Environment & Energy 

LATEST NEWS

The EPA is seeking small business representatives to serve on a Small Business Advocacy Review Panel for an upcoming rulemaking regarding emissions of hazardous air pollutants, which could impact many small businesses.
May 4, 2022

EPA Seeks Small Business Input

The White House announced new actions across agencies to promote clean manufacturing and reduce emissions, including low-carbon production of steel and aluminum for electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels, and clean concrete.
February 16, 2022

White House Touts Clean Manufacturing

Recently, the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers finalized the first step of a two-step process to repeal and replace the Obama Administration’s Waters of the U.S. rule.
October 3, 2019

EPA, Army to Repeal WOTUS

Yesterday, the EPA unveiled a new WOTUS rule under the Clean Water Act which is aimed at clarifying which waters are and are not regulated under the law.
December 12, 2018

EPA Proposes New WOTUS Rule

The EPA and Army Corp of Engineers are seeking comment on whether other alternatives to a full repeal of WOTUS would address key issues with the rule.
August 1, 2018

EPA Seeks Comment on WOTUS

In recent weeks, two pieces of legislation have been approved by their respective committees which would address key infrastructure-related issues specific to water.
June 6, 2018

Infrastructure Bills Move Forward

Recently, the EPA published a proposed rule to repeal the Clean Power Plan which now awaits a 60-day comment period and expected litigation.
October 25, 2017

EPA Withdraws Clean Power Plan

Comments Due on Rule to Redefine WOTUS
August 2, 2017

Comments Due on Rule to Redefine WOTUS

President Donald Trump this week signed an Executive Order (EO) directing the EPA to review the Clean Power Plan, a first step in rolling back the Obama-era climate rules.
March 29, 2017

Trump Signs EO on Clean Power Plan

President Donald Trump began his presidency with a series of executive orders and memorandums taking aim at the Affordable Care Act, trade deals and federal workers, among others.
January 25, 2017

Trump Signs Executive Orders

The House Committee on Rules is laying the groundwork to reconcile its energy bill with the Senate's version, both of which targed the U.S. energy infrastructure and its vulnerabilities.
May 25, 2016

House Moves Forward on Energy Reform

The Senate recently approved the Energy Policy Modernization Act which avoids controversial energy topics like climate change but does address many bipartisan energy priorities.
April 27, 2016

Senate Passes Energy Reform Bill

This week, the Senate is expected to approve the FY 2017 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill which includes funding for the controversial Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule.
April 27, 2016

Senate Considers WOTUS, EPA Funding

Yesterday, NSBA Board Member Michael Canty, testified before a Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on the regulatory burden facing small firms, specifically those coming from the EPA.
April 13, 2016

NSBA Testifies on EPA Regulations

A Senate energy bill continues to be mired in the amendments process, first over aid efforts for Flint, Michigan, and now with a hold on language concerning off-shore drilling.
March 16, 2016

Amendments Stall Energy Bill

This week, the Senate will resume consideration of an energy bill which will increase energy efficiency requirements, simplify investments in infrastructure and increase security in the nation’s power grid.
March 2, 2016

Energy Bill Poised for Floor Vote

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay likely until February 2017 on the implementation of the Clean Power Plan rules to cut carbon emissions.
February 17, 2016

Supreme Court Issues Stay on Clean Power Plan

NSBA today released its 2016 Year-End Economic Report which shows small-business owners have less confidence in the overall economy, but more confidence in their own business.
February 10, 2016

Survey: Small-Business Outlook Mixed

Late last week, the Senate failed to move forward on an energy bill that would increase security in the power grid and energy efficiency requirements, among other things.
February 10, 2016

Energy Bill Stalls Over Flint Amendment

Yesterday, President Barack Obama released his final budget plan for FY 2017 which is a $4.1 trillion spending outline that focuses resources on clean energy, education and health care.
February 10, 2016

Obama Releases Final Budget

The Senate is currently debating a broad energy reform bill which addresses energy efficiency, grid infrastructure, energy supply, and more, and could pass as early as this week.
February 3, 2016

Senate Considers Energy Bill

Recently, the House approved a resolution of disapproval on the Waters of the U.S. rule which could expand the jurisdiction of EPA and increase uncertainty.
January 20, 2016

House Votes to Rollback WOTUS Rule

The UN Climate Change agreement includes a U.S. commitment to reduce greenhouse gases by 26 to 28 percent by 2025 and provide the Green Climate Fund with $500 million.
December 16, 2015

Climate Deal Reached in Paris

Last week, the House approved energy legislation 249-174 to modernize energy infrastructure, improve energy efficiency and strengthen energy security and includes a lift the crude oil export ban.
December 9, 2015

House Passes Energy Bill

Energy policy is front-and-center this week, with the House debating a key energy bill, the global climate change conference in Paris and the EPA releasing new rules on the renewable fuel standard.
December 2, 2015

Pivotal Week for Energy Policy in the US

The White House has released a revised regulatory agenda which includes rules on carbon emissions and water pollution, overtime pay, and the so-called “persuader” rule.
December 2, 2015

New White House Regulatory Agenda

Yesterday, the Senate considered a procedural vote on legislation to halt the “Waters of the U.S.” rule which the EPA finalized in August and could drastically expand what bodies of water are under EPA jurisdiction.
November 4, 2015

Bill Revoking EPA Water Rule Fails in Senate

Late last week, final rules were published as part of President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan which could result in dramatic energy cost increases for many small businesses.
October 28, 2015

Final Rule Published on EPA Power Plan

On Aug. 3, President Barack Obama released regulations, the EPA's Clean Power Plan, designed to significantly reduce carbon emissions from power plants, as well as promoting low-emitting power sources and energy efficiency.
August 5, 2015

EPA Releases Clean Power Plan

The U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision this week which said that the Environmental Protection Agency was in the wrong by failing to consider costs of their 2011 power plant emissions regulation.
July 1, 2015

Supreme Court Underscores Importance of Costs in Regs

Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) pulled an interesting maneuver on the Senate floor recently, resulting in the passage of the NSBA-supported Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015.
April 8, 2015

Energy Efficiency Legislation Passes Senate

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) has recently been appointed to serve as Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship for the 114th Congress.
April 8, 2015

Sen. Shaheen to Serve as Ranking Member on Small Biz Panel

The SBA recently released notices calling for comments on two rules that affect small businesses: one focusing on expanding the mentor-protégé program; and the other on EPA regulations.
March 11, 2015

SBA Seeks Comment on Rules Affecting Small Biz

The Republican gains in the House and shift of leadership from Democratic to Republican in the Senate have ushered in a new spate of Committee chairs and ranking members.
January 7, 2015

New Congressional Committee Leadership

This week, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives kicked off the 114th Congress with their oaths of office, welcome receptions and passage in the House of a broad rules package.
January 7, 2015

The 114th Congress Begins this Week

Busy Lame Duck Week Continues
November 19, 2014

Busy Lame Duck Week Continues

The incoming Republican leadership has highlighted the Keystone XL pipeline for early action in the 114th session amid other energy and environment issues.
November 6, 2014

Elections Analysis: Energy and Environment

Small-business owner and author Mike Michalowicz details how switching from traditional phone service to VoIP provider Nextiva helped his business bottom line and could help yours.
November 5, 2014

My Experience with Nextiva’s Business Phone System

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) outlined his September agenda which includes plans to pass a short-term spending bill, as well as packaging 14 bills into a jobs package and another package of 13 bills aimed at lowering energy costs.
September 10, 2014

House Leader Outlines September Agenda

When Congress returns to Washington, D.C. next week, there are several must-pass pieces of legislation awaiting them, including appropriations bills, reauthorization of Ex-Im Bank, tax extenders, the internet tax moratorium, and much more.
September 4, 2014

Congress Returns with a Full Legislative Plate

Following up on its recently-released proposed rule limiting carbon emissions from the power sector, the EPA has announced a series of public hearings to gather stakeholder input for the week of July 28.
June 18, 2014

Public Hearings: Clean Power Plan Proposed Rule

On, June 25, the National Regulatory Fairness Board and Office of the National Ombudsman will hold a hearing for small-business owners to discuss the most egregious federal regulations facing their firms
June 11, 2014

National Regulatory Fairness Hearing – June 25  

The EPA this week released a proposed rule concerning allowable carbon emissions from existing power plants as part of the Obama administration's broad Climate Change Action Plan.
June 4, 2014

EPA Proposed Rule on Carbon Emissions

For the second time in a year, the Senate failed to advance the NSBA-supported, bipartisan Shaheen-Portman Energy Efficiency Bill which would have promoted and facilitated the development and deployment of new energy efficiency technologies.
May 14, 2014

Senate Fails to Advance Energy Efficiency Bill

As soon as next week, the full Senate may take up the NSBA-supported and bipartisan Shaheen-Portman Energy Efficiency Bill which, if enacted, would promote new energy efficiency technologies and adoption of more efficient processes.
April 30, 2014

Senate Likely to Move on Energy Efficiency Legislation

The House last week passed two bipartisan energy bills which would promote energy efficiency improvements and efforts in both public and private sector buildings and rein in the EPA's authority to regulate carbon emissions from new and existing power plants.
March 12, 2014

House Passes Bipartisan Energy Measures

On Tuesday, Jan. 28, President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union Address which held good and bad implications for America’s small businesses, but was light on details and specifics.
January 29, 2014

State of the Union: What it Means for Small Biz

Earlier this week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bipartisan bill which would help to rein in the EPA's authority to regulate carbon emissions from new and existing power plants.
January 29, 2014

House Committee OK’s Bill Limiting EPA’s Carbon Regs

On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power will hold a hearing on recently issued EPA proposed regulations regarding CO2 emissions from future power plants and draft bipartisan legislation aimed at curbing EPA’s ability to establish such standards without Congressional consideration.
November 13, 2013

House Hearing on EPA Rules and Draft Legislation

The EPA is conducting “listening sessions” across the country to garner input on how best to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants—a first step to proposing new regulations expected in June 2014.
October 30, 2013

EPA Seeks Input on Reducing Carbon Emissions

Unable to reach an agreement on amendments, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was left with no choice but to pull the bipartisan Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 (S. 1392) from the Senate floor and move on to consideration of a government funding provision given the looming Sept. 30 deadline.
September 25, 2013

Senate Energy Efficiency Bill in Holding Pattern

NSBA is urging the Senate to pass the bipartisan Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency bill which is currently being debated and would promote voluntary cost-effective energy efficiency improvements in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors to help reduce energy costs for small business.
September 18, 2013

NSBA Urges Passage of Bipartisan Energy Efficiency Bill

NSBA) is urging the Senate to pass the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (S. 1392) introduced by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Rob Portman (R–Ohio), which would promote voluntary cost-effective energy efficiency improvements in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors to help reduce energy costs and create jobs at no additional cost to the American taxpayer.
September 12, 2013

Small Business Supports Shaheen-Portman Energy Efficiency Bill

Last week, the Senate took up a revised version of the bipartisan Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 which aims to incentivize adoption of energy efficient technologies, and is expected to be taken up again when the Senate return in September.
August 7, 2013

Senate Takes Up Energy Efficiency Legislation

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte (R-Va.) has established an Over-Criminalization Task Force aimed at addressing the proliferation of new federal crimes and severe civil money penalties often for relatively minor violations of federal regulatory requirements.
July 31, 2013

House Over-Criminalization Task Force Starts Work

The EPA recently rolled-out a new and improved Portfolio Manager, the voluntary, online tool small businesses can use to generate an ENERGY STAR score and manage their energy efficiency.
July 24, 2013

Energy Star Program Improvements for Small Business

The Institute for Legal Reform has released a study which shows that liability costs in the U.S. are dramatically higher than other developed countries: more than 2 ½ times higher than the European average and 40 percent higher than Canada.
June 12, 2013

