[Senate Hearing 119-94]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 119-94
SMALL BUSINESSES POWERING THE CLEAN
ENERGY ECONOMY
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FIELD HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
OF THE
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
MAY 9, 2025
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Printed for the use of the Committee on Small Business and
Entrepreneurship
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
60-612 WASHINGTON : 2025
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COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS
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JONI ERNST, Iowa, Chair
EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts, Ranking Member
JAMES E. RISCH, Idaho MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
RAND PAUL, Kentucky JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire
TIM SCOTT, South Carolina CORY A. BOOKER, New Jersey
TODD YOUNG, Indiana CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, Delaware
JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii
TED BUDD, North Carolina JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
JOHN R. CURTIS, Utah JOHN W. HICKENLOOPER, Colorado
JAMES C. JUSTICE, West Virginia ADAM B. SCHIFF, California
JOHN HUSTED, Ohio
Meredith West, Republican Staff Director
Sean Moore, Democratic Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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MAY 9, 2025
OPENING STATEMENT
Page
Edward J. Markey, Senator from Massachusetts, Ranking Member..... 1
WITNESSES
Dr. Emily Reichert, CEO, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center,
Boston, MA..................................................... 3
Prepared Statement........................................... 6
Mr. Nick d'Arbeloff, President, Solar Energy Business Association
of New England, Randolph, MA................................... 14
Prepared Statement........................................... 17
Dr. Aisha Francis, President and CEO, Benjamin Franklin Cummings
Institute of Technology, Boston, MA............................ 20
Prepared Statement........................................... 24
Mr. Joshua Aviv, CEO, SparkCharge, Somerville, MA................ 27
Prepared Statement........................................... 30
ADDITIONAL LETTERS/STATEMENTS FOR THE RECORD
Joni K. Ernst, Senator from Iowa, Committee Chair................ 48
FIELD HEARING:
SMALL BUSINESSES POWERING THE CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY
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FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2025
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Small Business
and Entrepreneurship,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:00 a.m., at
Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology, 41 Berkeley
Street, Boston, MA, Hon. Edward J. Markey, Ranking Member of
the Committee, presiding.
Present: Senator Markey.
STATEMENT OF SENATOR MARKEY
Senator Markey. Good morning, everyone. The Senate
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will come to
order.
As we come to the end of the National Small Business Week,
we are here today to talk about an issue that is very important
to all of us here in Massachusetts--the clean energy economy.
This is one of the fastest growing industries in the United
States. Nearly 3.5 million Americans work in clean energy, and
the sector is adding jobs three times faster than the overall
U.S. workforce, and Massachusetts is leading the way.
Here in the commonwealth, the clean energy economy supports
more than 200,000 jobs, an 80 percent increase since 2010. We
also lead the nation in climate tech start-ups per capita, with
49 start-ups per 1 million residents. That is what makes us not
just the Bay State but the Brain State. We are moving to the
future, technologically.
Today we are at Franklin Cummings Tech, a school on the
front lines of making economic and climate justice a reality.
In 2013, Senator Warren and I, in the Senate, working with
Congresswoman Pressley in the House, secured $800,000 in
funding to help launch the school's Center for Energy
Efficiency and the Trades. I am proud to have helped get such
an innovative program off of the ground.
Small businesses play an important role in the clean energy
economy, but uncertainty and chaos could affect our path to a
just, livable future for everyone. Our clean energy transition
isn't just about mitigating the devastating impacts of the
climate crisis. It is about building an economy with
accessible, good-paying jobs, and it is about centering
justice.
A major part of building this future is supporting the
small businesses in the industry. We all know small businesses
are the backbone of the American economy, and that is no
different here. They account for a significant portion of clean
energy jobs in the United States. In fact, 75 percent of energy
efficiency businesses are small businesses, employing 20 or
fewer workers.
The Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate bill in
history, is a down payment for a livable future, and is helping
small businesses in the clean energy economy thrive. The IRA
supports jobs and small businesses with tax credits to improve
energy efficiency in homes, in businesses, produce clean
energy, and install solar and wind and battery technology. And
these credits are intentionally designed to favor projects to
pay prevailing wages and invest in apprenticeship programs.
In other words, IRA investments mean that a local
restaurant can lower its electricity bill by installing rooftop
solar, or the corner store, down the street, can buy electric
delivery vehicles and install charging stations, allowing
shoppers to charge up while they grab groceries for the week.
In addition, the $20 billion in funding from the Greenhouse
Gas Reduction Fund, the single largest investment in the
Inflation Reduction Act, and based on my National Climate Bank
legislation, is projected to generate a combined $250 billion
in public and private sector funding over the first 10 years of
the Climate Bank, much of which would support jobs and small
businesses. That is not me touting my Climate Bank. That is
McKinsey doing an analysis of how much private sector funding
would be unleashed by the Climate Bank in the first 10 years.
But the Trump administration has frozen the money, creating
uncertainty, and putting small businesses depending on all of
this funding at risk. We must continue investing in American
jobs and small businesses by preserving the IRA's tax credits.
This means investing in clean and efficient energy
technologies, safeguard Small Business Administration lending
options, and supporting small business importers and exporters.
Likewise, the Small Business Administration, or SBA, can
support low-cost financing of energy-efficient and renewable
technologies. Low-cost energy loans from the SBA have been used
by hotels on Cape Cod to install solar panels to lower costs,
to help hotels survive the winter season.
The SBA also provides grants to innovative climate tech
companies through the Small Business Innovation Research and
Small Business Technology Transfer programs, and has helped
clean energy ensure that those small businesses expand to
foreign markets, with grants through the State Trade Expansion
Program, also known as STEP.
President Trump's budget, released last week, proposed
cutting STEP entirely, cutting the State Trade Expansion
Program. Even as he is talking about tariffs, he wants to
eliminate the program which would provide that extra help for
state trade expansion. He also wants to eliminate many other
key Federal programs that small businesses rely upon.
The Trump administration is denying small businesses the
support and the capital they need to keep pushing American
innovation forward. The clean energy economy is the key to a healthy
climate future for everyone, and supporting small businesses
should never be a partisan issue.
In Massachusetts, we know the importance of investing in
entrepreneurs. We have built an ecosystem of innovation, where
start-ups and small businesses are creating the technologies
that are transforming our world. We need clean energy
entrepreneurs to develop, install, and maintain the technology
and infrastructure that are the foundation of our clean energy
economy. The future of our environment and economy depends upon
these continued investments in small businesses, and I look
forward to discussing them in today's field hearing.
So we have an incredible panel of experts who are joining
us this morning, and I am going to give each one of them their
proper introduction, and one by one you are going to hear some
of the smartest people in America explain why this is a key
part of our economy, both here and across the nation.
First up is Dr. Emily Reichert, the Chief Executive Officer
of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. For more than a
decade, Emily has been an essential part of what makes
Massachusetts a climate and clean energy leader. With technical
and business expertise, Emily led Greentown Labs to become the
largest climate tech start-up incubator in North America,
attracting billions in investments and creating thousands of
jobs. As CEO of MassCEC, Emily is working to develop the clean
energy workforce and drive equitable growth across
Massachusetts.
So Dr. Reichert, thank you so much for being with us.
Whenever you feel ready, please begin.
STATEMENT OF EMILY REICHERT, Ph.D., CEO, MASSACHUSETTS CLEAN
ENERGY CENTER, BOSTON, MA
Ms. Reichert. Good morning, Senator Markey. Thank you for
gathering us here today to discuss the clean energy economy in
Massachusetts, and specifically the economic impact of clean
energy small businesses and clean energy workers.
I want to first thank Franklin Cummings Tech and President
Aisha Francis for hosting us. At MassCEC we are fortunate to
have Dr. Francis as a valued member of our board of directors.
My name is Emily Reichert and I have the honor of serving
as the CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, also known
as MassCEC. MassCEC is a quasi-state economic development
agency dedicated to accelerating the growth of the clean energy
and climate tech sector across Massachusetts. We do this to
spur job creation, deliver statewide environmental benefits,
and secure long-term economic growth for our residents.
I appreciate the opportunity to share findings that we have
gathered as part of MassCEC's annual Clean Energy Industry
Survey. MassCEC is required by law to submit an annual report
detailing the state's clean energy industry to the
Massachusetts legislature. While we are still finalizing the
report, I would like to share a few highlights with you today.
The headline is: the Massachusetts clean energy economy is
strong.
The clean energy industry has become a major part of the
Massachusetts economy and has seen continued growth in jobs,
businesses, and economic impact. There are over 7,500 clean energy
businesses in Massachusetts, and 58 percent of clean energy
businesses in Massachusetts are small businesses, with 10 or
fewer workers.
The Massachusetts clean energy industry has doubled since
2010, adding nearly 60,000 jobs. In total, Massachusetts is
home to over 115,000 clean energy workers. That is 115,000
Massachusetts residents who rely on work in clean energy
businesses, many of them small businesses, to support
themselves and their families.
But the impact of the industry is much greater than 115,000
jobs alone, because the Massachusetts clean energy industry
supports another 43,500 indirect jobs, and nearly 70,000
induced jobs. Indirect jobs are those outside the clean energy
sector that provide critical supply chain goods and services
for the sector, and induced jobs are those that result from
increased spending in the economy, thanks to the clean energy
industry.
