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Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
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Disclaimer: The information contained in this report is based on the data contained in DEP information systems at the time of publication.
A Critical Segment of the Commonwealth’s Economy
Small businesses are an important component of Pennsylvania’s economy.
How Important?
There are over 1 million small businesses in Pennsylvania.
Small businesses make up 99.6% percent of employers in Pennsylvania.
Nearly 47 percent of the private-sector labor force in Pennsylvania are employees of small businesses.
The DEP Small Business Environmental Assistance Program:
Helping Small Businesses Comply with Environmental Regulations
To help small businesses comply with regulations, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) created the Small Business Environmental Assistance Program (SBEAP) in 1996. Since then, we’ve helped thousands of Pennsylvania’s small businesses understand and manage their obligations for complying and reporting. In addition, the SBEAP also assists small businesses by proposing alternative technologies, products or materials which may reduce or eliminate their environmental impact.
SBEAP offers many resources to help Pennsylvania’s small businesses:
SBEAP includes three components:
The Environmental Management Assistance Program (EMAP) provides free,
confidential assistance to business owners to help them determine their environmental regulatory requirements and the best environmental management strategies to
meet those obligations.
EMAP is headquartered in the Widener University Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
In addition, there are
18 SBDCs located in universities throughout the Commonwealth offering a wide range of assistance to start-ups and existing small businesses.
Services to Small Business Owners
EMAP employs four technical assistance staff who provide support to small businesses throughout the Commonwealth. Staff can assist small business owners with:
EMAP can also refer small businesses to general business and financial assistance professionals, free instructional seminars and educational events for individuals looking to start a venture, as well as for established companies, and other wide-ranging support.
Contact EMAP
Call toll-free: 877-ASK-EMAP (877-275-3627)
Email: questions@askemap.org
Jeremy Hancher, Program Manager: (610) 499-4322,
jwhancher@wharton.edu
www.askemap.org
2017-18 EMAP Services by the Numbers
| • 157 Businesses provided with in-depth assistance |
|---|
| • 61 Calls to EMAP Hotline |
| • 54 Non-hotline contacts (emails or direct calls) |
| • 42 Site Visits |
| • 26 Requests for Permit Assistance |
| • 29 New Clients Assisted |
2017-18 EMAP Client Comments
“Our EMAP consultant has been absolutely invaluable to me! He has helped me prepare environmental documents and understand DEP expectations and
guidelines and has helped me every step of the way. I can never thank you enough for the stress he took off of me and how much more educated and
confident I feel about our environmental status. Thank you!”
“Our EMAP consultant is a true professional and a pleasure to work with. She has been an unbelievable resource as we navigate this process.
She constantly puts our needs first and bridges any knowledge gaps we have regarding these matters. Without her, we would have invested several
hundred hours and tens of thousands of dollars in trying to resolve these issues on our own.”
“The EMAP consultant that I was given a number to contact was the person that answered the phone and she was extremely knowledgeable in the information that we
lacked for our air quality permit needs for PA DEP.”
The Small Business Ombudsman Office represents DEP to the small business community, and serves as the primary advocate for small businesses within DEP.
How the Ombudsman Helps Small Business Owners
The Ombudsman provides assistance to Pennsylvania’s small businesses both directly and through legislators, associations, small business assistance providers, and federal and state agencies.
Contact the Small Business Ombudsman Office
Ed Boito, Small Business Ombudsman
(717) 783-0909
eboito@pa.gov
Caroline Zepp, Program Analyst
(717) 772-5160
czepp@pa.gov
Small Business Pollution Prevention Assistance Account Loan Program
The Small Business Pollution Prevention Assistance Account (PPAA) Loan Program provides low-interest, fixed-rate loans to small businesses undertaking projects which reduce waste, pollution, or energy use.
PPAA is a revolving loan fund and receives no additional state funding. DEP and the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) jointly administer the loan program. DEP reviews the technical application, while DCED reviews the financial application, performs the credit check, and handles loan closing and maintenance.
Small Business Advantage Grant Program
In Fiscal Year 2017-18, the Small Business Advantage Grant (SBAG)
program marked its 14th year of offering grants to Pennsylvania small businesses to implement energy efficiency or pollution prevention projects.
