Small business owners finally getting some relief as the dismantling of regulatory overreach continues.
On Tuesday, March 28, President Trump signed an executive order that begins dismantling the EPA’s Clean Power Plan—a move that will reduce burdensome regulation and lower the cost of energy for business owners and consumers. Given that energy is one of the top three expenses for around 35 percent of all small businesses, according to an NFIB poll, this was welcome news to many.
“We are extremely pleased by the President’s focus on bringing down the cost of energy, including traditional sources of energy,” said NFIB president and CEO Juanita Duggan. “We are especially pleased by his decision to reconsider the Clean Power rule, which is an unnecessary expansion of the EPA’s power that would have sharply increased electricity costs. Small businesses rely heavily on affordable, reliable electricity. The EPA Clean Power rule is a double-barrel threat: It would drive up small business operating expenses, and it would hit their customers in the wallet. Higher costs and lower consumer demand is a recipe for slower growth.”
This isn’t the only recent regulation rollback. On Feb. 28, the President signed an executive order aimed at curtailing or ultimately eliminating the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. This rule granted the EPA control over bodies of water as small as ponds and dry creek beds. NFIB has been a strong opponent of WOTUS since its inception, and challenged the ruling in court.
The number of regulations in place are poised to be reduced continually over the next four years thanks to the executive order the President signed on January 30, requiring two existing regulations be identified for repeal for every new one passed. Regulations have been one of the top three concerns for NFIB members for the past 98 months, and NFIB continues to fight against regulatory overreach for small businesses.
“If lawmakers and the next administration are serious about growing the economy, they’ll fix what is stifling the small business sector: regulations,” executive director of the NFIB Small Business Legal Center Karen Harned recently told lawmakers.
Learn more about NFIB’s positions on energy policy here.
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