The Bullet:
The Small Business Environmental Assistance Program (SBEAP) provides free, confidential, environmental assistance to small businesses.
Who:
The Small Business Environmental Assistance Program (SBEAP) is a service provided by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The MPCA is the state agency authorized by the USEPA to regulate the protection of the environment (air, land, & water) in Minnesota.
Small businesses are generally defined as independently owned and operated businesses with fewer than 100 employees that are not major sources of waste or emissions.
What:
The focus of the SBEAP is compliance assistance with the regulations of the MPCA, but assistance is also available for going beyond compliance into reducing the regulatory burden faced by small businesses. The SBEAP promotes pollution prevention, best management practices, environmental stewardship, and sustainability.
Where:
Anywhere in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”.
When:
Assistance begins when you pick up the phone and make the call.
Small Business Environmental Assistance Program staff
- Staff: Angie Bourdaghs, Nate Grand, Tom Jablonski, Hien Le, and Aneka Swanson.
- Hotline: 651-282-6143 or toll free 800-657-3938
- Fax: 651-297-8701
Why:
Well, it ain’t for the paycheck, the services are free, non-regulatory, and impose no obligations. If you meet the definition of a small business then this free service is provided by the taxpayers of Minnesota. And if confidentiality is a concern,
Business-specific information is held confidential from enforcement except in cases of imminent danger to human health and the environment.
How:
The SBEAP provides:
- One-on-one, compliance assistance on the SBEAP Hotline at 651-282-6143 or 800-657-3938.
- On-site visits.
- Educational opportunities such as workshops, trainings, events, printed materials, and informational mailings.
- Pollution prevention (P2) and best management practice (BMP) assistance and referrals,
- Communication between the MPCA and businesses.
- Advocacy on behalf of businesses.
Conclusion:
If I was a small business in Minnesota I would contact the Small Business Environmental Assistance Program of the MPCA whenever I had a question about regulatory compliance.
If you generate a hazardous waste, one thing the SBEAP may tell you is required is to provide annual training for all of your Facility Personnel. I provide this training and can also provide you with the HazMat Employee training required by the USDOT/PHMSA. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the regulations of RCRA or the Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety Act.