NFIB leads the charge to prevent closing coal-power electricity generators.
Small business won a victory against overregulation with the temporary blocking of the WOTUS rule. But it sure didn’t take the EPA long to come up with another business-busting plan.
That’s why, on Oct. 23, the NFIB Small Business Legal Center announced that it would lead a coalition of business groups in a lawsuit to invalidate the EPA’s new power plant rule, which forces states to shutter many of their coal-power electric energy generators, which supply most of America’s electricity, in favor of costly alternatives that might not be as reliable.
Even the administration expects its Clean Power Plan to drive up the cost of electricity, the impact of which will fall hard on small businesses that depend heavily on affordable energy. A recent NFIB survey shows that the cost of electricity is already a top concern among small business owners across the country.
“Small businesses will be squeezed between higher direct expenses and lower consumer demand resulting from higher home electric bills,” says Karen Harned, executive director of the NFIB Small Business Legal Center. “Everyone remembers the effect that high gasoline prices had on the economy. This will have a similar effect, except that it will be permanent.”
The effects would be far-reaching: “Every American industry is affected by the rule,” said Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for 21st Century Energy.
NFIB isn’t the only one fighting the new ruling:
- About 20 different associations have joined NFIB in this lawsuit.
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he and Sen. Joe Manchin will introduce a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to block the EPA pollution standards for new power plants.
- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp will introduce a resolution opposing the EPA’s existing power plant rule at the same time.
- At least 26 state attorneys general, associations and as-yet uncounted individual companies separately asked the appeals court for a stay of the rule on similar grounds, Fox reported.
Here’s how people responded to the rule—and the backlash—on Twitter:
#SmallBusiness teaming up to invalidate the @EPA‘s new power plant rule: https://t.co/DzBZg3vVFG pic.twitter.com/lzNhmr1Dsy
— NFIB (@NFIB) October 23, 2015
.@KellyAyotte is first R to support @EPA power plant rule (w/link to better story by @nielslesniewski) https://t.co/icwWGosjhC
— Zack Colman (@zcolman) October 26, 2015
Lawsuits challenge EPA’s Clean Power Plan https://t.co/AY26xoXMEB < We need to invest in the grid to better support renewable energy.
— Ben M. Schorr (@bschorr) October 25, 2015
AG @SchuetteOnDuty has #Michigan join a 23-state lawsuit to overturn @EPA’s power plant rule https://t.co/xZS22m6Bjf via @nannburke
— Chad Livengood (@ChadLivengood) October 24, 2015
As state AGs sue EPA re coal power plant rule-here’s legal memo Southern Co gave them yr ago https://t.co/srlC74yS8H pic.twitter.com/3OvEBx6X16
— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) October 23, 2015
If coal companies can beat back today’s EPA power plant rule, it’ll be thanks to this guy. https://t.co/99cxUSf9bZ @business
— Christopher Flavelle (@cflav) October 23, 2015
.@LamarSmithTX21: Even the EPA admitted negligible impact on climate change on the power plant rule. #ttf #climate
— Jody Serrano (@jodyserrano) October 17, 2015
This is pretty key. Electricity companies – those directly affected – are embracing @EPA power plant rules http://t.co/rjEUYO1FDY
— Suzanne Goldenberg (@suzyji) October 13, 2015
