Contact: Bill G. Smith at (608) 255-6083
Jack Mozloom at (609) 989-8777
National Federation of Independent Business warns that the President’s
new regulations on coal-powered electric plants will be expensive
Madison (June 2, 2014) – President Obama’s new rules for coal power will make electricity more
expensive in Wisconsin, where long winters and hot summers already take a toll on utility customers,
including small businesses, said the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) today.
“Small businesses in Wisconsin are especially sensitive to energy prices and these restrictions are going
to have an inflationary effect,” said NFIB Wisconsin State Director Bill G. Smith. “Higher electricity
rates increase the direct cost of running a small business. But it also erodes spending power for small
business customers, which means lower sales.
“We need affordable energy and when these new regulations filter through the economy Wisconsin small
businesses and consumers will feel the pinch.”
The President today announced new rules on power facilities that use coal to generate the electricity on
which businesses and homeowners depend. Coal is one of the most cost-effective sources of energy in
America because of its abundance here in the United States. But among environmentalists it’s taboo,
despite new and emerging technologies that make it cleaner to burn.
NFIB Manager of Regulatory Policy Dan Bosch said the regulations will likely create a drag on the
national economy.
“Once again, President Obama has not considered the impact of rising electricity prices on small
business,” he said. “Small business owners depend on competitively-priced energy supplies to operate
and effectively run their businesses.
“Energy prices have risen dramatically over the last few years with small businesses shouldering much
of the cost burden,” he continued. “In order to create an economic environment that supports small
businesses and creates jobs, we need expand our sources of energy, not restrict them.”
For more information about NFIB, please visit www.nfib.com.
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For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from
Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to
their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s educational mission is to remind policymakers that small
businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different challenges and priorities. More information is available
online at www.NFIB.com/newsroom.
