April 6, 2001

Washington, D.C. - A national small business advocacy organization praised President George W. Bush's for abandoning the flawed Kyoto global warming treaty, stating his actions were entirely justified given the gross inequities of the pact and the looming energy supply problem now facing the United States.

"When we first fought against this treaty in 1997, the American public agreed that placing unreasonable and unwarranted restrictions on C02 emissions was entirely unfair given that most of the world - including China, India and Mexico - would be exempt from the pact. Plus, American consumers and small businesses rejected outright the proposition of higher gas and electricity prices, which led to the 95-0 passage of a U.S. Senate resolution fundamentally rejecting the terms of the treaty," stated Karen Kerrigan, Chairman of the Small Business Survival Committee. Kerrigan was the lead spokesperson for a diverse coalition of business, labor union and consumer groups in opposition to the U.N Global Climate Treaty.

With the high cost of energy threatening the resilience of many of our nation's small firms, SBSC is ratcheting up it's voice in support of legislative action that will bring down regulatory barriers that are impeding energy supply, while also warning the Congress that a national energy program cannot include drastic interventionist schemes as embodied in the Kyoto Protocol. The group appeared at a media event last month with Senate Energy Chairman Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) in support of his efforts in introducing the National Energy Security Act of 200l.

"Affordable energy is particularly important to small firms.  For most, the cost of energy is not only the difference between profits and losses, but their survival and durability in a competitive and uncertain marketplace and economy. Their ability to maintain and create jobs is at stake, which is so essential to the health of our overall economy.  We need to increase the supply of energy in this country, but it will all be for not if the Congress is dead set on imposing needless CO2 regulation or if more power is given to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), " stated Kerrigan.

To speak to an SBSC spokesperson, please call Katie Wright at CRC, 703-683-5004.