Energy bill promises lower-cost biz loans

The Small Business Administration is charged with drafting new loan and training programs to help small businesses boost their energy efficiency – and this time, the SBA faces deadlines.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (FORTUNE Small Business) — The Small Business Administration (SBA) and other government agencies are currently at work fleshing out plans for the new small-business training and grant programs mandated by the sweeping, years-in-the-making energy bill signed into law last month by President Bush.


The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007’s major focus is on long-term measures to reduce energy consumption, such as more stringent fuel-economy requirements for cars and light trucks and mandated increases in ethanol production. But scattered in the fine print of the 822-page bill are several provisions aimed at small businesses, the primary one of which is a loan-expansion program that reduces the fees and speeds up processing time for SBA loans earmarked for projects that increase a business’s energy efficiency.

Fortune