SMALL-BIZ@EPA
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE
SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)
Denise Benjamin Sirmons, Esquire, Appointed Director of EPA's Office of
Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
Denise Benjamin Sirmons will serve as the Director of the
Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
(OSDBU) and will be responsible for leading EPA's efforts
to advance the business, regulatory and environmental
compliance concerns of small and disadvantaged businesses.
She will work closely with the U.S. Small Business
Administration for the betterment of the small business
community as well as assisting in the goal of increasing
small business participation in the federal procurement
process.
Denise has served in various leadership positions at the
EPA, including in the Office of Diversity, Advisory
Committee Management and Outreach, Office of Grants and
Debarment, and the Office of Acquisiti on Management.
Before joining the EPA, Denise was the Assistant General
Counsel for Contracting at the U.S. Small Business
Administration, and worked as a litigator for a major
national law firm.
Denise holds a Master of Laws Degree in Government
Procurement Law, with Honors, from George Washington
University Law School. She also earned a Juris Doctor, cum
laude, from Howard University Law School, and a Bachelor
of Arts Degree in Political Science from McGill University
in Montreal, Canada. She is the recipient of several awards,
including the Patricia A. Tobin Government Contracts
Award. She has also published articles in the Public
Contract Law Journal and the Howard Law Journal.
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Denise Benjamin Sirmons
DOE and USD A Issue Notice of Intent for
Biomass Research and Development
Initiative
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's
(EERE's) Bioenergy Technologies Office in
coordination with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's (USDA's) National Institute of Food
and Agriculture (N IF A) is announcing its intent to
issue a Request for Applications (RFA) through the
Biomass Research and Development Initiative.
Projects funded through this RFA, titled "Fiscal Year
17 Biomass Research and Development Initiative
(BRDI)," will help develop economically and
environmentally sustainable sources of renewable
biomass, increase the availabili ty of renewable fuels
and biobased products and diversify our energy
portfolio. Get more information at:
https://energv.gov/eere/bioenergy/articles/doe-and-
usda-issue-notice-mteiit-biomass-researcli-atid-
development-initiative
EPA, OSDBU, Asbestos and Small Business Ombudsman - Washington, DC 20460 - Phone: 1-800-368-5888

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JANUARY 2017
City of Tyler, Texas, has Agreed to Extensive Sewer System Upgrades and Operational
Improvements to Comply with Clean Water Act
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the city
of Tyler, Texas, agreed to significantly upgrade its sanitary
sewer system to resolve alleged violations of the federal
Clean Water Act (CWA). The city will also undertake
extensive operational improvements to its sanitary sewer
system and pay a total of $563,000 in civil penalties.
DOJ, on behalf of the EPA and the State of Texas on behalf
of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, jointly
filed a complaint against the city of Tyler alleging that, since
2005, the city has allowed and continues to allow untreated
sewage to overflow from the city's sanitary sewer system in
violation of the CWA and the Texas Water Code.
The complaint alleges the city failed to properly operate and
maintain its sewer system, resulting in problems including
blockages in underground pipes, general system defects and
power failures. These problems can impact public health and
local water quality by allowing releases of untreated sewage
into local waterways and the community. The complaint
specifically alleges instances of raw sewage entering into
both local waterways and into Tyler residents' private
homes and yards. Many of these sanitary sewer overflows
occurred in low-income and minority communities.
"Providing clean, reliable water service is one of the most
important responsibilities cities have to their residents," said
EPA Regional Administrator Ron Curry. "Improvements to
the city's treatment of wastewater has direct benefit to
citizens." The settlement, which will be lodged in the U.S.
District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, is subject to
a federal 30-day public comment period. The State of Texas
also has a required 30-day public comment period. The
proposed consent decree can be viewed online at
www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html. For
additional information, go to:
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/citv-tvler-texas-agrees-
extensive-sewer-system-upgrades-and-operational-
improvements
EPA, OSDBU, Asbestos and Small Business Ombudsman - Washington, DC 20460 - Phone: 1-800-368-5888
Clean Water Act
Texas Commission on Environmental Equality

