For
Immediate Release
Jack
Mozloom, 202-406-4450 or 609-462-5610 (cell)
NFIB: Every senator claims to support
small business. Here’s their chance
Washington, DC (November 4, 2015) – Members of the US Senate who plan
next year to tell voters that they support small business had better vote today
in favor of a measure to nullify one of the biggest and most problematic
federal regulations ever imposed, said the National Federation of Independent
Business (NFIB) today.
The
Senate is expected to vote this afternoon on a resolution disapproving the
EPA’s and the Army Corps of Engineers’ Waters of US rule (WOTUS), a sweeping
new regulation giving the federal government vast authority over even the most
local property improvements on the theory that nation’s drinking water is
potentially jeopardized by small projects.
“Forty
years ago Congress gave the EPA the authority to regulate navigable waterways
like rivers and bays. It never intended
for federal regulators to decide whether a waterfront restaurant can expand its
parking lot or whether a local builder can put a cabin on a lake,” said Steve Keen, NFIB’s Manager of Senate
Legislative Affairs.
NFIB
is among numerous parties currently in court to overturn the regulation. A federal judge several weeks ago issued a
stay, blocking the EPA from enforcing WOTUS until the legal disputes are
settled. But that’s an uncertain
proposition, said Keen. The surest way
to stop what even the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy
opposes is for Congress to reclaim its power to make laws and disapprove of the
rule.
“This
is going to impose an enormous cost on the small business sector and it’s going
to affect local economic development,” said Keen. “They’ll have to apply to the EPA for even
the smallest projects and that could cost thousands of dollars and leave local
projects in limbo while approval process inches along.
“What’s
worse,” Keen continued, “is that if a local business owner undertakes a small
project without getting EPA approval he opens himself up to environmental
lawsuits that could destroy his business entirely. This is going to make local economic
development riskier and more expensive.”
Keen
reminded senators that today’s action will be a key vote for NFIB, which means
the organization will be keeping score.
“Small
business owners across the country are deeply concerned by this regulation and
they expect their representatives in Congress to vote for their interests,” he
said. “If you support small business
then there’s only one way to vote.”
More on how the
waters rule could affect small businesses is available here. For
more information about NFIB please visit www.nfib.com.
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