In total, the clean energy industry powers 233,427 direct,
indirect, and induced jobs, according to our recent report.
As well, the industry has been responsible for generating a
significant amount of tax dollars, including $5.9 in Federal
taxes, and $2.9 billion in state and local taxes invested back
in the economy here. In 2023, the clean energy sector
contributed $15.9 billion, or about 2 percent, to the
commonwealth's gross state product.
However, the numbers in this year's annual industry report
only reflect clean energy jobs. Massachusetts has a booming
climate tech sector, as well. We are number one in the U.S. for
climate tech startups per capita, with many young companies
emerging from our local universities and growing into
successful climate tech manufacturing businesses. Recent
examples who are also grantees of MassCEC's programs include
Aeroshield Materials, in Waltham, Massachusetts, which is
developing advanced insulation materials to improve energy
efficiency in buildings; AM Batteries, in Billerica,
Massachusetts, which is pioneering cleaner, more efficient ways
to make batteries for electric vehicles and other energy
storage applications; and Clean Crop Technologies in Holyoke,
Massachusetts, which is using innovative technology to keep
food fresher or longer and cut waste across the food supply
chain.
Another exciting highlight of the report is that the
Massachusetts clean energy industry is a statewide industry.
Seventy-four percent of clean energy businesses are outside of
the greater Boston area. These workers and small businesses are
improving the quality of life for countless residents across
Massachusetts. They are making lives more affordable and more
comfortable. They are helping drivers switch to cleaner
electric vehicles. They are helping homeowners and businesses
make their homes and commercial buildings healthier and more
efficient. They are reducing pollution and building a future
with cleaner air and water. And they are helping us accelerate
the transition to clean energy sources that are more reliable
and more secure.
The continued growth of the clean energy industry is
already vital to the well-being of many Massachusetts families.
But we know we have more work to do to grow jobs and ensure
everyone can take part in the benefits of clean energy. Women
and minority workers continue to be underrepresented in the
industry, and thatis why equitable workforce development is one
of our top priorities at MassCEC.
Massachusetts needs roughly 28,000 additional workers to
meet our 2030 climate goals, but 37 percent of clean energy
employers reported that they found it very difficult to hire
qualified workers. That is why yesterday I traveled to Essex
North Shore Technical and Agricultural High School in Danvers,
Massachusetts, to announce $7.3 million in workforce
development grants to 25 incredible organizations across the
commonwealth, including community colleges, unions, and
technical high schools. These grants will support local
organizations working to build training pipelines, raise
awareness, and expand access to clean energy jobs.
On a global scale, the clean energy transition is
unstoppable. But the competition is fierce and other countries
are moving forward.
The progress we have made over the past 15 years here in
Massachusetts is incredible, and we have much to be proud of.
This work wouldn't be possible without people coming together
across higher education, government, labor, industry, and the
nonprofit sector.
Massachusetts is a climate leader and a hub for innovation,
and will continue to grow the clean energy industry and
accelerate climate tech solutions. But without reliable Federal
investments, our entrepreneurs and small businesses will
suffer, and when small businesses suffer, so do workers,
consumers, and entire communities. This is the time when we
should strengthen our support for clean energy small businesses
and workers, as well as the researchers and innovators who
drive ground-breaking climate solutions.
I appreciate the opportunity to speak about positive
economic impact of the clean energy small businesses and the
workers who power this growing industry in Massachusetts.
Senator Markey, thank you again for inviting MassCEC to testify
today. I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Reichert follows:]
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Senator Markey. Thank you so much, Doctor. And you are
right. This is a global revolution. Last year, for the first
time in history, there was more funding invested into solar
than in oil, for the first time in history. So this is no
longer some small piece of the whole clean energy or energy
economy, in general. It is just growing exponentially. So thank
you so much, Doctor.
Next we have Nick d'Arbeloff, President of the Board for
the Solar Energy Business Association of New England, or
SEBANE. SEBANE is a collection of solar energy companies in New
England, including residential and commercial developers,
installers, and consultants, and manufacturers. Nick is also
Head of Market Development at ReVision Energy, a mission-
driven, employee-owned solar company with locations in North
Andover and Wakefield.
We thank you, Nick, for coming, and I welcome you to make
an opening statement.
STATEMENT OF NICK D'ARBELOFF, PRESIDENT, SOLAR ENERGY BUSINESS
ASSOCIATION OF NEW ENGLAND (SEBANE), RANDOLPH, MA
Mr. d'Arbeloff. Thank you. Ranking Member Markey and
members of the Senate Committee on Small Business and
Entrepreneurship, thank you for this opportunity to testify
today. As you note, I am Nick d'Arbeloff. I serve as President
of SEBANE, the Solar Energy Business Association of New
England.
Before I begin I would like to express my thanks to you,
Senator Markey, for all that you do and all that you have done
to support clean energy in Massachusetts and nationwide. Your
tireless efforts to advance legislation that helps clean energy
businesses gain a foothold and grow has been critical to the
success of the Massachusetts clean energy economy.
Back in 2008, when I served as the founding President of
the England Clean Energy Council, now the Alliance for Climate
Transition, I remember well the support you offered our young
organization. I am deeply grateful for your dedication to the
clean energy cause.
SEBANE's mission is to protect and promote the New England
solar industry through informed policy intervention, coalition
building, and stakeholder education. Our members include
residential installers, commercial developers, systems
integrators, solar component manufacturers, and service
providers. The vast majority of our members are small
businesses, and all of them have been significantly impacted by
the erratic changes in policy over the last few months.
SEBANE members work diligently each day to deploy clean
energy resources throughout our region. Domestic energy
production is vital to achieving energy independence, and much
of our progress has been greatly accelerated by the Section 48
and 25D investment tax credits. These clean energy tax benefits
have a long-standing history of bipartisan support, and their
extension under the IRA offer the regulatory certainty that our
member businesses depend on to plan, hire, and invest.
Repealing these provisions, especially when paired with the
volatility caused by proposed tariffs, would deal a significant
blow, financial blow, to project viability and thus to our
member businesses, jeopardizing thousands of jobs and millions of
dollars in private investment that power our regional economy.
Many of our small business member companies, including some
that have been operating for more than 20 years, have expressed
serious concerns about the potential rollback of the Inflation
Reduction Act. Several have indicated that they will be forced
to significantly reduce their workforce or close their doors
entirely if these changes move forward. Investors are
increasingly hesitant to finance projects due to uncertainties
around tax credits, grants, and tariffs, all of which are now
being factored into both the cost of capital and asset
valuations.
As a result, projects are being halted mid-development.
Installers are raising their prices significantly, some by more
than 20 percent. Several members have warned that the
imposition of tariffs could effectively shut down the battery
storage sector altogether.
While SEBANE has worked successfully with the Healey
administration and previous administrations to advance
policies, to reduce barriers, and open new markets for solar,
the combined impact of IRA rollbacks and tariffs would be
devastating for many of our small business members. Moreover,
SEBANE itself, operating as a nonprofit funded entirely through
member dues and educational event revenue, may not withstand
the financial strain that such cuts would impose across our
membership base.
Tariffs are not new to the solar industry. We saw tariffs
introduced in 2012, when it was believed that the Chinese were
dumping panels in the U.S. below their cost to manufacture. In
2018, several new tariffs were added. These were then extended
in 2022. Multiple administrations have levied solar tariffs,
kept them in place, and/or extended them. At this moment in
time, what is most concerning is both the scale and
unpredictability of the tariffs being implemented.
Any business, small or large, seeks to understand and
account for all the variables that may adversely impact its
operations. If a business knows that a component is going to
cost more in the years ahead, they can plan for it. What makes
planning more challenging is a situation where it is difficult,
if not impossible, to understand or even estimate what that
component will cost. This is the very situation that solar
companies find themselves in today.
The Biden administration placed an emphasis on the domestic
manufacturing of solar components. The policy was well designed
and well implemented. As a result, major panel manufacturers
began building assembly plants here in the United States.
Hanwha opened plans in Dalton and Cartersville, Georgia; Silfab
opened plants in Burlington, Washington, and Fort Mill, South
Carolina; JA in Phoenix, Arizona; Jinko in Jacksonville,
Florida. It is important to note that the policy leaned on
carrots rather than sticks. If a project used components with
high domestic content, it was eligible for higher tax credits.
This incentive drove the market and ultimately drove
manufacturers to invest in U.S. operations.
Currently, these manufacturing plants are not building
solar panels from the ground up. They are still primarily
assembly plants. They receive subcomponents from around the
globe, and the finished product is assembled in the U.S. This
represents a huge step forward in increasing the domestic
content of panels installed in the U.S., but it is worth nothing
that a panel with every single subcomponent made in the United States
is mostly aspirational. It is not realistic given today's global supply
chains. The previous policy took this into account.
The tariffs being implemented in 2025 are all sticks and no
carrots. In fact, many of the financial incentives that the
industry has started to leverage have been swept off the table.
It is possible the courts may bring some of these incentive and
grant monies back. It is also possible they will not. Most
concerning, it is possible that Congress will reduce tax
credits in the coming months, something SEBANE members very
strongly oppose.
