Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (2201 A)
EPA-300-B-15-001 May 2015
U.S. EPA Small Business Resources Information Sheet
The United States Environmental Protection Agency provides an array of resources to help
small businesses understand and comply with federal and state environmental laws. In
addition to helping small businesses understand their environmental obligations and improve
compliance, these resources will also help such businesses find cost-effective ways to comply
through pollution prevention techniques and innovative technologies.
Small Business Programs
www.epa.gov/smallbusiness
EPA's Office of Small Business
Programs (OSBP) advocates and
fosters opportunities for direct and
indirect partnerships, contracts, and
sub-agreements for small businesses
and socio-economically disadvantaged
businesses.
EPA's Asbestos Small Business
Ombudsman
www.epa.gov/sbo or 1-800-368-5888
The EPA Asbestos and Small Business
Ombudsman (ASBO) serves as a
conduit for small businesses to access
EPA and facilitates communications
between the small business
community and the Agency.
EPA's Compliance Assistance
Homepage
www2.epa.gov/compliance
This page is a gateway industry
and statute-specific environmental
resources, from extensive web-
based information to hotlines and
compliance assistance specialists.
EPA's Compliance Assistance
Centers
www.assistancecenters.net
EPA's Compliance Assistance Centers
provide information targeted to
industries with many small businesses.
They were developed in partnership
with industry, universities and other
federal and state agencies.
Agriculture
www.epa.gov/agriculture/
Automotive Recycling
www.ecarcenter.org
Automotive Service and Repair
ccar-greenlink.org/or 1-888-GRN-
LINK
Chemical Manufacturing
www.chemalliance.org
Construction
www.cicacenter.org or 1-734-995-
4911
Education
www.campuserc.org
Food Processing
www.fpeac.org
Healthcare
www.hercenter.org
Local Government
www.lgean.org
Metal Finishing
www.nmfrc.org
Paints and Coatings
www.paintcenter.org
Printing
www.pneac.org
Ports
www.portcompliance .org
Transportation
www.tercenter. org
U.S. Border Compliance and
Import/Export Issues
www.bordercenter.org
EPA Hotlines, Helplines and
Clearinghouses
www2.epa.gov/home/epa-
hotlines
EPA sponsors many free
hotlines and clearinghouses
that provide convenient
assistance regarding
environmental requirements.
Some examples are:
Clean Air Technology Center
(CATC) Info-line
www.epa.gov/ttn/catc or 1-919-541-
0800
Superfund, TRI, EPCRA, RMP
and Oil Information Center
www.epa.gov/superfund/contacts/
infocenter/index.htm or 1-800-424-
9346
EPA Imported Vehicles and
Engines Public Helpline
www.epa.gov/otaq/imports or
734-214-4100
National Pesticide Information
Center
www.npic.orst.edu/or 1-800-858-
7378
National Response Center
Hotline to report oil and hazardous
substance spills - www.nrc.uscg.mil
or 1-800-424-8802
Pollution Prevention Information
Clearinghouse (PPIC) - www.epa.
gov/opptintr/ppic or 1-202-566-0799
Safe Drinking Water Hotline -
www.epa.gov/drink/hotline/index.cfm
or 1-800-426-4791
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance: http://www2.epa.gov/enforcement
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Small Business Resources
Stratospheric Ozone Protection Hotline
www.epa.gov/ozone/comments.htm or 1-800-296-1996
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Hotline
tsca-hotline@epa.gov or 1-202-554-1404
Small Entity Compliance Guides
http://www.epa.gov/sbrefa/compliance-guides.html
EPA publishes a Small Entity Compliance Guide (SECG)
for every rule for which the Agency has prepared a final
regulatory flexibility analysis, in accordance with Section 604
of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA).
Regional Small Business Liaisons
http://www.epa.gov/sbo/rsbl .htm
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional
Small Business Liaison (RSBL) is the primary regional
contact and often the expert on small business assistance.
advocacy, and outreach. The RSBL is the regional voice for
the EPA Asbestos and Small Business Ombudsman (ASBO).
State Resource Locators
www.envcap.org/statetools
The Locators provide state-specific contacts, regulations and
resources covering the major environmental laws.
State Small Business Environmental Assistance
Programs (SBEAPs)
www.epa.gov/sbo/507program.htm
State SBEAPs help small businesses and assistance providers
understand environmental requirements and sustainable
business practices through workshops, trainings and site visits.
EPA's Tribal Portal
www.epa.gov/tribalportal/
The Portal provides access to information on environmental
issues, laws, and resources related to federally recognized
tribes.
EPA Compliance Incentives
EPA provides incentives for environmental compliance. By
participating in compliance assistance programs or voluntarily
disclosing and promptly correcting violations before an
enforcement action has been initiated, businesses may be
eligible for penalty waivers or reductions. EPA has two such
policies that may apply to small businesses:
EPA's Small Business Compliance Policy
www2.epa.gov/enforcement/small-businesses-and-enforcement
This Policy offers small businesses special incentives to come
into compliance voluntarily.
EPA's Audit Policy
www2.epa.gov/compliance/epas-audit-policy
The Policy provides incentives to all businesses that
voluntarily discover, promptly disclose and expeditiously
correct their noncompliance.
Commenting on Federal Enforcement Actions and
Compliance Activities
The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act
(SBREFA) established a SBREFA Ombudsman and 10 Regional
Fairness Boards to receive comments from small businesses
about federal agency enforcement actions. 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 designation, number of employees or
annual receipts, as 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 enforcement 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 in response to comments
made under SBREFA.
Your Duty to Comply
If you receive compliance assistance or submit a comment
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 or related provisions.
May 2015
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