In the first Experts Only podcast episode of 2025, host Jon Powers, President of CleanCapital, spoke with Lynn Abramson, President of the Clean Energy Business Network (CEBN), about effective advocacy strategies for engaging the 119th Congress and Trump Administration.
As a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, CEBN works to advance bipartisan solutions to modernize U.S. energy systems and enable emerging technologies to compete in the market. We serve as a bridge to federal energy policies and programs for more than 8,200 small business and community leaders across the nation, helping them navigate and engage in federal policies and funding resources. (Learn more about our mission and impact in our 2024 Annual Report.)
On Experts Only, Lynn spoke to Jon about finding common ground to overcome political differences and emphasized the widespread benefits and history of bipartisan leadership on clean energy policies. This accompanying post provides additional context and data related to the conversation.
Clean energy investments have spurred the creation of more than 400,000 jobs over the past 2.5 years across red and blue districts. In fact, roughly 80% of the cleantech investments announced in this time have been in Republican districts, according to various analyses of data from Rhodium Group’s Clean Investment Monitor. Many clean energy tax credits have enjoyed decades of bipartisan support—including extension and expansion under both the Trump and Biden Administrations (in 2020 and 2022, respectively). Several conservative leaders have recently expressed their support for continuing these investments.
Clean energy tax incentives have had a transformational impact on small businesses across America. In 2024, CEBN surveyed our network about their federal policy priorities. Out of 200 respondents, 71% expressed the importance of clean energy tax credits to their businesses and communities, followed by 64% highlighting R&D funding for new technologies. From companies in Hendersonville, TN to Poughkeepsie, NY, we heard how federal tax incentives and R&D investments made it possible for them to attract new customers, build projects and factories, expand their businesses, and hire more employees.
Preserving the existing runway for clean energy tax incentives is essential for creating business certainty. Should the investment landscape change, small businesses with limited resources would be the most severely impacted.
Another CEBN priority addressed in the podcast discussion was restoring the full value of the Section 174 tax deduction for R&D expenditures. This is a critical issue for technology companies across all sectors, particularly startups. Additionally, the conversation touched on emerging policy opportunities to accelerate commercialization of early-stage technologies and help startups overcome the valley of death.
Small business leaders are powerful advocates with authentic voices that resonate across partisan lines, but too often, they are not heard in Washington, DC. CEBN seeks to fill that void. Tune into the conversation to learn more about CEBN’s policy approach and join our network to make your voice heard!
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Founded in 2009 by The Pew Charitable Trusts, CEBN spun out in 2017 to become an independent small business initiative of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy. Today, CEBN serves as a bridge to federal energy policies and programs for more than 8,200 small business and community leaders across the nation.