With all subcomponents now facing a range of different
punitive tariffs, the industry has gone from the possibility of
bonus incentives, with prices remaining relatively stable, to a
situation where there are now no bonus incentives and prices
are starting to fluctuate wildly. This rapidly changing
landscape creates substantial instability.
The solar industry, both in Massachusetts and across the
nation, is quite accustomed to policy-driven ups and downs.
After all, that is why it is so commonly referred to by
insiders as the ``the solar coaster.'' We have weathered many
storms, and it is my expectation that the industry will weather
this storm, as well. And it is critical that we do so, since
solar remains one of the most powerful tools available for
combatting climate change. Solar not only increase our nation's
energy independence and enhances grid resiliency, it also
offers a reliable, affordable source of electricity that moves
us away from the dangers of fossil fuels.
Senator Markey, as you know well, the battle to prevent
climate catastrophe is not going particularly well. That said,
giving up the fight is simply not an option. To the greatest
extent possible, SEBANE's members, along with solar companies
across the country, will continue doing what we do, both as
small businesses seeking to grow and prosper and as a group of
dedicated professionals helping civilization avoid the very
worst impacts of climate change.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today.
[The prepared statement of Mr. d'Arbeloff follows:]
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Senator Markey. Thank you, Nick, so much, and thank you for
career-long dedication to these issues.
Next we are going to hear from Dr. Aisha Francis, President
of Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute. In 2021, Dr. Francis
became the school's first female President. As President, Dr.
Francis has been an advocate for clean technology, overseeing
the school's efforts to gear programs to its training students
in fields such as green building practices, renewable energy,
and electric vehicle technology.
President Francis, thank you for hosting us here at
Franklin Cummings Tech. It looks absolutely beautiful, and I
know that, as you told me earlier, there are 1,100 students who
are benefitting from all of your great teaching here at the
school. Thank you for hosting us, and we are looking forward to
your opening statement.
STATEMENT OF AISHA FRANCIS, PH.D., PRESIDENT AND CEO, BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN CUMMINGS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, BOSTON, MA
Ms. Francis. Thank you so much, Senator Markey. Good
morning, Chair Ernst, Ranking Member Markey, and distinguished
members of the Committee, and thank you so much for being in
our home. We are happy to have you here, and for the
opportunity to give testimony this morning.
I want to speak with you about Franking Cummings Tech and
how we look at bringing economic opportunity to our students
and graduates in the communities we serve through supporting
small businesses and the economy by supplying them with the
talent that is needed for them to grow, particularly for clean
energy companies and other companies that might not consider
themselves clean energy companies but rely on talent that is
educated in the clean energy sector, which we do.
Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology is
directly connected to our namesake, Benjamin Franklin, who left
1,000 pounds to the City of Boston for the purpose of teaching
people a trade and making sure they could go into
apprenticeship and becoming contributing members of society.
And all these decades and centuries later, we are proud to
continue that legacy and to make a very clear connection
between that legacy and sustainability.
From the student application process all the way through
job placement, Franklin Cummings Tech makes sure that we
empower learnings to achieve their career goals and attain
economic advancement through flexible, hands-on technical and
trade education. We are a two-year college, and we believe in
making education affordable.
And who are our students and what are our outcomes? We have
an 84 percent job placement rate. Our alum report a median
income of almost $60,000 one year after graduation, which is
important considering that their annual household income at
time of graduation is less than $35,000. And 46 percent of our
students are first-generation college students, almost all of
whom receive financial assistance.
We also believe in early college programming and making
sure high school is even more valuable to students by making it
possible to receive an entire year of college-level credit while
students are in high school.
So throughout history we have also frequently adapted our
curriculum to meet the needs of industry and match the pace of
technological advances and changes. This prepares graduates and
citizens for in-demand jobs, which is important to keep
economies humming.
Things change. We know that. Soon after this particular
building was opened in 1908, there was a line of people waiting
around the block to take classes that taught them how to repair
the Model T Ford. Today, we have people lining up to learn
about hybrid and electric vehicle technology. So sometimes
things change, and in other ways they stay the same. One thing
we are very fortunate about is that in 2023, we received
investment from community-directed spending--thank you, Senator
Markey--for our Center for Energy Efficiency and the Trades.
The center was established a few years ago to encapsulate and
better organize sustainability programming that had already
been happening across our campus in multiple majors. It is an
example of how important it is to thoughtfully prepare for what
is coming and make sure that good-paying, in-demand jobs that
align with the skills that are available in local marketplaces
happen at the college level.
We believe it is important to serve as an intermediary
between the workplace and the talent pool. It is important role
that colleges play. It is an important role for society. Our
Center for Energy Efficiency and the Trades does this by giving
companies who are looking for clean tech talent one place where
they can search and partner for the talent they need to grow
their businesses.
Affordable, high-quality programs that align with
sustainability, that are offered through certificate, associate
degree education is an important aspect of the small business
ecosystem, and I am going to spend some time explaining how.
We expertly train untapped talent, mostly people who are
first-generation college students, immigrants, children of
immigrants, and others who have chosen to go into clean tech
careers or careers in sustainability. And the demand for that
work has been outstripping supply. These areas include
renewable energy technology, hybrid and electric vehicle
technology, HVAC and refrigeration including heat pump
installation and technology, smart building technology,
electric power generation, and more. Programs offered through
our center create pathways to home ownership, help graduates
contribute to the 60-odd Massachusetts towns and cities that
are represented by the students we serve in this college.
Good jobs create shared prosperity. The clean energy sector
creates shared prosperity for students and our families by
preparing them to become part of the skilled workforce and by
helping to make sure that the small businesses, and really all
businesses, thrive by having the talent they need to grow.
In addition, we relaunched and invested in business
management degree program that teaches students how to run and
market their own businesses. Why did we do this? Because more
than 50 percent of our students share that they have
aspirations to become small business owners, and we want to
make sure that they have the skills to fulfill their dreams and
have the talent that they need to do that.
Our Center for Energy Efficiency and the Trades received a
tremendous boost when Senator Markey and Senator Warren
facilitated $800,000 in community-directed spending. A little
money goes a long way in helping to propel the flywheel. These
funds brought critical resources and infrastructure to this
program so that we were able to respond to exploding demand for
talent. We hired an additional HVAC faculty member because
there is a waitlist for that program. That program has actually
doubled in size in a few years, and now, thanks to investment,
can accommodate up to 125 students. It is critical that we have
places that train the talent that companies need in
technologies such as heat pump installation, other forms of
smart building technology.
Community-directed spending and public investment also
allowed us to expand career navigation services by hiring a
career navigator, to build connections between students and the
hundreds of companies that are ardently seeking employees who
are trained in green tech skills. Through professional career
navigation we guide our students into secure jobs.
We deployed infrastructure improvement in the form of
software platforms that helped us better track our students'
progress and retention, and allowed those of them who are in
co-ops and apprenticeships to securely take exams while they
are off-campus. We want our students to be able to keep their
commitments to college and keep their work schedules at the
same time, and now we have better technology modes to allow
them to do that.
The most essential elements of having adequate clean energy
programming are to make sure we have community-based
partnerships that facilitate better knowledge and awareness
that the programs are available, and we have been able to
achieve those aims through partnerships with organizations such
as Castle Square Tenants Association, just across the street,
unions such as IBEW, and other community-based organizations
such as Jewish Vocational Services. All of those organizations
have members, residents, and program participant who are taking
classes and participating in our programming. This is very much
an ecosystem, and we would like very much to see it remain
strong.
We have been able to strengthen our curriculum and respond
to the needs for local talent by making sure we have hands-on,
project-based learning, making sure we work together to enhance
student engagement and skill acquisition, while providing small
businesses and larger companies with the skilled employees they
need.
To our minds, energy efficiency and clean technology is not
an outlier in fields such as construction, building management,
automotive technology, and manufacturing. Rather, it is an
established imperative today. It just makes business sense.
We have excellent small business partners who partner with
us to develop curriculum and train our students. Some of these
include construction firms such as Delbrook/JKS of Quincy,
building automation company, American Energy Management, based
in Westborough, Cummings Properties of Woburn, and facility man
agement company, UG2 of Boston, and 128 Plumbing in Wakefield,
to name a few.
It is projected that Massachusetts will continue to need to
grow its local clean energy workforce. And as you heard my
colleagues share, it is also true that many companies are still
saying it is too difficult for them to find the skilled
workforce they need to do the work that they have. At Franklin
Cummings Tech and our partners we are working to bridge this
gap and meet this demand, and we take pride in the fact that
because of the work that we do and the industries that we are
serving, enrollment has increased by 40 percent in 4 years. We
know we can do our part to keep this flywheel going and make
sure we grow the workforce and place our graduates on a pathway
to working at small businesses for the betterment of economic
advancement and to support clean energy and sustainability.
Funding from public sources, like what we received through
community-directed spending for the clean energy programs we
offer is direly necessary. We hope and very much want this
programming and support to continue, both here and in our peer
institutions, and we will continue to produce significant
return on investment for individuals, small businesses, and the
economy.
Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Francis follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Markey. Thank you so much, Doctor. And last but, I
think kind of our capstone here, about what is possible, is
Josh Aviv, who is the Founder and CEO of Somerville-based
SparkCharge. I met Josh 7 or 8 years ago over at Greentown,
when Emily was running Greentown, and he was just in a little
alley in a booth at the time. And he was all concept, and, of
course, concept is 20 percent. Execution is 80 percent.
