EMAP Honored with Two National Awards

The Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers’ Environmental Management Assistance Program (EMAP) recently received twonational awards for its efforts to help small businesses in the Commonwealth save money while reducing impacts on the environment. In recognition of the program’s success and achievements, EMAP received an ENERGY STAR Special Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency as well as a State Star Award from the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC).

US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson named the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) a 2007 ENERGY STAR Small Business Network Special Award winner. The award recognizes the Pennsylvania SBDC’s Environmental Management Assistance Program for its success in helping small businesses across Pennsylvania to improve their energy efficiency and highlights the program’s commitment to energy savings. “I applaud [the Pennsylvania SBDC] for demonstrating the environmental and financial rewards of going green,” said Johnson when announcing the awards.

At the national ASBDC conference in Denver, Colorado, EMAP was recognized as the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers’ 2007 State Star. The ASBDC State Star awards recognize exemplary performers who make a significant contribution to the SBDC program and show a strong commitment to small business in the winner’s state. Awardees are selected by their SBDC director, and winners are usually individual SBDC employees. This year, however, Pennsylvania SBDC Director Gregory L. Higgins chose the entire environmental program staff due to their collective level of achievement in 2007, stating “the EMAP team has delivered exceptional results and has enhanced the status and reputation of the entire Pennsylvania SBDC.”

These awards cap off a year of recognition for the Environmental Management Assistance Program. Earlier this year, US Senator John Kerry praised EMAP as a national model when he introduced legislation to assist small businesses in becoming more energy efficient in his role as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. “This program should be replicated so that small businesses across the country have the same opportunity to cut energy costs through the efficiency measures,” said Kerry.

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EMAP Asks... DEP: Interview with Water Supply Specialists

EMAP asked the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Harrisburg District Office Water Supply Specialists to tell us how public water supply regulations affect small businesses.

Q: Do public water supply regulations apply to small businesses? A: Yes. Public water supply regulations apply to small businesses that have their own water source and fit into one of the following three categories: Nontransient noncommunity water systems serve 25 or more of the same people at least six months per year and may include daycare facilities, factories, and office buildings. Transient noncommunity water systems serve 25 or more people for at least 60 days per year and may include campgrounds, hotels, restaurants, and other types of businesses that serve water to a transient population. Community water systems serve 15 or more service connections or 25 or more residents year round and may include nursing homes and apartment complexes.

Q: What is the most common problem that small businesses have with public water supply regulations?
A: One of the most common problems that DEP staff see is that small businesses fail to consider the management responsibilities and the costs of providing safe drinking water in their business model.

Q: What are some typical compliance issues?
A: The most common compliance issues include not maintaining the treatment system and forgetting to do the required monitoring. Failing to maintain the treatment system can lead to violations of drinking water standards. Another compliance issue that we see is a failure to respond properly to a problem with the drinking water. This includes failing to contact DEP within the required time frame, do the necessary check sampling, or conduct all of the required Public Notification activities.

Q: What advice can you give small businesses to become compliant?
A: The best advice for small businesses is to educate themselves on their responsibilities under the regulations. They should know what their monitoring requirements are, how their treatment system should be operated and maintained, and how they should respond to a problem. They can hire a professional to assist them with these responsibilities, but the business owner is ultimately responsible for compliance. Small businesses should call their local DEP Sanitarian/Water Supply Specialist whenever they have a question or problem that affects the quantity or quality of drinking water. Many times DEP staff can help them respond to problems and remain in compliance. Small businesses found out of compliance should carefully follow the instructions provided in Notices of Violation. These instructions will tell them how to return to compliance.

Q: What can a small business expect during a routine DEP inspection?
A: Specialists inspect the overall drinking water system, including records, logs, and reports. DEP looks to see if the source is properly constructed and protected from possible contamination, and they inspect the treatment system to make sure it meets Department design standards for public water supplies. DEP also makes sure that the treatment equipment is operational and maintained properly and that the business is doing the necessary monitoring.

Q: Are there any penalties a small business owner can face if found out of compliance?
A: If a business continues to be out of compliance, DEP uses various enforcement methods to gain compliance. In some cases, civil penalties may be assessed. The enforcement method and penalty depend on severity and persistence of the violations, negligence factors, and potential for impact to human health.

Q: Do small businesses need to employ a Certified Water Operator to ensure clean water for the public?
A: Community water systems and Nontransient Noncommunity water systems need to have a Certified Water Operator. At this time, Transient Noncommunity water systems do not need to have a Certified Water Operator unless they filter surface water or have another type of treatment technology that requires a person that is certified and trained to operate the system properly and safely.

