Jack
Mozloom, 202-406-4450 or 609-462-5610 (cell)
NFIB says that small businesses will
be squeezed between higher electricity costs and lower consumer purchasing
power
Washington, DC (August 3, 2015) – The EPA’s new power plant rule
will drive up costs for small business owners and drain their customers of
discretionary income, said the National Federation of Independent Business
(NFIB) today.
“That’s
a deadly combination for the small business sector,” said NFIB President and CEO Dan Danner.
“Operating expenses will increase as the cost of electricity rises and
customers will have less money to spend on Main Street. It’s a recipe for fewer jobs and slower
growth.”
The
EPA today finalized its so-called Clean Power Plan, which imposes on states
harsh carbon limits for electricity production that will force them to close
down the coal-powered generators that now provide the vast bulk of America’s
power. It requires the states to increase
the percentage of power they generate from alternative sources, like wind and
solar, which are far weaker and more expensive.
Even the EPA estimates that the cost of electricity will increase
substantially.
“Energy
is one of the building blocks of the economy,” said Danner. “It’s necessary to provide every service and
manufacture every product. Small
businesses are especially sensitive to higher electricity prices and so are
their customers.”
In
addition to higher prices the EPA rule could undermine the reliability of
America’s electricity grid.
“We’ll
be more heavily reliant on forms of energy that aren’t reliable,” said
Danner. “The sun doesn’t always shine
and the wind doesn’t always blow. To the
extent that we’re dependent on those forms of energy we’re creating our own
supply shortages.
“Small
businesses need affordable, dependable electricity to serve their customers and
this regulation undermines both,” he continued.
