Senate Amendment to SBIR Blocking EPA's Authority: A Political Stunt that Will Do Nothing for Small Businesses
Statement by John Arensmeyer, CEO, Small Business Majority:
Two amendments introduced this week to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program blocking the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to enforce the Clean Air Act has nothing to do with small businesses and won't create jobs. Whether permanent or temporary in their approach, both are simply the latest political stunts designed to hamper the work of an agency that is vital to fostering a 21st century economy.
Over the past 40 years, the Clean Act has helped our economy create 1.3 million new jobs. Moreover, our research shows that small businesses are eagerly looking to participate in a growing sustainable economy to boost their bottom lines. Attempts to hamper the enforcement of the Clean Air Act do nothing to help small businesses or create more jobs. It is ironic that this amendment would be attached to the reauthorization of the SBIR, a program that has been a key component of small business success.
We urge the Senate to not consider these amendments, and, instead, get back to providing support for programs like SBIR that affect small businesses the most.
Small Business Majority is a national nonprofit organization focused on solving the biggest problems facing America's 28 million small businesses. We conduct extensive opinion and economic research and work with small business owners, policy experts and elected officials nationwide to bring nonpartisan small business voices to the public policy table.