New Report Outlines Legislative Actions to Help Small Businesses Withstand Extreme Weather Events

As the U.S. continues to suffer from extreme weather, including record storms across much of the country and severe droughts in the West, small employers are feeling the strain, according to new research from Small Business Majority. Extreme weather is impacting many small businesses, causing some significant financial hardship and others to lay off workers. ̢???The Toll Extreme Weather Takes on Small Business & the Economy,̢???? released today by Small Business Majority, outlines the impact extreme weather has on small businesses, shows why they̢??‰?re uniquely vulnerable and provides a number of legislative actions policymakers can take to help small businesses better weather these extreme events, and mitigate the effects of climate change that causes them.

These policy recommendations come on the heels of scientific opinion polling Small Business Majority released in several states showing small business owners report being significantly impacted by extreme weather, so much so that 1 in 5 said they had to lay off workers due to an extreme weather event.

̢???More and more entrepreneurs are seeing real-life impacts to their businesses and their bottom lines from climate change and the extreme weather events it creates, and they want something done to help curb those effects,̢???? said John Arensmeyer, Founder & CEO of Small Business Majority. ̢???Policymakers should embrace smart clean energy policies like those outlined in the report that would help mitigate climate change and prompt innovation̢??‰۝which would create opportunities for small businesses, boost the economy and help address some of the economic uncertainty we̢??‰?re experiencing today.̢????

Policy recommendations in the report include:

• Congress should pass the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act: Small business owners want to see Congress enact the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (or Shaheen-Portman bill), which would promote energy conservation and cut energy waste.
• The Small Business Administration should assess the effects of climate change on the small business community: We need more information about the effects of climate change and extreme weather on the small business community to better educate small employers and lawmakers on this issue.
• Congress should pass the Sensible Accounting to Value Energy (SAVE) Act: The SAVE Act would instruct federal loan agencies to assess a borrower̢??‰?s expected energy costs when financing a house.
• Lawmakers should enact the Strengthening the Resiliency of our Nation on the Ground (STRONG) Act: This legislation would build upon existing extreme weather resiliency efforts to provide state and local planners with the tools and information they need to develop and improve local extreme weather resiliency efforts.
• Congress should allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to continue to set carbon pollution standards for power plants through provisions of the Clean Air Act: Small business owners support the EPA̢??‰?s standards limiting carbon pollution from power plants and believe clean energy standards are good for their businesses and the economy.

For the full report, please visit: http://www.smallbusinessmajority.org/small-business-research/clean-energy/extreme-weather-policy.php