oEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (2201 A)
EPA300-F-03-001 May 2003
U. S. EPA Small Business Resources
If you own a small business, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers
a variety of compliance assistance and tools to assist you in complying with federal and state
environmental laws. These resources can help you understand your environmental obligations, improve
compliance and find cost-effective ways to comply through the use of pollution prevention and other
innovative technologies.
Hotlines, Helplines and
Clearinghouses
EPA sponsors approximately 89 free hotlines and clearing-
houses that provide convenient assistance regarding
environmental requirements.
The National Environmental Compliance Assistance
Clearinghouse provides quick access to compliance
assistance tools, contacts, and planned activities from the
U.S. EPA, states, and other compliance assistance
providers: http://www.epa.gov/clearinghouse
Pollution Prevention Clearinghouse
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/library/ppicindex.htm
EPA's Small Business Ombudsman Hotline can
provide a list of all the hot lines and assist in deter-
mining the hotline best meeting your needs:
(800) 368-5888
Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act
(800) 424-9346
National Response Center (to report oil and hazardous
substance spills)
(800)424-8802
Toxics Substances and Asbestos Information
(202)554-1404
Safe Drinking Water
(800)426-4791
Stratospheric Ozone and Refrigerants Information
(800)296-1996
Clean Air Technology Center
(919)541-0800
Wetlands Helpline
(800)832-7828
EPA Websites
EPA has several Internet sites that provide useful compli-
ance assistance information and materials for small
businesses. If you don't have access to the Internet at
your business, many public libraries provide access to the
Internet at minimal or no cost.
EPA's Home Page
http://www.epa.gov
Small Business Assistance Program
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/sbap
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
http://www.epa.gov/compliance
Compliance Assistance Home Page
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/assistance
Office of Regulatory Enforcement
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/index.html
Office of Site Remediation Enforcement
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/cleanup
Innovative Programs for Environmental Performance
http://www.epa.gov/partners
Small Business Ombudsman
www.sba.gov/ombudsman
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance: http://www.epa.gov/compliance
Recycled/Recyclable
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U.S. EPA SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCES
Compliance Assistance Centers
In partnership with industry, universities, and otherfederal
and state agencies, EPA has established national Compli-
ance Assistance Centers that provide Internet and "faxback"
assistance services for several industries with many small
businesses. The following Compliance Assistance Centers
can be accessed through the Center's gateway at http://
www.assistancecenters.net or by calling the phone numbers
below and at their respective websites:
Metal Finishing
(1 -800-AT-NMFRC or www.nmfrc.org)
Printing
(1-888-USPNEAC orwww.pneac.org)
Automotive Service and Repair
(1-888-GRN-LINKorwww.ccar-greenlink.org)
Agriculture
(1 -888-663-2155 or www.epa.gov/agriculture)
Printed Wiring Board Manufacturing
(1-734-995-4911 orwww.pwbrc.org)
The Chemical Industry
(1 -800-672-6048 or www.chemalliance.org)
The Transportation Industry
(1 -888-459-0656 or www.transource.org)
The Paints and Coatings Center
(1 -800-286-6372 orwww.paintcenter.org)
Three new centers are under development for the auto
salvage sector, the construction industry, and U.S. Mexi-
can border waste issues.
State Agencies
Many state agencies have established compliance assis-
tance programs that provide on-site and other types of
assistance. Contact your local state environmental agency
for more information. For assistance in reaching state
agencies, call EPA's Small Business Ombudsman at
(800)-368-5888 or visit the Small Business Environmental
Homepage at http://www.smallbiz-enviroweb.org/state.html.
Compliance Incentives
EPA provides incentives for environmental compliance. By
participating in compliance assistance programs or
voluntarily disclosing and promptly correcting violations,
businesses may be eligible for penalty waivers or reduc-
tions. EPA has two policies that potentially apply to small
businesses: The Audit Policy (http://www.epa.gov/compli-
ance/incentives/auditing) and the Small Business Policy
(http://www.epa.gov/compliance/incentives/smallbusiness).
These do not apply if an enforcement action has already
been initiated.
Commenting on Federal Enforcement
Actions and Compliance Activities
The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act
(SBREFA) established an ombudsman ("SBREFAOmbuds-
man") and 10 Regional Fairness Boards to receive comments
from small businesses about federal agency enforcement
actions. The SBREFA Ombudsman will annually rate each
agency's responsiveness to small businesses. If you believe
that you fall within the Small Business Administration's
definition of a small business (based on your North American
Industry Classification System (NAICS) designation, number
of employees or annual receipts, defined at 13 C.F.R.
121.201; in most cases, this means a business with 500 or
fewer employees), and wish to comment on federal enforce-
ment and compliance activities, call the SBREFA
Ombudsman's toll-free number at 1-888-REG-FAIR (1-888-
734-3247).
Every small business that is the subject of an enforcement
or compliance action is entitled to comment on the
Agency's actions without fear of retaliation. EPA
employees are prohibited from using enforcement or any
other means of retaliation against any member of the
regulated community because the regulated community
previously commented on its activities.
Your Duty to Comply
If you receive compliance assistance or submit comments
to the SBREFA Ombudsman or Regional Fairness Boards,
you still have the duty to comply with the law, including
providing timely responses to EPA information requests,
administrative or civil complaints, other enforcement
actions or communications. The assistance information
and comment processes do not give you any new rights or
defenses in any enforcement action. These processes
also do not affect EPA's obligation to protect public health
or the environment under any of the environmental statutes
it enforces, including the right to take emergency remedial
or emergency response actions when appropriate. Those
decisions will be based on the facts in each situation. The
SBREFA Ombudsman and Fairness Boards do not
participate in resolving EPA's enforcement actions. Also,
remember that to preserve your rights, you need to comply
with all rules governing the enforcement process.
EPA is disseminating this information to you
without making a determination that your business
or organization is a small business as defined by
Section 222 of the Small Business Regulatory
Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) or related
provisions.
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