Clean energy

In the aftermath of the recession, small business owners are doing all they can to shift our economy back into gear. But many of them are still idling, if not completely stalled. To thrive and reach their full potential, small businesses need a more level economic playing field with large businesses—one that makes them better able to create jobs. Small business owners know robust economic policies aimed at leveling the playing field would strengthen their bottom lines and enhance their capacity to foster widespread economic growth.

Introduction 

America’s small business owners are doing all they can to outlast the condition of today’s economy. These hardworking employers know they need the right kind of help if they are to thrive. That’s why they believe immediate action is necessary to form bold clean energy policies that will prompt innovation, and in effect, stimulate small business and the economy.

In this tough economy, small business owners struggle just to keep their doors open, let alone turn a profit and create jobs. Nevertheless, the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in small businesses, and they know that to thrive we must create new opportunities and change with the times, which explains why they favor raising fuel efficiency standards by huge margins—a step some people have wrongly described as a job killer.

California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, commonly referred to as AB 32, calls for substantial reductions in the state’s carbon emissions. The impact it will have on the economy, and particularly on small businesses, has spurred tremendous debate as the law is being implemented. 

Small business owners in Maine strongly believe the country needs to move toward clean energy and that new energy policies will transform the economy and help them create new jobs. They support comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation currently being discussed in the US Senate. Support for a climate and energy bill from Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins would be a winner with small business owners back home.

Small business owners in Massachusetts strongly believe the country needs to move toward clean energy and that new energy policies will transform the economy and help them create new jobs. They support comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation currently being discussed in the US Senate. Support for a climate and energy bill from Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown would be a winner with small business owners back home.

Small business owners in New Hampshire strongly believe the country needs to move toward clean energy and that new energy policies will transform the economy and help them create new jobs. They support comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation currently being discussed in the US Senate. Support for a climate and energy bill from Senators Judd Gregg and Jeanne Shaheen would be a winner with small business owners back home.

Small business owners in Virginia strongly believe the country needs to move toward clean energy and that new energy policies will transform the economy and help them create new jobs. They support comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation currently being discussed in the US Senate. Support for a climate and energy bill from Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner would be a winner with small business owners back home.

Small business owners in North Carolina strongly believe the country needs to move toward clean energy and that new energy policies will transform the economy and help them create new jobs. They support comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation currently being discussed in the US Senate. Support for a climate and energy bill from Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan would be a winner with small business owners back home.

Small business owners in Pennsylvania strongly believe the country needs to move toward clean energy and that new energy policies will transform the economy and help them create new jobs. They support comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation currently being discussed in the US Senate. Support for a climate and energy bill from Senators Arlen Specter and Bob Casey would be a winner with small business owners back home. A Public Policy Polling survey of 427 small business owners in Pennsylvania, taken between July 2nd and 6th, found that: