America Depends on Small Businesses. Small Businesses Depend on Reliable Energy

Originally published by RealClear Energy

The American dream is electric-powered, from the lights of Times Square to the neon sign that says “Open” at a neighborhood shop. But most people don’t think about the electric grid that powers their lives until something goes wrong—and then, they’re caught off guard when the lights go out.

Our policymakers have similarly been caught off guard as two decades of slow demand growth have quickly given way to a sharp increase in demand from emerging technologies and revived industry. Coupled with policies from previous administrations that prioritized intermittent and expensive energy sources, this pinch is squeezing families and small businesses.

And this pinch can hurt: The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), a group that represents small businesses, found that 81% of surveyed businesses say that energy costs are significant in their operations. Yet the electric grid is not keeping up with small business needs: two thirds experienced an outage in the last year, more often due to grid reliability than weather, and 80% report that over the past three years, costs have risen significantly.

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