Why It Matters Plug Power Inc., the green hydrogen and fuel cell company, depends heavily on federal policy. The company has lobbied consistently on Internal Revenue Code provisions governing clean hydrogen production — particularly IRC §45V, the Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit — as well as §§48, 48E, and 48(c), which govern investment and fuel cell property credits. A legislative solution that preserves or expands those credits would directly support Plug Power's ability to attract capital and scale production.
The company is navigating a hostile federal environment. The Trump administration terminated billions in Biden-era DOE grants, raising questions about the fate of Plug Power's $1.66 billion DOE loan guarantee, which closed in January 2025. A major hydrogen manufacturing project in Western New York was declared dead in March 2026 — during the exact quarter covered by this filing. The strategy appears to be maintaining a presence in Washington as Congress works through energy tax provisions in the reconciliation process.
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By the Numbers
Plug Power reported $50,000 to Washington Tax and Public Policy Group for the first quarter of 2026 — consistent with the $40,000–$50,000 per quarter it paid the same firm throughout 2025. The company runs a parallel in-house government affairs operation, reporting $300,000 per quarter in self-lobbying across all four quarters of 2025.
In total, Plug Power engaged six lobbying entities over the past year, deploying 15 individual lobbyists across 16 filings. External firms active on its behalf have included Bracewell LLP, SBL Strategies LLC, Cascade Associates, and a new registration from Covenant Government Affairs LLC in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The Washington Tax and Public Policy Group team on this filing consists of three lobbyists: Zach Price, Max Pedrotti, and Greg Nickerson. Price is the most prolific of the three, with hundreds of filings across a wide client base that includes FedEx, NextEra Energy, and Moderna. Nickerson previously worked on the House Ways and Means Committee — the tax-writing committee with direct jurisdiction over the energy credits Plug Power cares most about. Pedrotti most recently served as Legislative Director for Rep. Carol D. Miller (R-WV). Price previously worked in the office of Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN).
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The Agenda: Plug Power Lobbying Disclosure Issues
The first quarter 2026 filing lists no specific issues or legislation.
That said, the prior three quarters of Washington Tax and Public Policy Group filings for Plug Power are explicit: the firm has been lobbying on IRC §§45V, 48, 48E, and 48(c) — the primary tax credit provisions governing clean hydrogen production and fuel cell property — as well as H.R. 1752, the Technology for Energy Security Act, S. 1043 (a bill to extend the energy credit for qualified fuel cell property), and provisions within H.R. 1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" reconciliation package — specifically Sections 70511 and 70513.
Other firms retained by Plug Power have lobbied on the FY2026 Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 4016) for clean hydrogen and fuel cell funding, as well as DOE Energy and Water appropriations for hydrogen programs. Cascade Associates specifically cited "legislative opportunities for hydrogen/fuel cell technologies" in material handling, stationary power, and hydrogen infrastructure.
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Broader Context
The policy environment surrounding Plug Power's Plug Power government relations activity has shifted sharply. The Times Union reported that the DOE terminated grants awarded to Plug Power and other renewable energy firms under the Biden administration, prompting the company to pause factory construction. The $1.66 billion loan guarantee — a potential lifeline — remains in question.
In Congress, a bipartisan coalition of 45 lawmakers pushed back. Reps. Mike Levin and George Whitesides, along with Sen. Alex Padilla, led a bicameral effort urging the DOE to preserve funding for California's ARCHES hydrogen hub, calling it "a strategic investment in American energy innovation." Plug Power is not named in those communications, but the hydrogen hub funding fight is directly relevant to the market the company operates in.
On the legislative side, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" — which passed in 2025 — accelerated construction timelines for the §45V credit, according to Baker McKenzie's Global Hydrogen Policy Tracker, creating new planning pressures for hydrogen producers. Both chambers also passed resolutions designating National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day, and the PIPES Act of 2025 advanced an $804 million hydrogen pipeline safety bill.
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Competitive Landscape
Washington Tax and Public Policy Group represents several other energy clients with overlapping interests in clean energy tax credits — including NextEra Energy and Berkshire Hathaway Energy, both of which have lobbied on §§45, 45Y, 48, and 48E provisions in the same period. Bracewell LLP, which also represents Plug Power, counts energy tax policy among its core practice areas and has overlapping client interests in clean energy credit preservation.
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The Bottom Line
Plug Power's energy company lobbying disclosure for the First Quarter of 2026 is thin on specifics but consistent with a sustained, multi-front federal advocacy campaign. The company is spending at a steady clip — maintaining its external lobbying relationships even as its financial position remains under pressure and its major projects face setbacks. The pattern from prior filings is clear: Plug Power is focused on preserving the federal hydrogen tax credit architecture and maintaining access to DOE funding programs that underpin its business model.
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