These projects help businesses reduce costs and may reduce their regulatory requirements, while decreasing the environmental impact of their business operations.
2017-18 Small Business Advantage Grant Program by the Numbers
2017-18 Small Business Advantage Grant Recipients
2017-18 Small Business Advantage Grant Success Stories
2017-18 Small Business Advantage Grant
Estimated Annual Energy/Pollution Savings
| Energy/Pollutant | Savings |
|---|---|
| Electricity | 3,672,427 kWh |
| Natural Gas | 1,878 Mcf |
| Diesel Fuel | 5,136 gal |
| Hazardous Waste Sludge (Perchloroethylene) | 309 gal |
| Heating/Lubricating Oil | 2,810 gal |
| Film Developing Chemicals | 3,725 gal |
| Wastewater | 3,764,000 gal |
| X-Ray Film kept from landfill | 416 boxes |
| Miscellaneous landfill waste (Approx.) | 4,000 lb |
| CO2 | 16 tons |
| NOx | 0.25 tons |
| Particulates | 0.2 tons |
The Small Business Compliance Advisory Committee works to ensure that small business concerns and interests are represented within DEP when new regulations are developed, and considers the impact of proposed environmental regulations on small business.
The committee includes small business owners, small business advocacy organizations, and representatives of government agencies.
The Committee meets quarterly to address issues that could impact the small business community.
Committee Membership
Dale Kaplan, Chairman, President, Kaplan’s Careful Cleaners
Walter Schroth, President, Schroth Industries
Rebecca Oyler, National Federation of Independent Business Pennsylvania
Jeremy Hancher, Pennsylvania EMAP
Ed Boito, Small Business Ombudsman, DEP
Patrick McDonnell, Secretary, DEP
Michael McManus, Administrative Officer, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development
Emerging Technology Applications Center
The Emerging Technology Applications Center
(ETAC) helps small businesses gain a competitive advantage by applying alternative technologies to improve heating, drying, coating and curing processes, as well as
reducing their energy usage and carbon footprint. ETAC also helps businesses investigate new equipment, materials and processes before making large investments
or production changes.
With DEP grant funding, ETAC provides energy and technological consulting services to small businesses with up to 500 employees in 22 counties in the eastern half of the
state. They also engage with Northampton Community College’s Engineering Department to involve student interns in the energy assessments. Over the course of the fiscal
year, more than 45 internship hours accrued with on-site assessments, providing students with real-world applications to their classroom education. ETAC’s office is located
at the Northampton County Community College in Bethlehem.
Contact Emerging Technologies Applications Center
John Barkanic, Director
(610) 861-5381
jbarkanic@northampton.edu
2017-18 ETAC Success Files
Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program
Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP)
has been assisting businesses in Pennsylvania for more than 50 years. The federal-state-university partnership provides no-cost technical assistance to small and mid-size
businesses and manufacturers. PennTAP also offers educational workshops for business owners and employees.
PennTAP’s Energy and Environment Services are designed to help Pennsylvania companies conserve energy and reduce wastes in their manufacturing facilities,
lowering energy-related costs and increasing their profits and competitiveness.
PSU graduate and undergraduate students are engaged with the energy and technical assessments to develop hands-on educational training. This provides students with
real-world, practical application of their education, as well as the chance to make connections within the community. PennTAP’s main office is in State College,
with additional staff in Pittsburgh.
Contact PennTAP
Tanna M. Pugh, Director
(814) 863-1632
tannapugh@psu.edu
2017-18 PennTAP Success Stories
DEP Bureau of Air Quality: Compliance Assistance and Monitoring Section
The Compliance Assistance and Monitoring section oversees the planning, development, coordination, implementation and evaluation of the statewide air quality
compliance assistance program. It develops compliance assistance outreach tools and materials, supports the technical assistance provider, and serves as DEP
liaison to the SBCAC.
Success File: 2018 Dry Cleaner Calendar
The 2018 Dry Cleaner Compliance Calendar was distributed in October 2017 to approximately 790 dry cleaners in Pennsylvania. The calendar is a convenient way for dry cleaners to maintain required federal and state records. DEP has distributed this invaluable compliance assistance tool since 2001. The 2018 calendar also includes a five-page Korean translation of the instructions.
