Entrepreneurs can curb dramatic climate change.

• Position: Greenhouse Effect

As Congress continues working to construct legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, legislators on the House of Representatives Small Business Committee have discussed how entrepreneurs and family farmers can play a role in addressing climate change, as well as the effect emission reductions could have on the small business economy.

"The science is clear: from rising sea levels to changing weather patterns, climate change is occurring," declares Chairwoman Nydia M. Velazquez (D.-N.Y.) "Entrepreneurs everywhere are stepping up to address this problem by investing in a green economy."

During the hearing, witnesses and lawmakers argued that there is a clear need for Congress to pass legislation in order for a climate change policy to be crafted correctly. Velazquez says that, if the Environmental Protection Agency moves forward alone to regulate carbon under the Clean Air Act, it likely would create difficulties since the agency would be using statutes initiated nearly 40 years ago for different purposes.

"The Clean Air Act is a landmark environmental law that has served us well for nearly four decades, but it simply was not written with the complexities of climate change in mind," Velazquez notes. 'q-he reforms needed are sweeping, and Congress must come up with a policy that takes small business needs into account."

With their innovation and ingenuity, small businesses are leading developers of cutting-edge "green" technologies. Entrepreneurs make up 90% of the renewable-energy sector that is harnessing wind and solar power as well as producing...