May 01, 2025 | Andy Barnes
This spring, the Clean Energy Business Network (CEBN) brought 31 small business leaders from across the country into meetings with 50 congressional offices. This congressional engagement served to elevate the voices of these entrepreneurs to ensure federal policy supports the continued growth of America’s clean energy economy.
These meetings were part of our broader effort to engage often unheard small business voices in the federal policy conversation around energy tax incentives and federal energy programs. Through the end of April 2025, CEBN members stepped up to engage congressional offices through:
CEBN’s spring advocacy push brought together a powerful cross-section of the clean energy workforce—entrepreneurs, engineers, sustainability professionals, and cleantech manufacturers. These business leaders took time away from their operations to meet directly with lawmakers and staff to share how federal policies affect their ability to invest, hire, and innovate in their communities.
Some business leaders traveled to Washington, DC for meetings on Capitol Hill, while others held virtual meetings or met with their Members of Congress in their districts.
These discussions centered on the tangible, local impacts of federal clean energy tax incentives, the urgency of stable appropriations, and the need to avoid uncertainty around obligated funding.
A central message from participants was the importance of preserving business certainty in the tax code. Clean energy projects often require long planning horizons, and any ambiguity or changes in the runway for existing tax policy can disrupt timelines, financing, and hiring.
Several entrepreneurs shared stories of how energy tax credits enabled them to expand their operations, secure new contracts, and pass savings on to customers. But current uncertainty about the availability of credits is halting the progress of some new projects midstream.
Underscoring this message, 272 businesses and trade associations from 43 states, representing more than $450 billion in revenue and 165,000 employees, recently sent a letter to Congress expressing strong support for the continuation of energy tax incentives. This follows on a prior letter in March signed by 214 business leaders noting, “Should the economic landscape change, small businesses with limited resources would be the most severely impacted.”
In addition to tax certainty, CEBN members expressed deep concern over federal spending freezes and delays in the disbursement of already-obligated funds. Many businesses, nonprofits, and state/local governments have been directly impacted by pauses or pending cancelation of their grants and contracts—creating ripple effects for local contractors and suppliers.
These freezes not only threaten ongoing projects but also erode confidence in doing business with the federal government going forward..
Participants in CEBN’s advocacy meetings urged lawmakers to protect funding from disruption and uphold commitments made through legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In addition, 155 business leaders in our network have delivered nearly 600 messages to congressional offices conveying the direct impacts of these funding freezes.
Throughout these meetings, CEBN members emphasized that clean energy isn’t a partisan issue—it’s a business and jobs issue.
These entrepreneurs hail from across the country. Whether operating a solar installation company in rural Texas, a geothermal startup in Colorado, or a manufacturing plant in Michigan, they all rely on stable federal support to serve their customers and grow their companies.
These business leaders conveyed the direct connection between preserving energy tax credits and stable funding streams and the impacts on the ground in their communities in terms of economic activity, family-sustaining jobs, and meeting rising energy demand.
We are grateful to the Members of Congress and staff who took the time to meet with us, and to the business leaders in our network who stepped up to make the case for stable energy policy.
CEBN will continue to elevate small business voices and work toward bipartisan, common-sense approaches for creating stronger, more resilient clean energy economy. Want to get involved in future advocacy efforts? Join our email list to stay in touch.
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Participant Perspectives:
Tony Ruffine, Principal, New Energy Venture Associates—“CEBN helped me meet in person with congressional offices on both sides of the aisle to thank them for their leadership defending the energy tax credits. I discussed how my firm is leveraging these credits to finance RNG, solar, wind, and storage projects that will employ hundreds of people across the nation. These congressional leaders were previously unaware of our projects but seemed excited about our impact on jobs and affordable energy in their districts.”
Scott Ringlein, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Energy Alliance Group—“Preserving the energy tax credits is the right thing to do and it’s just good business, keeping millions employed and supporting small businesses. As a clean energy project developer, access to and utilization of these tax credits is the pathway to adopting clean energy technologies and reducing our clients’ energy expenses.”