Q: What kinds of water filtration systems are available to treat drinking water?
A: Systems are available to treat regulated contaminants (e.g. bacteria, nitrates, organic contaminants, inorganic contaminants) and aesthetic problems (e.g. hardness, taste and odor, iron and manganese). A competent water treatment specialist can recommend a treatment system to meet the business needs and DEP public water supply design standards. Additionally, small businesses should always consult with their county Water Supply Specialist to ensure that the proposed treatment meets DEP design standards before assuming the expense of installation.

Q: What kind of financial costs are involved?
A: Initial costs include source assessment (e.g. a test to assess well capacity, sampling to determine water quality) and installation of a treatment system, if necessary, to meet drinking water standards. Ongoing costs include maintaining the treatment system (e.g. servicing, replacing parts, chemicals, monitoring equipment) and conducting compliance monitoring (typically quarterly bacteriological samples and annual nitrate/nitrite samples for transient facilities, and all regulated contaminants, periodically, for nontransient noncommunity and community facilities). If a Certified Operator is required, a small business should factor in that cost as well.

Q: Where can small businesses get more information on this topic?
A: Small business should contact their local DEP district office and speak to their county Sanitarian/Water Supply Specialist. Visit www.depweb.state.pa.us to find contact information for your local DEP office.

EMAP would like to thank the DEP Harrisburg District Office Water Supply Specialists for their contributions.

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Environmental Protection (DEP) is currently revising its municipal and residual waste regulations. DEP’s regulatory revision team started the process about a year ago following up on recommendations that were included in DEP’s “Waste Redux” (May 31, 2005) and Municipal Waste Futures (July 11, 2006) reports.

Some of the major proposed revisions would:

• Consolidate similar chapters for municipal and residual waste
• Clarify and revise definitions – starting with the definition of waste
• Add new permits-by-rule (PBRs) as a component of the permit hierarchy (i.e. electronics recycling, ethanol fuel, and recycled asphalt pavement facilities are proposed for PBRs)
• Create a new regulatory chapter (Chapter 280) to cover the beneficial use of waste materials
• Add local approvals for permit reviews
• Incorporate additional commodity landfill bans including bans for clear and colored glass, plastic, office paper, yard waste, used
  oil filters, and others
• Incorporate potential future bans (effective 5 years or later) for electronic waste, source-separated food waste, scrap metal,
  unpainted wood and wood pallets, and mercury containing wastes

Initial drafts of the revised and new regulatory chapters are under review by DEP’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC). SWAC
meetings are open to the public; the next one is scheduled for January 16, 2008. To view the draft regulations and learn more details about past and future meetings, visit SWAC’s website, http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/subject/advcoun/solidwst/swac.htm. DEP anticipates having all chapters ready for Environmental Quality Board action by April 2008.

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MEET OUR STAFF: Michele Romolini

While calls to the EMAP hotline come from businesses all over the state, they are answered by one person: Michele Romolini. Michele is an environmental consultant at the Pennsylvania SBDCs’ State Director’s office. She joined the EMAP staff in 2006 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a master’s in Environmental Studies.

Her favorite part about answering the hotline? “The variety keeps it interesting,” she says, “on a given day I might answer questions from a farmer in Lancaster, a manufacturer in Oil City, and a dental office in Philadelphia. The questions range from waste and air permitting compliance to energy efficiency to grant opportunities.” With a statewide network of environmental professionals to back her up, callers are guaranteed a quick and thorough answer to their environmental inquiries.

Besides providing consulting services and managing the hotline, Michele writes for and produces the First Stop newsletter; writes EMAP press releases; and designs and manages the website. She is also the administrator of the EMAP’s online materials exchanges, Pennsylvania Material Trader (www.materialtrader.org) and Pennsylvania Manure Trader (www.manuretrader.org).

Call 877-ASK-EMAP with your environmental questions. Michele is happy to answer them.

This is the first installment of “Meet Our Staff,” a recurring feature that will introduce you to EMAP’s team of environmental consultants.

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The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority—which finances clean, advanced energy projects in Pennsylvania—recently announced 24 grants for innovative alternative energy projects. Among the winners: EMAP client Separation Design Group (SDG), a research and
development firm focused on efficient use of energy and resources. With the help of EMAP consultant Lee Ann Briggs at the University of Pittsburgh SBDC, SDG applied for and received $112,852 for a heat exchange device that combines solar-thermal energy with geothermal
potential to provide year-round heating, cooling, and electricity generation. The project will generate 52,875 kWh of electricity at the firm’s facility in Waynesburg.

For more information on PEDA, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: PEDA. For more information on funding, visit www.askemap.org and click on “Funding Opportunities.”

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Online Materials Exchanges

Pennsylvania Material Trader provides an opportunity for businesses to connect with each other to save money on waste disposal and raw material costs.

Pennsylvania Manure Trader is an online resource for farmers and others looking to buy, sell, or give away manure.

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