Small Business Backs Pence in Asking for Some Breathing Room on Clean Air Rules
INDIANAPOLIS (June 24, 2015) – Democrats and
Republicans who agree on the need to unburden small business from
overregulation should join today on a measure that would give Indiana the
flexibility necessary to balance economic concerns with the EPA’s forthcoming
clean air rules, according to the National Federation of Independent Business
(NFIB).
“In our state where the majority of our energy comes from
coal, the effects of this costly regulation will fall hardest on our small
business community,” said Barbara Quandt, Indiana NFIB State Director.
“We stand steadfast with Governor Pence in his opposition to impose this
regulation until an analysis of the impact can be completed.”
Governor Pence sent a strongly worded letter to
the Obama administration indicating that Indiana would not comply with the new
regulation until the rule was considerably changed.
“The EPA is taking aim at coal-fired electricity generators
and that’s going to have an inflationary effect on rates,” said Quandt.
“Small businesses are extremely sensitive to big fluctuations in energy
prices and for that matter so are their local customers. Our community
was relieved to learn of the governor’s communication with the White House.”
The measure would delay implementation of the
new rules until all the legal challenges have been adjudicated. It would
also allow the states to opt out of the program if they determine that the
rules will cause utility rates to soar higher and faster than their economies
can handle.
“It makes very little sense to force the states like ours to
move ahead with a lot of costly changes that might eventually be nullified in
the courts. And it makes absolute sense that elected state officials are
in a much better position than federal bureaucrats to assess whether and how
heavily the costs will damage employment and small businesses,” Continued
Quandt.
Industry experts say the clean air rules will
increase compliance costs for electricity generators by as much as $480 billion
and drive up consumer rates by as much as 17 percent.
“There aren’t many small businesses that can
count on a 17 percent increase in sales to offset higher electric bills,” said
Qunadt. “And there aren’t many consumers whose household incomes will increase
by that much either. So higher electricity costs will hit Main Street
businesses from two directions. Their expenses will increase and their
customers will have less money to spend.”
