On July 4th, 2025, President Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB). While the media rushed to frame it as a political win or loss, savvy investors know better. This isn’t just policy. This is a shift in the investment landscape—particularly for anyone exposed to energy, infrastructure, or tech.

If you’ve been investing in solar, EVs, utilities, or just watching the broader markets, this bill could have a significant impact on your portfolio.

But here’s the thing. When uncertainty hits the market, most people panic. Value investors do not.

We respond with frameworks, not feelings.

Let’s unpack what this new law really means and how a rational, disciplined investor should think and act.

Despite the name, this isn’t a stimulus bill. It’s a realignment of economic priorities. Clean energy support has been scaled back, while fossil fuels are getting a tailwind. Here's what you need to know.

Under previous legislation, developers had years of runway to claim federal tax credits for solar, wind, and EV infrastructure. That window is now closing faster than expected. Projects must begin construction by 2026 and be completed by 2027 to qualify for full credits.

To put this into perspective, many utility-scale projects take more than a year just to clear regulatory hurdles. Thousands of developments are now racing against time. Many simply won’t make it.

That’s roughly $500 billion in expected incentives being removed from the clean energy sector.

The bill also introduces stricter rules on foreign involvement in energy projects. If any component comes from a "Foreign Entity of Concern," like a Chinese supplier, the project may become ineligible for credits.

That’s a big deal. A significant portion of the solar and battery supply chain is global. Even companies based in the U.S. often rely on parts made overseas. These new rules create complexity, raise costs, and limit who can qualify for what’s left of the clean energy support.

At the same time, the fossil fuel industry is getting a helping hand. More federal land is being opened up for drilling. Leasing and permitting are being streamlined. Oil, gas, and coal production is being encouraged again, after years of policy headwinds.

You’ll likely see this reflected in the earnings of companies like Chevron, ExxonMobil, and other legacy players that are now positioned to benefit from a friendlier regulatory environment.

With renewables becoming harder to build and support, electricity rates are projected to rise. Some analysts expect the average U.S. household to pay $600 more per year in electricity bills by 2030. That affects consumer spending, corporate margins, and economic growth.

This bill doesn’t just hit clean energy stocks. It reshapes the cost structure for the entire economy.

As expected, the market didn’t wait.

Clean energy ETFs like ICLN and TAN fell more than 10 percent in the days following the announcement. Oil and gas funds rallied. Utility stocks turned volatile as investors tried to figure out who wins and who loses.

You’ll see a lot of noise: people calling this the death of renewables, others claiming it’s just temporary turbulence.

None of that matters unless it affects business performance. Headlines don’t pay dividends. Profits do.

This is where our mindset matters most. At ViA, we don’t bet on policy. We study businesses. We don’t buy the hype. We buy value.

Here’s how we approach this shift.

Panic creates mispricing. We’ve seen this again and again.

Governments change their minds. Incentives get added, removed, then added again. But a strong business remains strong regardless of who’s in power.

We don’t chase fossil fuel stocks just because they’re trending. We still look at return on equity, debt levels, pricing power, and management quality. If an oil and gas company checks those boxes and is undervalued, great. If it doesn’t, we move on.

You don’t need to be a policy expert. You need to be a business analyst.

The Big Beautiful Bill has changed the playing field, no doubt about it. But the rules of smart investing haven’t changed at all.