday. Why? These are shares of companies where growth has become self-sustaining and where economics don’t depend on government subsidies.
Wind power, for example. Wind-power oriented utilities such as EverSource (ES) rose with EverSource adding 0.30%. Wind project developer Orsted (DNNGY) gained 0.28%. Shares of Vestas Wind Systems (VWDRY), on the other hand, fell 1.95%.
Looking forward, I’d favor investments in wind power stocks because they have need for green power at their back and the economics of wind power don’t need subsidies to be competitive with fossil fuel plants. (Plus, the Biden Administration can push the development of U.S. off shore wind power through regulatory action–like increasing acreage open for leasing–without the need for Congressional action.
But I’d keep an eye out on the sectors that got pounded yesterday. The need to address climate change didn’t go away with Joe Manchin’s No today and the Green incentives and spending in Build Back Better may indeed come back from the dead. If they do, I’d expect to see the biggest gains in the stocks that dropped the most yesterday.
