Electricity demand in the continental United States broke peak demand records twice in July of this year. Americans are using more energy than ever, and this new reality is hitting small businesses hard. The last thing they need is to worry about whether the lights will turn on in their restaurant or whether they can afford to go to the gas station to fuel their landscaping business.

The cost of energy sources jumped 13 spots in NFIB’s Problems and Priorities survey to become the sixth most important issue to NFIB members. Electricity costs also saw a big jump, now seen as the tenth most pressing concern.

As outlined in the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Grid Reliability Evaluation, power outages could increase by 100 times in 2030 if the U.S. continues to take reliable power offline. Assuming typical weather conditions, Americans would lose power for an average of 817.7 hours (34 days) if demand continues its projected rate of growth.

The DOE estimates that overall demand will increase between 35 and 45% over the next ten years. Much of this rise is because electricity used by data centers has doubled since 2014 and will likely do so again by 2028.

Unleashing America’s full energy potential will be a boon for Main Street small businesses, their employees, and their customers. Congress must take bold action to seize this opportunity and encourage the affordable, reliable, and American energy that will keep fueling our nation’s economy.