U.S. Liability Costs Are Much Higher Than Competitors

Yesterday, NSBA's Environment and Regulatory Affairs Committee hosted a teleconference to discuss climate change and its impact on America’s small-business community featuring Joe Kruger and David Rosner of the Bipartisan Policy Center.
April 25, 2013

NSBA Hosts Teleconference on Climate Change

On Wednesday, April 24th at 3:30PM EST, NSBA will host a members-only teleconference to discuss climate change, featuring Joe Kruger, Director of Energy and Environment for the Bipartisan Policy Center and David Rosner, Associate Director for Energy Security for the Bipartisan Policy Center.
April 10, 2013

NSBA to Host Climate Change Teleconference – Members Only

NSBA State of the Union Analysis
February 13, 2013

NSBA State of the Union Analysis

NSBA to Host Natural Gas Exports Teleconference
December 19, 2012

NSBA to Host Natural Gas Exports Teleconference

ENERGY STAR Launches 2012 Building Competition
May 8, 2012

ENERGY STAR Launches 2012 Building Competition

New NSBA Energy and Environmental Policy
March 9, 2012

New NSBA Energy and Environmental Policy

February 9, 2012

EPA to Propose New Standards on Emissions

January 24, 2012

House to Move on Energy and Transportation Bill

November 17, 2011

NSBA Report on Clean Energy Small Businesses

November 7, 2011

Senate Approves On-Bill Financing Pilot Program

October 24, 2011

NSBA Releases Energy Survey of Small Business

October 12, 2011

NSBA Testifies On Benefits of On-Bill Financing

October 5, 2011

New Energy Research Projects Funded

September 13, 2011

EPA Relaxes Lead Rule On Small Renovators

August 16, 2011

New Fuel Standards for Heavy-Duty Trucks

June 21, 2011

New Report: States Work to Reduce Energy Use

June 7, 2011

America’s Next Top Innovator Kicks Off

May 31, 2011

New Fuel Efficiency Labeling Announced

May 24, 2011

Small Biz Energy Efficiency Bill Introduced

May 9, 2011

GE Hosts Electric Vehicle Events in NY and DC

May 3, 2011

DOE Announces New Funding Opportunities

March 15, 2011

Commerce Announces Clean-Energy Challenge

March 1, 2011

Manufacturing Energy Tax Credit Extension

February 16, 2011

Budget: Energy

February 15, 2011

DOE Investments Pay Off

January 17, 2011

EPA National Building Competition

Load more

LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY

April 14, 2016
NSBA Trustee Michael Canty Testimony on EPA Regulations
May 10, 2012
NSBA Testimony Before the House Small Business Committee on Gas Prices
October 13, 2011
NSBA Testifies Before Senate Committee on On-Bill Financing
May 9, 2007
Increasing Gas Prices: Testimony of Michael Mitternight
Load more
View All Legislative Activity

RELATED SURVEYS

NSBA 2018 Mid-Year Economic Report
NSBA 2018 Mid-Year Economic Report
NSBA’s biannual survey of small-business owners on business growth, employees, finance, economic outlook and much more.
NSBA 2018 Politics of Small Business Survey
NSBA 2018 Politics of Small Business Survey
NSBA’s biennial survey of America’s small-business owners’ political beliefs and opinions on the political parties, Congress, the administration and much more.
NSBA today released its 2017 Mid-Year Economic Report where the small-business outlook on the overall economy is at its highest point in seven years despite growing frustration over elected officials’ inability to enact needed reforms.
NSBA 2017 Mid-Year Economic Report
NSBA today released its 2017 Mid-Year Economic Report where the small-business outlook on the overall economy is at its highest point in seven years despite growing frustration over elected officials’ inability to enact needed reforms.
NSBA on Feb. 10, 2016 released its 2015 Year-End Economic Report in which small-business owners expressed a less positive outlook on the overall economy, however, 75 percent are confident in their own business—the highest this indicator has been in four years.
2015 Year-End Economic Report
NSBA on Feb. 10, 2016 released its 2015 Year-End Economic Report in which small-business owners expressed a less positive outlook on the overall economy, however, 75 percent are confident in their own business—the highest this indicator has been in four years.