NFIB stands with small business owners in the pursuit of legislation that will provide options for affordable energy. Several bills under consideration in Congress would help alleviate rising energy costs for small businesses by increasing the production of American energy.

“High energy costs have had a serious impact on my business,” said NFIB member Dee Morgan, Flowers Etc. in Dixon, Illinois. “Costs have significantly increased in recent years, and I have been forced to cut employee raises and reduce earnings. We are no longer hiring and unable to expand our business because of the rising price of electricity. I have sadly resorted to shutting off the lights in my store and only turning them on when a customer enters. In addition, this past summer, I reduced store hours to lower costs.”

Three Congressional Review Acts (CRAs) to lower energy costs recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives to move forward for consideration.

H.J. Res. 124 (Passed 216-209): This resolution would overturn a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule limiting production in the National Petroleum Reserve restricting the development of 23 million acres of land in Alaska. NFIB sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives after it passed the Senate 52-45 in October. Repealing this rule would lower energy costs for Americans and allow the infrastructure necessary for production of domestic energy.

H.J. Res. 130 (Passed 214-212): NFIB submitted a letter to members of Congress in support of this resolution, which would repeal the BLM rule restricting coal exploration and energy production on roughly 500,000 acres of land in the Powder River Basin (PRB) in northeast Wyoming. The Senate version of H.J. Res 130 passed 51-43.

NFIB previously supported H.J. Res. 104, which has passed in both chambers of Congress but not yet been signed into law. It repeals a similar rule restricting access to coal exploration on the Montana side of the PRB.

H.J. Res. 131 (Passed 217-209): This resolution would repeal a BLM rule restricting access to 1.15 million acres of land in northeast Alaska for oil and gas production.

In a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives, NFIB wrote in support of this resolution, allowing for the use of this land to lower energy costs for American citizens and businesses. The Senate version of this bill (SJ Res. 91) is currently under consideration.

Access to affordable energy is a top priority for small business owners. Take Action: Tell Congress to deliver energy cost relief for millions of small businesses.