GW Law's Glen Earl Weston Research Professor Emily Hammond testified before the House Committee on Small Business on the "Burdensome Regulations: Examining the Effects of Department of Energy Regulations on America’s Job Creators" hearing. In the "Burdensome Regulations: Examining the Effects of Department of Energy Regulations on America’s Job Creators" hearing, Members examined how burdensome Department of Energy (DOE) rules are impacting small businesses.
In response to the hearing, Professor Hammond said in their testimony:
"Given this hearing’s focus on small businesses, I highlight that in the first factor—determining the impact of the proposed standard on manufacturers—DOE brings both quantitative and qualitative approaches to bear. These approaches are designed to identify how the proposed standards would 'affect manufacturing employment, capacity, and competition, as well as how standards contribute to overall regulatory burden' and whether they would cause 'any disproportionate impacts on manufacturer subgroups, including small business manufacturers.'"
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"According to one study, for example, DOE’s conservation standards are projected to save households an average of $840 a year in 2030. 20 Businesses saved even more: almost $23 billion dollars in utility bills nationwide.21 In recent rulemakings, DOE has emphasized benefits from energy conservation to the tune of billions of dollars. For instance, DOE estimates that its proposed energy conservation standards for battery chargers will save consumers, which includes small businesses, up to $9 billion in energy costs.22 And in its proposed standards for commercial refrigeration equipment, DOE estimates that consumers—again, including small businesses—will save up to $7.1 billion in energy costs.23 These, of course, are proposed rules, so they will still benefit from the further refinement that the notice-and-comment period provides. Even at this stage, it bears emphasis that with electricity prices now higher than before in many states, these rules will promote even greater savings for residential consumers and small businesses alike."
Watch more of their testimony below.