So he has gone from the concept to the execution quite
brilliantly, which is really where young people are in clean
tech right now. He founded SparkCharge from his dorm room at
Syracuse University, moved over to Somerville, raised over $50
million--$50 million--from investment, including $1 million
from his appearance on Shark Tank. And he is here today to
share his experience in running a successful small business in
the clean energy sector, now not just Somerville but now
nationwide.
So welcome, Josh. We are just so proud of everything you
have done.
STATEMENT OF JOSHUA AVIV, FOUNDER AND CEO, SPARKCHARGE,
SOMERVILLE, MA
Mr. Aviv. Thank you so much. I deeply appreciate it. Good
morning to everyone. It is a pleasure to be here. Senator
Markey, esteemed Committee members, and fellow participants, my
name is Josh Aviv. I am the CEO of SparkCharge, a
Massachusetts-based small business committed to building the
future of electric vehicle charging.
At SparkCharge we provide mobile, flexible charging to
electric vehicle and electric vehicle fleet, reducing the
infrastructure and downtime from 2 to 3 years to as little as 3
to 7 days, meaning that we allow electrification to grow in an
advanced and accelerated way, without the need for costly
infrastructure hurdles.
Today I am honored to discuss how Federal policies
profoundly impact not only our ability but the ability of
countless other small businesses in Massachusetts and across
the nation to innovate, grow, and lead in the clean energy
economy.
First, I would like to start by talking about the impacts
of tariffs. They significantly affect businesses by increasing
the cost of essential components by up to 30 percent. We have
seen this firsthand where battery components, electrical
components have now skyrocketed in price, meaning that it
becomes almost impossible for us to go out and offer affordable
EV charging to certain areas in the EV ecosystem.
Most of which, when we think about it, batteries and
electronic equipment remain dependent on global supply chains.
For small businesses, these increased costs result in reduced
competitiveness, slower innovation, and financial strain, as we
scale operations and strive to offer affordable, clean energy
solutions.
For EV companies and clean energy companies here in the
United States, we must remain competitive on a global stage. We
cannot just simply remain competitive here in the United
States. There are companies and small businesses around the
world that are trying to compete with us for the American
dollar. And when we fail to do that, we often lose market
share, and that reduces the amount of employees we can hire,
the growth that we can bring,not only to the commonwealth but
businesses in areas across the United States.
When we think about the Inflation Reduction Act, it has
been transformative for the clean energy sector and companies
like ours. Its incentives have spurred crucial investment, job
creation, and technological innovation in clean energy. Should
these incentives be removed, we would see disruption in ongoing
projects, decreased future investment, and a loss of critical
momentum in our journey towards electrification and
sustainability. The elimination of the IRA-supported incentives
would increase the cost of capital significantly, diminishing
our global competitive position.
We have made so many advancements here in the United States
with small businesses coming up with innovative technology that
we want to deploy, that only help our ecosystem and bring more
jobs, and to take two steps back after we have taken a step
forward would truly be heartbreaking.
Moreover, when we think about investment in clean energy
companies we have amazing programs like MassCEC and Greentown
Labs. But when we also think about it, there are other funding
sources such as venture capital that also help companies grow
and develop and scale. Within the clean energy sector, venture
capital was instrumental in helping us finance research,
develop and scale operations, and expand our market research. A
reduction in available venture capital funding due to changing
Federal policies and economic uncertainty would severely limit
growth, stalling promising new technologies, and threatening
jobs and economic progress here in the state of Massachusetts,
where venture capital has always been a part of helping
companies grow and scale to a global presence.
Manufacturing domestically here in the United States
remains a critical priority for us at SparkCharge. From day
one, we said we would never manufacture outside of the United
States, and we have been able to keep that promise. And other
small businesses here in the United States also have the
yearning to manufacture here in the United States. Local
manufacturing capabilities reduce supply chain vulnerabilities,
generate quality employment opportunities, and expedite the
innovation cycle. Federal support through incentives and
infrastructure investments strengthens our ability to produce
competitively priced produces domestically, enhancing business
resilience and national economic security.
Additionally, the clean vehicle tax credits under current
Federal policies significantly stimulate demand for electric
vehicles, directly benefiting SparkCharge and the broader EV
ecosystem. Increased adoption rates of EVs naturally lead to
heightened demand for EV charging infrastructure solutions and
also open up the opportunity for blue-collar jobs to advance
and grow.
When EV technology took off and charging stations were
being rolled out across the United States, there was a huge
demand for electricians across the United States. This demand
for electricians were able to provide jobs in countless
communities around the United States to offer good, high-paying
jobs, to advance clean technology at a rate that we had never
before seen here in the United States. If we lose that
momentum, all of those advanced jobs, all of those jobs for
electricians, trade workers that went into electrifying this
country and moving this country forward could be in jeopardy.
Lastly, tax credits like Research and Development Tax
Credits, tailored specifically for small businesses, are vital,
leveling the playing field by enabling innovative startups and
small companies like ours to invest robustly in research,
workforce development, and growth. Eliminating these credits
could disproportionately burden small businesses, increase
operational costs, and weaken our competitive standing relative
to larger, established corporations.
In conclusion, continued Federal support through fair
tariffs, sustained incentives from the IRA, a robust
environment for venture capital, strengthened domestic
manufacturing capabilities, stable clean vehicle tax credits,
and targeted small business tax credits are indispensable to
SparkCharge and similar innovative companies. Such supportive
policies ensure small businesses remain competitive,
innovative, and integral in driving America's clean energy
future.
Thank you for providing me this opportunity to testify
today. SparkCharge remains steadfast in our commitment to
collaborate with policymakers to reinforce the clean energy
economy, promote innovation, and foster sustainable, equitable
growth for our communities.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Aviv follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Markey. Thank you. As everyone can see, this is
just such an incredible all-star panel which has gathered here
to talk about the clean energy future and the threats to it.
So Josh, President Trump, when he introduced his tariffs on
180 countries around the world, including an island that only
had penguins on it, it didn't seem as though it was well
thought out in terms of what the impact was going to be,
especially on small businesses in our country. So how many
employees do you have now?
Mr. Aviv. We are approaching close to 40 employees across
the United States.
Senator Markey. Tell me what you are doing in L.A., in
California.
Mr. Aviv. In L.A. we are charging electric vehicles for
large corporations like Uber, allowing them to continue to
electrify. We have operations where we service some of the
largest fleets, everyone from food to agriculture, OEMs, ride
share, last-mile delivery. We power electric vehicles at scale.
Senator Markey. At scale. And how many states are you in
now?
Mr. Aviv. We currently have operations across all 50
states, our availability of operations across all 60 states
here in the United States.
Senator Markey. And so you would continue to need more
highly trained people, to provide these services?
Mr. Aviv. Yes, sir.
Senator Markey. So again, what is the impact the tariffs
are having on you right now?
Mr. Aviv. Absolutely. So the impact that tariffs are having
on us is we are starting to slow down investment in battery. We
are starting to slow down investment in, call it, more
technological advances. And then we are also starting to look
at are these fleets now going to slow down their investment in
electric vehicles.
So we have had to slightly start to pull back on hiring, as
well. We originally planned to grow to 50, 60-plus people this
year. We have now started to hear basically from fleets,
``Well, look, we have got to understand the impact of the
tariffs. There is a lot of uncertainty in the market.''
And so if those fleets scale back and they don't push
forward to electrification, then that inhibits our ability to
grow and hire, as well. So we have started to scale back our
hiring.
We have also started to see a lot of venture capital money
really stay on the sidelines, is what I would say. We have
heard from investors, ``Well, depending on how this goes,
depending on how the tariffs go, depending on how policy goes,
that's how we are going to deploy capital to new, innovative
companies like yours. But we really just want to sit back and
wait and see how this plays out, because we are just unsure.''
So there are millions of dollars that are being basically
sidelined because of the uncertainty, not only around the
tariffs but really uncertainty around where are we moving
forward as a country.
Senator Markey. And Mr. d'Arbeloff, are you seeing the same
thing in your industry?
Mr. d'Arbeloff. Well, we absolutely are. I think that most
solar companies are not eligible for venture capital. The
intellectual property component of our businesses is such that
hit is not a great match. As such, cash flow is king to every
solar company, and when a solar company is forced to use that
precious cash flow to make long-term procurements to hedge against
the instability we see ahead, it really constrains the business.
It really ties their hands behind their back in terms of what can
and can't be done, and frankly, can put the business at risk.
Senator Markey. So you are seeing the same thing that Josh
is seeing.
Mr. d'Arbeloff. Absolutely.
Senator Markey. And so those are two good examples. But Dr.
Reichert is able to see the whole state. That is her job. So
what is happening here in this sector, Doctor, in terms of the
impact tariffs are having?
Ms. Reichert. Well, I will just add to what Josh referenced
a moment ago. In terms of the young companies that we work with
across Massachusetts, we had recently tried to understand
better what impacts they are facing in this short, 100-day
period where so much has changed over and over again.
What we learned was that change is causing so much
uncertainty in all the ways that Josh just mentioned. Should we
hire? Should we not hire? Should we expand, or should we hold
back on that expansion? How do we think about inventory, or not
have inventory?
