Some of the following questions were posed by one of our members, Marianne Fitzgerald with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. These questions are similar to the questions which caused the work group process to begin.

1. What financial programs are being implemented around the country?

This is the reason why Patrick Hoermann started this process. We would like to know what programs exist, or are being considered. Please ask around in your States about what financial assistance programs there might be in operation.

2. What qualifies for the assistance (pollution control, pollution prevention, etc.), and how do the various agencies providing the assistance define these terms?

We have some idea of how some of you define what qualifies for assistance gleaned from the shared materials. We would like to know more on what it takes to qualify for assistance from your programs, so that we can share that information with the other members of our work group.

3. What are the pros and cons of different programs (grants, public loans, private loans, tax credits, etc.)?

This is the reason for starting the "cafeteria plan." We are hoping that work group members and others will weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the various types of assistance that have been tried and share those results.

4. What is the purpose of the National Small Business Financial Assistance Work Group?

We have provided information to several State agencies on how to create or expand a financial assistance program. We are hoping that this work group serves the purpose of helping you with your work with small businesses, and we welcome your contributions to the discussion.