Vermont Small Business Compliance Assistance Program MPC Profile

Go to general contact information  (#20)
 

1. 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.

State policy.

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

Day one, 2006.

3. Does your SBEAP provide confidential services?  Explain. 

Yes.  All SBEAP files are closed - and if per chance a regulator were to see something in my office, they could not use it in an enforcement case.  This is set by policy.

4. 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.  

We have no Ombudsman.

5. What types of multimedia assistance does your SBEAP provide (air, hazardous waste, solid waste, water quality, air, other)?  Describe. 

Yes...all.

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

First come, first served.

7. 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--10%
   Internal expertise--80%
    

8. 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.

We do have four Permit Specialists who provide outreach to businesses through our regional offices.  They work on State-Wide Permitting issues.  They are non-regulatory, they determine required state-wide permits, and they explain the permit process.  They each handle thousands of permit requests a year.  Our SBCAP provides all the environmental regulatory compliance assistance.

9. 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	X	X	X	X	X
   Wetlands, Land/Water Interface	X	X	X	X	X

   
   

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

Not EMS, but P2 and regulatory compliance, yes.

11. Are there any industry sectors for which you cannot provide assistance or can provide only limited assistance?  Explain.

No.

12. 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)?

State environmental regulatory agency - out of the Commissioner's Office.

13. 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. 

100% state (general) fund.

14. 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.

    One FTE.  Yes - excel sheets and summarized quarterly and annually.  Links to report on web site. 

15. What have been the benefits of providing multimedia versus air only assistance?  Have you performed any cost benefit analyses?  Describe your successes. 

Always multimedia, no way to compare.

16. Provide an overall link or links to your online multimedia assistance web page(s), checklists, calculation spreadsheets, guidance, factsheets, publications, and contacts.   

www.eaovt.org and www.eaovt.org/sbcap/index.htm.

17. 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)?

Yes - all.

18. 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:
    Ø  Agriculture Metal Fabrication
    Ø  Aircraft Metal Finishing
    Ø  Automotive Mining
    Ø  Chemicals Painting and Coating
    Ø  Construction Pesticides
    Ø  Die Casting Petroleum Refining
    Ø  Dry Cleaning Pharmaceuticals
    Ø  Electric/Power/Energy Plastics
    Ø  Electronics/Computer Printing and Photoprocessing
    Ø  Electroplating Pulp and Paper
    Ø  Fiberglass Operations Recreation
    Ø  Foods Recycling
    Ø  Furniture Retail
    Ø  Hospitals/Medical Rubber and Plastics
    Ø  Iron and Steel Solvents/Cleaning
    Ø  Laboratories/Schools Stone/Clay/Glass/Concrete
    Ø  Lubricants Textiles/Textile Services
    Ø  Lumber and Wood Transportation
    Ø  Machining Used Oil
    Ø  Marine/Shipyard

Contact our SBCAP for all sectors.

19. 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?

Be sure to have buy-in from regulatory programs.  Use them as your mentors.  They are a great resource and will be your biggest advocates when you start your program up.  Eventually, your businesses come to you by word of mouth.

20. Provide contact information for peer assistance with your SBEAP.

Judy Mirro
VT SBCAP
103 South Main Street
Cannery Building
Waterbury, VT  05671-4911
802/241-3745
judy.mirro@state.vt.us

 

 4/05, updated 10/05, 1/06, 6/07, 6/08