The uncertainty is the big thing that comes through the
survey results, over and over again, and that spills out into
the economy. When you are talking about clean energy jobs in
Massachusetts, we have 115,000 jobs, but we also have induced
and indirect jobs that depend on this industry. So whenever you
think about, well, the supply chain for clean energy, that
instability trickles down to less hiring, less contracts, and
it has a much broader impact than on the industry alone.
Senator Markey. Yeah. With much fanfare, yesterday the
President announced that he had reached an agreement with Great
Britain on a trade deal, but it looks like it is less an
agreement than a framework to reach an agreement. And that,
again, is something would only have been the first of all the
agreements that he has to reach, although he hasn't reached an
agreement, in reality, on all of the key details.
So again, all of that just leaves an incredible cloud of
uncertainty, especially over the smaller companies. The big
companies, they might be able to ride it out for 6 months, ride
it out for a year, be able to make some adjustments. But for
smaller companies it becomes less ``liberation day,'' which
President Trump used as a way to describe all of his tariffs,
than an ``extermination day,'' a ``liquidation day'' for so
many smaller businesses who move week to week, month to month.
And they have to figure it out on an ongoing basis. They don't
have that kind of margin for survival over a longer period of
time.
So again, coming back to you, Mr. d'Arbeloff, how many
companies do you represent?
Mr. d'Arbeloff. We have about 80 members in SEBANE.
Senator Markey. And how many, do you think, are becoming
more vulnerable because of these tariffs, or even the threats
of the removal of the tax break? Mr. d'Arbeloff. I would
estimate 55 of our member companies are actually solar companies,
and I do not think there is a
single one of them that is not negatively impacted by what we
are seeing. It is a very, very difficult situation. As I noted,
solar is called the ``solar coaster'' for a reason. There are
lots of ups and downs, and we figure it out. There are plenty
of businesses in the solar industry that have failed over the
years, but there have also been quite a few who have prevailed
and figured out how to ride these waves. That said, what we are
seeing today is really unprecedented in terms of
unpredictability. And so I would say that the threat is very,
very real and quite frightening.
Senator Markey. In 2009, when Congressman Henry Waxman and
I passed our legislation, the Waxman-Markey Bill, that passed
the House of Representatives and would have reduced greenhouse
gasses by 80 percent by the year 2050, the total installed
capacity of solar in the United States, from the beginning of
time until 2009, was 2,000 megawatts. That is all we had. Last
year, there was 40,000 new megawatts of solar installed in the
United States of America.
So this has just moved dramatically with all of the
incentives, all of the states that have moved, all of the
cities that have moved, and the Federal incentives that have
been placed on the books.
So it is clearly a vertical story that, of course, the
natural gas industry is frightened of because it can, in fact,
substitute for natural gas-generated electricity. So now they
have gone beyond saying, well, solar is important, but only as
a small, small portion, to a point where, in 2024, almost all
of the new installed electrical capacity in the United States
just came from solar and wind and new battery storage
technologies, including another company, Form Energy, which
came out of Greentown, as well, which is showing that you can
have battery storage at a utility scale. And they are in
Weirton, West Virginia, now, with more than 400 employees
there, coming out of Somerville. Like Josh's story, going
national.
So all of this is absolutely an indication of how we have
created a job creation machine, and it is working, but it is a
threat. It is a threat to the oil industry, the more that all-
electric vehicles are on the road. We put 70 percent of the
oil, which we consume in America, goes into gasoline tanks, and
the more that vehicles don't have gasoline tanks will lower the
need for new oil. And the same thing is true for the natural
gas industry in terms of electrical generation. The more that
solar and wind are deploying, there is less natural gas, less
number of pipelines which we are going to need.
So it is becoming, obviously, the storyline, and to the
extent to which Donald Trump said to the natural gas and oil
industry, if you raise me $1 billion, just in April of last
year, I will kill the clean energy industry. So that is where
we are, and it is not anything other than a policy decision
that they are making. But it is on behalf of the fossil fuel
industry. It is on behalf of the legacy industry.
And then it is coupled with a tariff policy which isn't
aimed at anything that is rationally explainable because it
doesn't just affect the clean energy industry, it is affecting
small businesses across the entirety of the nation. There are
34 million small businesses in the United States. We have
734,000 small businesses in Massachusetts. We have 7 million
people, so there is one small business
for every 10 people in the state of Massachusetts, and the
number is true for every single state in the union. It is 330
million people and 33 million small businesses. So it is a 10-
to-1 ratio. And 30 percent of all trade in our nation is done
by small businesses, and they represent 97 percent of all
business that do trade with other countries.
So this then becomes something that goes right to the heart
of small business in Massachusetts or across the country, the
ability to be able to plan. Again, they are not a big business.
If a small restaurant chain here in Massachusetts, trading with
maybe 15 different countries, for different foods or products
which they need in their business, and they can't be sure what
they are going to be having to pay in a tariff, or the supplier
in the other country is absolutely uncertain as to whether or
not they have a reliable partner in the United States, it casts
a shadow over it, their small businesses.
So I would like to just come back to Dr. Francis for a
second, because you are providing the new workers that Josh or
Nick's trade association can use.
Ms. Francis. Correct.
Senator Markey. And you mentioned earlier that you are
partnered with IBEW 103, the electricians' union. Could you
explain that partnership and the enthusiasm for young students,
you know, minority students, young women, to get into this
field?
Ms. Francis. Absolutely. So with the partnership that we
have with that particular union, members who are well
established can receive credit for the training center
education that they have received at the union and apply that
credit towards an associate degree here in college. So these
kinds of partnerships, these alternative pathways to receiving
the credentials that folks are looking for, that are required
to get into the field and take these jobs, is really an
important way to really bring untapped talent into the clean
tech space. And it is important for small businesses, as well,
because a lot of times the large companies have people beating
down the doors to work at their companies, and it might not
necessary be the same came for small businesses. So it is
important that we are also responding to the talent needs for
small businesses, as well. But union partnerships are a really
important part of the ecosystem, and we are happy to be working
with them.
Senator Markey. Yeah, and the Federal investments, they
spur new projects. They create new hubs.
Ms. Francis. Absolutely.
Senator Markey. But many of them are union jobs, as well.
Many of the clean technology tax credits in the Inflation
Reduction Act are worth more when developers pay workers a
prevailing wage and use registered apprentices, and that is not
an accident. It is on purpose. These job standards will result
in better projects, better policies, better communities. Could
you expand on that, in terms of apprenticeship programs that
your students are able to graduate into?
Ms. Francis. Yes. We have delivered work-based learning,
which essentially means that we want to make sure that students
aren't only learning in their classrooms and theoretically, but
that they have something that they apply that to. So projects
with compa
nies, like working with [unclear] are important, and so are co-
ops, so are apprenticeships.
So we have been part of pioneering something called the
apprenticeship degrees, which is a method whereby the
traditional apprenticeship has been adapted with investment
from the state, and the State Office of Labor and Workforce
Development really helps us to navigate a way in which you can
pair and partner an apprenticeship with a college degree. And
it is wonderful. It opens up all kinds of avenues for people to
get paid while they are in college. As I shared, many of our
students are very resource constrained and people want to bring
forward the opportunity to work and go to school. And it is
helpful for companies, too, so that they have the talent pool
that they need earlier and sooner, so there is less pressure on
people thinking that they have to do either a job or college.
You can do both at the same time.
So we have really taken the apprenticeship from the days of
Ben Franklin and modernized it. So the apprenticeship degree is
something that we invest in heavily here.
Senator Markey. Thank you. And I think you mentioned
earlier that the student, as they graduate, starts at $60,000 a
year.
Ms. Francis. That is the average, yes.
Senator Markey. That is the average, $60,000 a year.
Dr. Reichert, could you talk about wages in the clean
energy sector of Massachusetts, in general, just so people can
understand how big of an opportunity this is. Kids figure out
why they should study this subject because their buddies are
telling them, this could really be a big payoff, if you get
this background, made by your own personal commitment to
learning about a new industry. So what is the status for people
who work in this sector?
Ms. Reichert. Sure. Well, many clean energy occupations
currently earn hourly wages that are higher than average hourly
wages in Massachusetts, and they come with real benefits, long-
term stability, and the opportunity to build a meaningful
career.
So for perspective, the statewide median hourly wage is
about $29, and in the clean energy sector we are seeing wages
that far exceed that benchmark. So for example, construction
workers in clean energy earn a median wage of $64 an hour.
Electrical engineers earn $60 an hour. Even roles like
electricians and HVAC technicians, which are core to
decarbonizing our buildings, earn $39 and $35 per hours,
respectively, which is both well above the statewide median as
well as the national median.
Even workers who are just starting out often earn wages
above the state average. And I think Dr. Francis can tell you
stories that oftentimes it is hard to keep these students long
enough through their training because they get snapped up like
that. There is real demand for these workers, and there will
continue to be as we march towards our climate goals.
Senator Markey. Which is, I think, great news for young
people. And again, I just want to come back to Dr. Francis a
little bit, because you talked about a partnership that you
have with high schools, to get them college credits while they
are in school. I think, is it Madison High School?
