Arkansas Business Assistance Program MPC Profile

Do you have a state statute, policy, MOU, or other written document that established your multimedia *small business environmental assistance program (SBEAP)? If yes, please explain and provide a link to the document if possible.

No.

How and when did your SBEAP begin offering multimedia compliance assistance?

The Program has been in existence since 1998 and has been multimedia since then.

Does your SBEAP provide confidential services? Explain.

If a client contacts us and their contact is not the result of a referral from another media division, we work independently from the regulatory side of our agency. But all records and documents are still subject to Freedom of Information requests from the public. If necessary there are procedures to submit qualifying documentation confidentially through our Legal Division.

What role does the Ombudsman play? Does the office address multimedia issues or is it strictly strictly an air ombudsman? What agency or organization does the ombudsman work in? Please provide contact information.

In the Arkansas BAP the Ombudsman is a "transparent" role that rests with the manager of the program. It is difficult to try to distinguish when the manager is acting as manager or as Ombudsman. We see the role of Ombudsman as being an advocate for the small businesses of Arkansas. This includes working internally at ADEQ to assist small businesses in resolving problems, working to change regulations to lessen the impact on small businesses, and helping to resolve enforcement actions against small businesses. We see the Ombudsman simply as an advocate for small business regardless of the media involved.
What types of multimedia assistance does your SBEAP provide (air, hazardous waste, solid waste, water quality, air, other)? Describe.

We work with all media that ADEQ regulates. This includes air, water, solid waste, hazardous waste, mining, and regulated storage tanks. When we assist a facility, even if just to provide assistance in air permitting, we look at all the regulatory issues that might be involved. In addition, even though ADEQ does not have delegation for EPCRA programs, we do try to educate our clients in those regulations.

Is your SBEAP’s work prioritized? If yes, explain (e.g., by media, rule, industry sector).

We do try to pay special attention to small businesses and new businesses, but we have no set priorities.

What percent of your total multimedia assistance effort is delivered through each of the following methods:
-Direct referrals to appropriate regulatory staff (___%)
-Personal contact with appropriate media staff (e.g., arranging meetings with regulatory staff from different media, having each program outline their respective rule requirements, following up as needed) (___%)
-Internal SBEAP expertise (e.g., gathering all information, walking client through requirements) (___%).

Direct referrals--10%
Personal contact--25%
Internal expertise--65%
Describe who actually provides the assistance. Is the primary role of the SBEAP staff to refer assistance requests to the appropriate regulatory staff or do the SBEAP staff possess the knowledge and experience to provide direct assistance? Explain the educational background and experience level of SBEAP staff.

Our program staff provides assistance through site visits, site audits, training programs, booths and displays at industry meetings, permitting assistance, help solving enforcement issues, writing programs (storm water pollution prevention plans, inspection plans, etc.), and meeting permit requirements. In addition, we provide telephone and email consultation to callers from both the public and industry. Currently we employ an engineer with a degree in chemical engineering and 9 years experience as a permit engineer for the department, an inspector with an environmental science degree, and pollution prevention program manager with an environmental health science degree and 5 years of experience in the P2 program. Our group provides the bulk of the assistance; however, if necessary we bring in media specific personnel to aid us.

Please identify the compliance assistance tools your SBEAP provides by completing the table below. In addition, please elaborate on any of the tools and include information about compliance assistance tools not included in the table.

Regulatory Program	Hotline	Publications	Onsite Visits	Workshops	Permit Assistance
Air	X	X	X	X	X
Waste	X	X	X	X	X
Water	X	X	X	X	X
Remediation	X	X	X	X	X
Storage Tanks	X	X	X	X	X
Emergency Planning
Wetlands, Land/Water Interface

Do you have SBEAP staff members with expertise in pollution prevention/EMS, as well as regulatory compliance?

Yes, Audree Miller is our Program Manager.
Are there any industry sectors for which you cannot provide assistance or can provide only limited assistance? Explain.

