WASHINGTON – Today Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) called on the government and private sector to take action to curb global warming in a hearing before the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. With small businesses responsible for 50 percent of all energy consumption, as well as half of the entire economy, Kerry stressed the importance of providing resources and tools to small businesses to help them develop cutting-edge technologies to address climate change and become more energy efficient.
"We've reached a critical moment in the fight to save this planet, and we can't win the fight without the support of the private sector. Big Business can help and the government needs to get off the sidelines, but we need a concerted effort from America's small businesses to bring us home," said Kerry. "Many small businesses, from Massachusetts to California, are already playing a critical role in creating the technologies that are helping America to become energy independent. These companies aren't only saving the planet – they're growing the economy and they're creating new jobs. We need an energy revolution as far-reaching as the industrial revolution. Small companies, which employ half of all private sector workers and produce half of our GDP, can help lead that revolution."
Kerry pressed witnesses from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration to work together to create incentives for small firms to adopt energy-friendly policies and to provide the resources to help small business owners with the up front costs of implementing energy saving programs.
"We need to do a better job of reaching out to America's small businesses to demonstrate to them that these savings are real, and that the win for their bottom line is a win for the long-term health of the planet. We need to provide the resources, through public and private commitments, to help business owners with the up front costs of implementing energy saving programs," said Kerry.
In addition, today, Kerry will join Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) in introducing the EXTEND Act, that expands the temporary tax incentives for energy efficiency buildings, building off the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Kerry and Snowe also recently introduced the Global Warming Reduction Act of 2007, a measure that calls for a 65 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 and provides immediate incentives for the procurement of energy efficient products to reduce greenhouse gases in homes, businesses, and on our nation's roadways.
Kerry has been a long-time advocate for providing fuel-dependent small businesses with low-interest loans when energy prices reach extraordinary high levels and included a provision in S. 163, the bipartisan Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act, to establish that program.
"We've reached a critical moment in the fight to save this planet, and we can't win the fight without the support of the private sector. Big Business can help and the government needs to get off the sidelines, but we need a concerted effort from America's small businesses to bring us home," said Kerry. "Many small businesses, from Massachusetts to California, are already playing a critical role in creating the technologies that are helping America to become energy independent. These companies aren't only saving the planet – they're growing the economy and they're creating new jobs. We need an energy revolution as far-reaching as the industrial revolution. Small companies, which employ half of all private sector workers and produce half of our GDP, can help lead that revolution."
Kerry pressed witnesses from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration to work together to create incentives for small firms to adopt energy-friendly policies and to provide the resources to help small business owners with the up front costs of implementing energy saving programs.
"We need to do a better job of reaching out to America's small businesses to demonstrate to them that these savings are real, and that the win for their bottom line is a win for the long-term health of the planet. We need to provide the resources, through public and private commitments, to help business owners with the up front costs of implementing energy saving programs," said Kerry.
In addition, today, Kerry will join Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) in introducing the EXTEND Act, that expands the temporary tax incentives for energy efficiency buildings, building off the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Kerry and Snowe also recently introduced the Global Warming Reduction Act of 2007, a measure that calls for a 65 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 and provides immediate incentives for the procurement of energy efficient products to reduce greenhouse gases in homes, businesses, and on our nation's roadways.
Kerry has been a long-time advocate for providing fuel-dependent small businesses with low-interest loans when energy prices reach extraordinary high levels and included a provision in S. 163, the bipartisan Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act, to establish that program.