Ms. Francis. We have that partnership with Madison Park,
Dearborn STEM Academy, Cambridge Rindge and Latin. We actu
ally have 16 or 17 high schools, students from 16 or 17 high
schools taking advantage of our early college program.
Senator Markey. So what you do is you help to introduce
young people, as juniors or seniors in high school, into these
areas.
Ms. Francis. Yes, because the sooner we get them, the
better.
Senator Markey. So they then can kind of see the future
earlier. It is kind of like parents taking their kids on
college weekends, to go see which school they might apply to.
Ms. Francis. Yes.
Senator Markey. But what you do is you go right to the high
schools.
Ms. Francis. Demystifying----
Senator Markey. And you say, ``Here it is. This is the
future. And if you start to study a little bit harder, work on
this, come to our school, go to another school that has these
particular skill sets, it can be an incredible future.'' Do you
mention how much people can make when you talk to the juniors
and seniors in high school?
Ms. Francis. It is one of the highlights of the talks that
we do in community, and it is important because people need
ways to sustain themselves in their communities. This is why we
are doing this work, and this is how we can incentivize folks
to make an investment, a post-secondary education investment in
their education beyond high school. Because the truth is that
it does still matter to have some training beyond high school,
for the time that it takes to deal with voltage and
electricity, and these are complicated fields. And while we can
push as much of that training as we can into high school, it
does still require post-secondary training.
Senator Markey. Right. And again, the workforce is there,
ready to go.
Ms. Francis. The workforce is there.
Senator Markey. It is getting the training, and now we have
to make sure that the companies are there----
Ms. Francis. That is right.
Senator Markey [continuing]. To be able to hire them. We
have to make sure that the policies reflect that.
So I want to come back again to Josh and to Nick to talk
about tax policy. We just talked about tariffs. Now let's talk
about the tax policies, and which of these tax policies are
central to ensuring that we see the continued investment in
growth in the clean energy sector.
So if you could, Josh, focus upon that area and tell us why
it is so vital.
Mr. Aviv. Absolutely. When we think about the Inflation
Reduction Act, for us this is a vital policy. When we think
about the growth of EVs and clean tech and clean tech
investments here in the United States that spur job growth
across the United States, this is something that has proven to
not only be successful but helpful to not only just companies
here in Massachusetts but companies across the United States
that are looking to further clean tech advancements, further
grow the clean tech economy.
And if that is removed, then we are really taking a serious
step backwards. We are taking a serious step backwards in job
growth. We are taking a serious step backwards in innovation.
We are taking a serious step backwards in investment. And we
are really giv
ing up that advancement to outside companies, outside countries
that want to take advantage of that.
I firmly believe that the U.S. dollar is still the most
powerful dollar in the world, and U.S. companies are innovating
and creating innovative solutions to go after and solve
problems for U.S.-based and worldwide-based consumers. So if we
lose these tax credit, if we lose these policies, then we are
really giving up the competitive advantage, and we are losing
an opportunity that I think we will never see again.
Senator Markey. Never see again. Mr. d'Arbeloff.
Mr. d'Arbeloff. Well, I think one thing I would note is
that the ITC, the Investment Tax Credit, which has for a long
time been 30 percent of system price--in other words, the
investor or the owner of the system is allowed to take a 30
percent tax credit off their tax burden in the year in which
the system goes live--is absolutely vital to driving the
industry.
By the way, it is also worth noting that this perhaps
wouldn't be necessary or anywhere near as important if fossil
fuels were to be charged for the externalities that they
generate. In other words, the damage that they do to the
environment is not a burden that they bear. They are allowed to
pollute for free. And were that not the case, were there a
carbon tax, were Waxman-Markey have come to pass, we would be
in a very different situation here, wherein something like the
ITC would not be quite as critical.
But we are where we are, and the ITC drives down payback
for solar systems in a way that is just fundamental for the
investment community, and for homeowners. So for really anyone
who purchases a solar system or invests in a solar system, it
is what gives a level of predictability to the investment that
allows all parties to engage in the transaction and make it
happen.
I think that if this were badly threatened, I hate to throw
around big words, but it would be an existential threat to the
way that the industry operates. And as you noted, solar and
clean energy is now exceeding fossil fuels in terms of new
energy resources per year. I think that if the ITC were to be
pulled back in any significant fashion, we would----
Senator Markey. For the audience, ITC is----
Mr. d'Arbeloff. The Investment Tax Credit.
Senator Markey. And how is the Investment Tax Credit
applied to a small business.
Mr. d'Arbeloff. Great question. So if you are a small
business and you put solar on the roof of your facility, then
you are allowed to, using a one-page, actually I think it is a
two-page, IRS form, you input the price of the solar system
that you purchased. It then calculates 30 percent of that
system purchase price, and you are allowed to deduct that from
your overall tax burden. It is not a tax deduction. You are
actually taking a credit on the taxes you owe for that year. So
it is hugely valuable to the way in which solar transactions go
down, and were it removed it would be hugely problematic.
The same is true for homeowners, by the way, where a
homeowner can do the exact same thing. It is a different IRS
form. It is a different section of the tax code, but same exact
process.
Senator Markey. Now the interesting thing, of course, is
that the oil, gas, and coal industry have had a tax break for
100 years. So it is not as though, as they try to call this
socialistic, it is not as though they haven't been the biggest
beneficiary of socialism, for 100 years, with their tax breaks.
And then we try to put tax breaks on the books for the
competitors, and all of a sudden they are outraged that you
could have such a system in our great country, while not taking
the tax breaks for the oil industry or the gas industry off the
books, simultaneously.
So can you explain that and how troubling that is?
Mr. d'Arbeloff. Yes. That is true. The tax breaks offered
to the fossil fuel industry are substantive and dwarf what the
solar industry might receive, although they are not truly
visible by the consumer. They are extraction tax credits, which
allow for them to engage in R&D activities at a substantially
reduced rate than what it would cost them directly were such
tax breaks not available to them.
So it is sort of a behind-the-scenes, behind-closed-doors
tax credit that no one really understands other than the fossil
fuel companies themselves.
Senator Markey. Yeah. And again, let's go back to 2009,
once again. It is not that long ago, 15 years ago, when Waxman-
Markey was passing in the House of Representatives. And then,
according to some estimates, the largest amount of money ever
spent to defeat any piece of legislation in congressional
history was spent to kill Waxman-Markey in the Senate. There
were only 2,000 all-electric vehicles in the United States,
total. There were only 2,000 megawatts of solar in the United
States.
Now, coming back to Josh, in the first quarter of this
year, January, February, and March of this year, there were
380,000 new all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids sold.
Electricity, plug it in. That is like a million and a half
vehicles that would be sold this year, not 2,000 total in 2009,
but an explosive increase.
So that is a big story. But the tax breaks help, right, to
make sure that all of that can--and in the same way Nick
explained how the tax breaks work, could you also explain how
the tax breaks work to incentivize people to install those
charging stations?
Mr. Aviv. Absolutely. So there are tax incentives not only
on installing EV charging stations but also on owning and
buying an electric vehicle. And when we think about the growth
of electric vehicle adoption here in the United States in the
first quarter of this year, a lot of that was driven by growth
outside of what you would say were mostly popular EV states.
Back in 2009, those 2,000 vehicles were most likely populated
in California, right. Now, here, 2025, that growth has expanded
across the United States, outside of California, and even in
more rural areas. We are starting to see adoption happening in
Texas. We are starting to see adoption happening in Ohio, in
Michigan. And that is due to a lot of the tax credits that are
available to owning an electric vehicle and install an EV
charging station.
So we are seeing this massive growth that, to date, you
bring up a really good point. We grew EV charging in '21, but I
think the bigger headline here is that electric vehicle growth
in America, since its inception, has never taken a decrease. It
has always
grown, year over year over year. So a lot of times people will
come out and say, ``Well, is electric vehicle adoption growing?
Is it slowing?'' Year over year, we have never sold less
electric vehicles here in the United States.
So these tax credits, these benefits, help spur that
growth, not only on the EV side and the charging station side,
but think about the person that comes out and installs that
charging station. So the trickle-down effect is that now, as
more EVs grow across the United States, they are opening up
more job growth for people to actually earn a living off this
clean energy economy.
Senator Markey. Thank you, Josh. Yeah, and it is not any
longer just Tesla. I think there are 78 models that can be
purchased from other companies. So back then, you know, 15
years ago, it was just a very small number of vehicles that
were being produced. But now it is Ford, it is General Motors,
it is companies around the globe that want to build here. Yeah,
Josh.
Mr. Aviv. Absolutely. And if you think about it, as well,
there are more OEMs. General Motors is doing an amazing job
coming----
Senator Markey. OEM?
Mr. Aviv. Original manufacturer.
Senator Markey. Meaning General Motors and Ford.
Mr. Aviv. General Motors and Ford. Yes, sir. They are
coming out with new EVs, and they are getting better and better
at price points where people can afford them. And if we think
about how we are going to go out and scale electric vehicle
adoption, there has got to be affordable models out there. And
when we think about Tesla, who started producing electric
vehicles, General Motors, who now, I think, is almost on par,
if not they are about to pass Tesla, in electric vehicles sold.
That means that the American consumer now wants electric
vehicles. It is no longer the cool thing. It is now starting to
become the economical way to travel.