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JANUARY 2017
U. S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)
EPA FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES
SUBJECT: Procedures for Rulemaking Under
Section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act;
Amendment
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsvs/pkg/FR-2016-12-
2 l/pdf/2016-30055.pdf
SBA Launches 2017 InnovateHER Business
Challenge for Innovations That Empower
Women's Lives
The U.S. Small Business Administration today
announced the launch of the 2017 InnovateHER:
Innovating for Women Business Challenge, a
nationwide business competition to drive attention and
resources to innovative products and services that make
our lives easier and longer. Competitors vie for
$70,000 in prize money provided to SBA for the
InnovateHER competition through a gift from the Sara
Blakely Foundation. Entrepreneurs selected as winners
in local competitions will advance to the semi-final
round. From the pool of semi-finalists, SBA will select
up to 10 finalists who will be invited to the National
InnovateHER: Innovating for Women Business
Challenge to be held in mid-2017. The finalists will
pitch their products and ideas to a panel of expert
judges and compete for the top three awards along with
$70,000 in prizes. For more details, go to:
https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-newsroom/press-
releases-media-advisories/sba-launches-2017-
innovateher-business
Federal Register: Vol. 81, No. 245, Wednesday,
December 21, 2016/Rules and Regulations
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency
ACTION: Final Rule
SUMMARY: Section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control
Act (TSCA) provides EPA with several authorities for
addressing risks from chemical substances and includes
procedures that EPA must follow in doing so. EPA
promulgated regulations shortly after TSCA was enacted
to implement the procedural requirements for rulemaking
under TSCA section 6 as they existed at that time. This
final rule removes the regulations specifying certain
procedural requirements for rulemaking under TSCA
section 6, including the requirement for a hearing,
because TSCA, as amended, no longer mandates those
procedures.
SUBJECT: Significant New Use Rule on Certain
Chemical Substances; Reopening of Comment Period
https ://www. gpo. gov/fdsvs/pkg/FR-2017-01-
03/pdf/2016-29755.pdf
Federal Register: Vol. 82, No. 1, Thursday, January 3,
2017/Proposed Rules
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency
ACTION: Proposed Rule
SUMMARY: EPA issued a proposed rule in the Federal
Register of October 27, 2016 proposing significant new
use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control
Act (TSCA) for three chemical substances which were
the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs). This
document reopens the comment period for 60 days.
EPA, OSDBU, Asbestos and Small Business Ombudsman - Washington, DC 20460 - Phone: 1-800-368-5888

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SMALL-BIZ@EPA
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE
SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY
JANUARY 2017
Visit the 27th Annual Government Procurement Conference in Washington, D.C.
April 19, 2017
Exhibitors from Federal, State and local
governments, and Federal Government large
business prime contractors are looking for
small, minority, 8(a), SDB, FIUBZone
Empowerment Contracting Program
participants, service-disabled veteran-
owned, veteran-owned, and women-owned
businesses who provide the goods and
services listed below. Federal agencies post
information on contract opportunities over
$25,000 on the Internet through FedBizOpps
at http://www.fedbizopps.gov
Visit the FedBizOpps website to register
for electronic notification of contract
opportunities. Subcontracting
opportunities with large business prime
contractors can be found at
http ://web. sba. gov/ subnet/.
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t'liiiw 5, VAiSlii.'iCjWr tyMWlliWir	DC
http://www2.epa.gov/resources-small-businesses
Department of Energy to Sponsor 2017 National Justice Conference and Training Program
Leaders from various sectors will engage in 3 days of
free exchange of ideas and approaches to achieving
environmental justice. These interactive training
sessions will feature voices of experience, research,
discussions, and thought-provoking dialogue. The
program format will feature the needs and challenges
of communities, governments, municipalities, tribes,
faith-based organizations, and others with an interest
in environmental justice. It will highlight programs
and collaborations that work as well as initiatives that
have not proven successful. Program speakers will
feature representatives from federal and state
agencies, local governments, tribes, community
groups, business and industry, public interest groups,
academia, and other entities.
Washington Marriott Metro Center,
Washington, D.C
March 8-10, 2017
To register for the conference, go to:
http://theneic.org/7page id=167
2817 National Environmental Justice Conference
& Training Program

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