We would offer limited assistance to the Agricultural sector for any issues that would be regulated by ADEQ. Agriculture is primarily regulated by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture.
Where is the technical assistance component of your SBEAP housed (state environmental regulatory agency, Small Business Development Center [SBDC], college or university [not SBDC], other state agency)?

Our program is housed in a regulatory agency (ADEQ) but in a non-regulatory division (Public Outreach & Assistance).
Where does funding come from for your multimedia SBEAP (air permit fees only, air permit fees plus other sources, task-specific funding, other)? What are the funding criteria? Please note that since this could be sensitive information, this is an optional question.

Our program is funded from general revenue funds.
How many staff does your SBEAP have (using FTE equivalents)? Does your SBEAP have a documented performance measurement system (system to track data on activities such as web site hits, hotline/telephone assistance calls, mailings, onsite visits, publications, seminars/workshops/trainings, teleconferences/videoconferences, other)? Describe.

Our program has approval and funding for three FTE. This consists of an environmental program manager, an inspector, and a pollution prevention specialist.
What have been the benefits of providing multimedia versus air only assistance? Have you performed any cost benefit analyses? Describe your successes.

In our opinion, providing multimedia assistance simply provides a better service to our clients. Being multimedia provides a "bigger picture" for our clients in helping their businesses be in compliance.
Provide an overall link or links to your online multimedia assistance web page(s), checklists, calculation spreadsheets, guidance, factsheets, publications, and contacts.

www.adeq.state.ar.us/poa/sba/businessasst.htm
What kind of peer assistance (for other SBO/SBEAP programs) is your program willing to contribute at this time (information provided here only, telephone/email assistance, program visits, training, other)?

If time and resources are available, I would be willing to help out other programs in whatever way needed including all the ways mentioned above.

Please list the industry sectors that you assist/have assisted most, and feel you have "expert" knowledge about. If possible, use the provided list of industry sector examples to categorize. You may also be more specific, include additional details, or write in a category that is not listed. In addition, please provide contact information for each industry sector "expert."

INDUSTRY SECTOR EXAMPLES:

Aircraft Metal Fabrication

Automotive Metal Finishing

Chemicals Mining

Construction Painting and Coating

Die Casting Pesticides

Dry Cleaning Petroleum Refining

Electric/Power/Energy Pharmaceuticals

Electronics/Computers Plastics

Electroplating Printing/Photoprocessing

Fiberglass Operations Pulp and Paper

Foods Recreation

Furniture Recycling

Hospital/Medical Retail

Iron and Steel Rubber and Plastics

Laboratories/Schools Solvents/Cleaning

Lubricants Stone/Glass/Clay/Concrete

Lumber and Wood Textiles/Textile Services

Machining Transportation

Marine/Shipyard Used Oil

I am new to the small business assistance group and I'm not sure I would call myself an expert in any of the industry sectors for an all-around multimedia expert. I have a lot of air permitting experience with most of the above mentioned industries.

What is your advice to other SBEAPs who want to become multimedia programs? What particular challenges did you face evolving into a multimedia program and how did you overcome them?

I'm new to the group myself and it has been a multimedia program the entire time I've been here. I'm very experienced with Air Regulations so I often have to remind myself that we are also concerned with water, waste, etc. I am very familiar with the agency staff because I've worked in the agency for over 9 years so I find it very helpful to keep in contact with the permitting staff in all of the media divisions.
Provide contact information for peer assistance with your SBEAP.

Amanda Leamons, E.I.
Business Assistance Manager
Public Outreach & Assistance Division
Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
5301 Northshore Drive
North Little Rock, AR 72118-5317
Phone: (501) 682-0824
Fax: (501) 682-0880
Email: leamonsa@adeq.state.ar.us

*Small Business Environmental Assistance Program, or SBEAP, refers to the Small Business Ombudsman and/or the technical assistance program (SBEAP) in each state.

4/05, updated 10/05, 12/08