So we expect to see more electric vehicle growth. And then
when we think about the adoption of fleets, as well--so fleets
now adopting electric vehicles in the thousands--you are going
to start to see more electric vehicles on the road. And we need
these policies in place to continue to spur that growth and
continue to bring along that economic development and job
growth.
Senator Markey. Yeah. And that is just so important. There
is kind of an inexorable increase and consumer satisfaction.
And we have come a long way when Donald Trump is running a car
show on the lawn of the White House, to help out his buddy,
Elon, to sell more vehicles. And Trump is going, ``I might buy
one of these all-electric vehicles.'' So he might be actually,
ironically, expanding the market rather than contracting it.
Yeah, Dr. Reichert.
Ms. Reichert. Can I just add, in terms of impacts here in
Massachusetts, we have seen a 22 percent increase in clean
transportation jobs, which encompasses EVs, since 2023. And the
state was actually ranked nationally number one for the highest
rate of growth in electric jobs in 2024. So this is having real
impacts here at home, and obviously the type of tax credits
that have been discussed here and those potentially not being
available is going to cause impacts on real people's lives,
real jobs, right here in Massachusetts.
Senator Markey. And again, the way I view this is that
President Trump is imposing tariffs without any clear plan, and
putting a cloud over businesses, but especially small
businesses. He is planning on cutting, by upwards of 40
percent, the budget for the National Institutes of Health,
which is what we would call Kendall Square, finding the cure
for Alzheimer's and diabetes and cancer and all the diseases
which run through the genetics of people in our country but all
around the planet. And we are the leader. We are clearly the
leader in clean energy technology, as well. And meanwhile,
China is moving very rapidly in biotech. They are investing
massively in biotech.
I think, Josh, I just saw last month where there is a
Chinese company that announced that they now have a battery
which can be charged in 5 minutes for a vehicle. So do we want
to pull out of the race with China and just giftwrap biotech
and clean tech to the Chinese economy, or do we want to
compete? Do we want to use our young people, you know, the
Greentown, the engine, all of our university brainpower, to
compete technologically.
So what is the risk, Josh, of this retreat?
Mr. Aviv. Absolutely. And I love that example, because
everyone got excited when they showed that they could charge a
car in 5 minutes. And the reality is that the technology that
enabled that to happen was actually developed here in the
United States, and it was actually demoed 5 years ago. It was
nothing new. It was just a Chinese OEM that said, ``Oh look, we
can do it.''
But believe it or not, the Combined Charging Standards,
CCS, actually supports up to 1,000 kilowatts of energy that can
go into a car, so that is your 5-minute charge. It is
investment that is needed to roll out that infrastructure, that
we developed here in the United States, that we were able to
prove out 5 years ago.
So, anyway, when we think about the advancement, and when
we think about other countries catching up to the United
States, the United States is still in the lead in most
categories, but other countries are like right behind us. And
if we give up that lead, if we stop investing in clean tech, if
we don't roll out the technology that we developed, innovated,
and created here in the United States, if we don't roll that
out, if we don't support that innovation, then we will be
surpassed. And that is just a crime against humanity, to be
able to develop the technology here, innovate it.
You know, when we think about a lot of the solar
technology, as well, a lot of that was developed here in the
United States, as well. We innovated on that, we patented on
that, and then we stopped investing in it. And then other
countries said, ``Look, that is a really great patent. That's
really great technology. Let's innovate it and move it
forward.''
So when you have this technology that has been created
here, when you have U.S. government money that has been
invested in that technology to bring it to market, and then we
pull back, really we are just hurting ourselves. We are hurting
the businesses, because we are not pushing that technology
forward. We are not taking advantage. We are not reaping the
benefit of the technology that we created and that we developed
here in the United States.
So when we think about China and we think about the
advances that they are making, really we have to continue to
invest in clean
energy. We have to continue to invest in the clean energy
economy. We have to continue to invest in innovation so that we
maintain that lead and not give up our position.
Senator Markey. I agree with you, 100 percent. When there
is a rival coming for you, when that rival has a plan, and that
rival is energized, you have to have a plan. You have to
respond. And that is why it is so important that the Boston
Celtics have a plan tonight against the New York Knicks. They
have got to come back. They have got to have a plan. And we
need the same thing in biotech. We need the same thing in clean
tech. That is the future. Not just for Massachusetts. It is the
future for our country. We are only 5 percent of the world's
population. We have to decide what we are going to make. We
have to decide what we are going to produce.
Yes, Dr. Francis.
Ms. Francis. Senator, I just wanted to follow up on that by
putting a finer point on what these jobs are. So for instance,
in electric vehicle technology it does require different
approaches to repair. So we have created a program that
responds to that need, because there is a shortage of
technicians who actually know how to deal with the electricity
and the voltage.
So these are the kinds of things that we are talking about.
So when you cut off the investment, you are also cutting off
jobs for people, not only in Massachusetts but in local
communities, because local repair people do that work. This is
not work that is outsourced. This is work that is happening on
the ground. So there is an entire infrastructure of roles that
we are going to snuff out, and I just think people should know
about that.
Senator Markey. Yeah. And my father graduated from the
vocational program at Lawrence High School, and he became,
ultimately, vice president of an electrical union in South
Boston, UE. He was the vice president. And one of the earliest
things I can hear from my father, as the oldest in the family,
was ``Eddie, whatever you do, don't put your finger in the
socket.'' So I was learning about electricity very young, from
my father, who focused on it. And he could do anything with
electricity.
And electricity is making a big comeback. We might have to
double the capacity over the next generation. So there is a
whole new generation, like my father, as they were starting
this whole revolution, that once again will get reintroduced.
But the technology is different. It requires even more
sophistication. It is computer related, in many ways. You have
to have wireless devices with you while you are trying to
figure out how to do the installation, and it requires
training.
And that is where young people want to go. They are smart.
They want to move to the future. And between the tariffs and
the potential removal of tax breaks, the future has a cloud
over it in the areas where young people want to move to most
ambitiously. So it is a pretty grave threat right now, which is
why I am fighting so hard down in Washington.
Nick, did you want to add something right there, that I see
you moving in on?
Mr. d'Arbeloff. No, I think we have passed the point. But I
do think that we are on the verge of really solving some of the
basic
problems that were associated with renewable technology. Early
on, stones could be thrown at renewable by claiming it was
intermittent, and that it couldn't power our industry and
civilization because if the wind wasn't blowing and the sun
wasn't shining.
But energy storage, as witnessed by Josh's company and many
others, has grown and evolved by leaps and bounds, and we now
can provide renewable baseload power to industry, to homes, and
so forth. Baseload power is defined as constant, something that
can be relied upon and depended upon, day in and day out. And
the fact that we have now arrived at this incredibly critical
milestone, only to head down what I can only say is a rabbit
hole, is very, very unfortunate.
Senator Markey. And again, that is why I am going to be
working very hard to explain to my colleagues in Washington.
For example, it is West Virginia where Form Energy is building
their manufacturing capacity. That is the future. Those are
workers who can move into a brand-new industry, not just a job
but a career, you know, manufacturing.
And by the way, Form Energy, also a Greentown firm, you
keep hearing about lithium-ion and do we have enough lithium-
ion here in the United States. Well, what they did,
brilliantly, over at Form Energy, was they figured out how to
use iron and oxygen, in other words, two of the most common
elements, to be able to produce this incredible, utility-scale
battery technology, which is being manufactured in West
Virginia.
So 80 percent of all of the jobs created in the climate
bill are in red states. They are the ones manufacturing the
batteries. They are the ones manufacturing the solar panels.
They are the ones manufacturing these new vehicles,
disproportionately.
And you have installation jobs, though, and there are way
more jobs in installation than there are in even the
manufacture. And that is where we are. We innovate, we come up
with those innovation jobs. That is Greentown. And there are a
lot of jobs that we get from the innovation. There are many
more jobs that are being created out of the bill down in the
red states and the purple states. And, on top of that, once
they manufacture it we can then hire electricians. We can hire
roofers to go up and do the work. And we need to train a whole
new generation of young people to go into doing that. That is
the whole system. It is inventors and investors. It is
professors and producers. We provide part of it; other states
provide part of it. And when you put it all together it is
called future economy.
And again, I am going to keep coming back to the same thing
is true for biotech. It is absolutely essential to job creation
in the future, but also solving the problems of the diseases
that have afflicted humankind forever, or climate change, which
is a cumulative problem over generations, that also needs a
technological solution. But it is going to require jobs to be
created in order to solve those problems.
So what I would like to do with this incredible panel--has
this been a great panel? Can we give them applause for the
incredible job that they have done?
[Applause.]
Senator Markey. So what I would like to do is give each one
of you 1 minute to tell everyone who is watching across the
country what it is you want them to remember from this hearing.
What is most important for them to keep in their minds over
these next several months, as we are talking about tariffs,
talking about changes in tax policy, and what the implications
can be.
And maybe we will go in reverse order of the opening
statement, and if you wouldn't mind, Josh, we will begin with
you.
Mr. Aviv. Absolutely. So just want to say thank you to
everyone for coming out, and thank you, Mr. Markey, for
allowing us to present here today.
