State Innovation Grant
Program
Michigan:
Michigan Environmental Results Program
(MERP) - Dry Cleaning Sector
The EPA State Innovation Grant Program was established in 2002 to help strengthen EPA's innovation partnerships
with States and Tribes and is a direct result of the Agency's innovation strategy, Innovating for Better Environmental
Results: A Strategy to Guide the Next Generation of Innovation at EPA (http://www.epa.gov/innovation/strategy).
To support the Innovation Strategy, the 2002 grant program focused its efforts on projects that related to one of
four priority issues: reducing greenhouse gases, reducing smog, improving water quality, and reducing the cost
of drinking water or wastewater infrastructure. In addition, EPA sought projects that test incentives that motivate
"beyond-compliance" environmental performance, or move whole sectors toward improved environmental
performance. This series of fact sheets features the State projects selected for funding under the Grant Program.
Contacts:
Teresa Kinder
MDEQ-ESSD, 525 West Megan Street,
Lansing, MI 48909-7973,
kindert@michigan.gov
Jennifer Ostermeier
US EPA Region 5; Chicago, IL,
ostermeier.jennifer@epa.gov
Scott Bowles
US EPA National Center for Environmental
Innovation, Washington, DC
202-566-2208, bowles.scott@epa.gov
Background
The dry cleaning industry is subject to both federal and state
environmental regulations pertaining to air, water, and solid and
hazardous waste generation. With regards to air quality, dry
cleaners are subject to the federal National Emission Standard
for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) or New Source
Performance Standard (NSPS). The Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality (MDEQ) regulatory divisions recognize
that there is a need to work more closely with the dry cleaning
industry to improve their understanding of and compliance with
all applicable environmental regulations, especially the
monitoring, record keeping and waste characterization
requirements. The MDEQ plans to incorporate the air, water
and waste requirements for the dry cleaner sector into a multi-
media, self-certification, compliance assistance package through
the Michigan Environmental Results Program (MERP).
MDEQ is proposing to pilot the MERP as a voluntary program.
NCEI
NATIONAL CENTER FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION
-------
Project Description
The Michigan DEQ will work with hundreds of
small businesses in the dry cleaning sector to
implement an Environmental Results Program based
upon similar programs in other states.
The dry cleaner self-certification project will use
MDEQ resources and leverage outside community
partners including USEPA Region 5, local trade
associations, community organizations, businesses
and economic development agencies. The MDEQ
will take a multi-media approach to prepare fact
sheets, self-assessment checklists, a workbook for
guidance on how to complete the self-assessment
checklists and compliance assistance tools for the
dry cleaning establishments on pollution prevention,
solid and hazardous waste generation, air and water
pollution (including release notification). MDEQ will
provide additional training through on-site
assessments and workshops. The tools and process
will also be available as models for other states.
Project implementation begins with the initial
compliance inspection assessment by MDEQ to
determine the baseline compliance rate. After the
baseline assessment, MDEQ provides a self-assessment
checklist and workbook to each dry cleaner
establishment. Owners are encouraged to participate
with the MERP project in lieu of pursuing a traditional
permitting approach. The participating establishments
must complete and submit multi-media self-certified
checklists to MDEQ. The dry cleaners correct any
observed deviations with the aid of a return to
compliance (RTC) plan. The RTC plans are submitted
along with the self-certification package to MDEQ.
MDEQ reviews the checklists and RTC plans and a
post inspection list is developed. Both the baseline and
post inspections are multi-media inspections.
Benefits of the Project
The benefits realized as a result of the MERP will be
to eliminate traditional time-consuming and
expensive permit application and review process for
both the facility and MDEQ, produce a greater level
of continuous compliance, increase compliance
resulting in a reducted environmental and public
health exposures to toxic substances, minimize
traditional inspection time through die use of multi-
media compliance and enforcement tools, and
provide an enhanced level of compliance assistance
to all facilities so that each facility will know their
compliance status.
Project Plan
The program is set to run three years.
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Policy,
Economics and Innovation
January 2005
EPA-100-F-05-003
------- |