I will keep mine short and sweet. Investment in clean tech,
investment in the clean energy economy is an investment in job
growth. It is an investment in the economy. It is an investment
in economic growth, not only here in Massachusetts but across
the United States. And so I think as we continue the
conversation around electric vehicles, as we continue the
conversation around clean tech, as we continue the conversation
around biotech, when we think about those industries and we
think about those particular topics, at the end of the day an
investment in those areas is an investment in jobs. It is an
investment in growing our economy. And if you like jobs, if you
want to grow jobs here in the commonwealth, we should continue
to invest in those areas.
At SparkCharge we are proud that we are here. We are based
in Somerville, Massachusetts. We plan on staying in Somerville,
Massachusetts. We plan on continuing to grow here in the state
of Massachusetts, and continue to help with innovative ways to
grow the electric vehicle industry at a faster pace across the
United States.
Thank you so much for listening to what we have to say, and
we are excited to work with everybody as we continue to push
this industry forward.
Senator Markey. Thank you. Dr. Francis.
Ms. Francis. Yes. Thank you again for the opportunity to
share why post-secondary education matters. I would hope that
the people who are listening can understand that investment in
training and education beyond high school remains important and
that policy impacts people. I hope that people resist the urge
to think that none of this matters and to be overwhelmed by the
pace of change, and to really think about the fact that a
mission like ours, which is to deliver transformative technical
and trade education that leads to economic advancement requires
a thriving economy in order to work, and that small businesses
are where 80 percent of our students find their jobs.
So anything that threatens small business, any policies
that threaten education sector really threatens people. So that
would be my last message. Thank you for the opportunity.
Senator Markey. And thank you, Doctor, and again, my
father, he could do things easily that I couldn't even imagine
to do, as a boy or even today. It is a skill set.
Ms. Francis. It is.
Senator Markey. It is a gift. People have this
technological ability go to in and see a problem, and to solve
it, and that is what
you are doing every day here, giving young people the ability
to go and do that, and then get a high-paid job.
Ms. Francis. Absolutely.
Senator Markey. So we thank you for that. Mr. d'Arbeloff.
Mr. d'Arbeloff. Thank you, Senator. I am going to be
ambitious and a little wonky with my final minutes.
Unfortunately, we are in an age of extreme whether due to
climate change, and I think the solar small businesses that are
members of our organization are a critical component of helping
us literally weather the storms ahead. I think that the notion
of having solar on your house or small business, in conjunction
with storage, allows you to obtain a level of resiliency which
is really, really important.
I would also say that lots of folks have accused the solar
industry of being subsidized, to the disadvantage of other rate
payers who don't go solar. And I want to point out that solar
plays a critical role in actually lowering rates for all rate
payers. The way it works--and this is wonky--at what is called
ISO New England, that manages our grid, if a number of
different generators all bid in their source of energy, the
last generator in, the highest rate sets the price for all
generators. If you can knock out the peaker plants, if you can
knock out----
Senator Markey. If you can knock out----
Mr. d'Arbeloff. If we are all generators, and Senator, by
some strange turn of fate you are a natural gas peaker plant,
charging----
Senator Markey. What do you mean by peaker? What do you
mean by peaker?
Mr. d'Arbeloff. Peaker plant says when the grid is peaking,
when the grid is at or near capacity----
Senator Markey. You mean, when it is a 100-degree day out.
Mr. d'Arbeloff. Exactly.
Senator Markey. Okay, yeah.
Mr. d'Arbeloff. And the grid needs more generators, there
are power plants that are designed to run for 20 hours a year
and get paid very handsomely for it. If you can say, hey,
peaker plant----
Senator Markey. Meaning that it is only going to be 100
degrees for 20 days a year, but you have got to pay the highest
single price just to keep it going, and it happens all year
long. So what happens under our new regime?
Mr. d'Arbeloff. If there is a large installed base of
solar, and that installed base of solar grows and grows and
grows, and what it means is Senator Markey's natural gas peaker
plant is no longer necessary, we can bid him goodbye. His 25
cent per kilowatt energy is no longer necessary----
Senator Markey. And how many----
Mr. d'Arbeloff [continuing]. In at 16 cents.
Senator Markey. 16 cents.
Mr. d'Arbeloff. And we just saved 9 cents per kilowatt hour
for every rate payer in the region. And that is just a small
example and the type of wonky stuff that never gets publicized,
and it is critical to how clean energy is really going to be a
wonderful influence and a critical cog in how we manage our
civilization, moving forward.
Senator Markey. Thank you. Dr. Reichert.
Ms. Reichert. Well, thank you for inviting me and my
colleagues here to testify. I think this has been a very
important conversation, and thank you for giving me the chance
to take it home.
I want to say to the audience that this is really about
communities. This is about people. This is about jobs and
livelihoods. It is about the uncertainty that exists now at the
Federal policy level, creating uncertainty in the lives of
students who are going to need a job and not sure if their
training matches up with what jobs are going to be available.
It is uncertainty in the future of small businesses who might
have made investments that now are in question. And it is
uncertainty in everyone who has bills to pay, if you are a
clean energy worker and you don't know that your job is going
to continue. These are real impacts on real people's lives.
You know, you talked about installation jobs in other parts
of the country, and that is absolutely true. But there are
clean energy installation, maintenance, and construction jobs.
That is actually one of the top three sets of jobs that exists
in the Massachusetts clean energy sector, as well.
Senator Markey. Can you say that again?
Ms. Reichert. One of the top three parts of the clean
energy jobs in Massachusetts are installation, maintenance, and
construction jobs.
So these are local jobs. These are jobs that are paying the
bills for real people who are living here, working here every
day, and depending on the future of clean energy in
Massachusetts and the entire country.
Senator Markey. Thank you. So I think Dr. Reichert has put
her finger on it. You can't outsource a job where someone has
to get up on the roof and do that work. You can't outsource a
job where someone has to figure out how to install the charging
station in somebody's garage or somebody's business. That has
to happen right here, with American workers, trained here at
Franklin Cummings. Yes, we have to do that right here. The
Chinese can't do it for us. It requires American workers to do
it.
But we need the technologies to be installed. We need the
workers to have a place to go to be hired, and we have people
here who want to hire them. They are ready to go. They are
ready to employ a whole new generation of workers.
And so I think what we heard today was that President
Trump's tariff policies are a real threat to especially the
small businesses in the clean energy sector, but to the clean
energy sector, in general. No question about it.
A repeal of tax incentives would also be an incredible
threat to this burgeoning industry, creating jobs on a massive
basis. The numbers, since 2022, when the IRA, the largest
climate bill in history, passed, is that it has already created
400,000 new jobs in America and $400 billion worth of private
sector investment. That is just in 2 1/2 years. So it is
working.
But it is even more than that, even more than the tariffs.
It is even more than the attempt to repeal the tax breaks,
which again, is counterintuitive if you are in the red states,
where 80 percent of the new jobs have been created. That really
doesn't make any economic sense that you have a future, and as
Dr. Reichert said at
the beginning, for an industry that is going to continue. But
we will just get a smaller percentage of it as each year goes
by.
But it is more than that. It is also a direct attack upon
that sector which is already working, which is the offshore
wind industry. So right off our coastline we have the same
winds that moved the Pilgrims towards our shores, that were
used by the whaling industry to create the first energy
industry, whale oil. But now that same wind can produce
electricity that we plug into, Barnstable, or Fall River, or
Salem, and fuel our homes and fuel our industries right now.
Donald Trump has announced that he is going to try to end
the entire offshore wind industry. And why would he do
something like that when Vineyard Wind is within months of
opening up 800 megawatts of electricity to come right into the
Massachusetts economy, essentially replacing the Pilgrim
Nuclear Power Plant. And it is pretty clear because otherwise
we would have to have more natural gas, natural gas that would
be coming in from fossil fuel states, when we would be able to
use our own indigenous power.
So Donald Trump not only is now talking about the tariffs
and the removal of the tax breaks, but also a direct attack
through his Department of Interior and Energy on an industry
which was going to produce 3,000, or 4,000, or 5,000, or 6,000
new megawatts of electricity which would just come in from
offshore.
And it is all for the benefit of the incumbent industries,
because they are afraid of the new industries that can replace
them. And especially for places like New England, where God
didn't bless us with any oil or gas or coal. But now we can use
our own indigenous energy resources, and that is a threat to
the natural gas industry, in the same way that Josh's
technology is a threat to the oil industry, and putting
gasoline into the tanks of the vehicles which we drive forever.
We wouldn't have to do that.
So this is an important defining moment in our country's
history, whether it be biotech or clean tech. We have a clear
vision for where the next generation of young people, young
people who are leading us, want to go, want to take us, the
industries where they want to work.
I can't thank our witnesses enough. And I am also going to
be releasing today a report that I have asked my great staff to
put together, and the title of the report is, ``Pulling the
Plug: How Trump's Attacks on Clean Energy Could Turn Out the
Lights for Small Business.'' And I am going to be releasing
this report today, as the Ranking Member of the Small Business
Committee, and it will go on here in some detail about what the
impacts will be of the Trump policies.
So again, with that I can't thank our incredible panel
enough for your expert testimony today, and we thank anyone who
is here for their participation.
The record will be open for 2 weeks for anyone who would
like to submit any comments or questions to the panel. We thank
all of you for participating, and with that this hearing is
adjourned. Thank you all so much.
[Whereupon, at 11:49 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
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