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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where may I dispose of my household wastes, solvents,
paints, and paint cans?
Check with your local authorities (town, county, state)
for directions on how to dispose correctly of household
wastes, solvents, paints, and paint cans.
2. What am I required to do when the property owners
next door/ex-employers/competitors have discarded objectionable
waste on their property and it has led to groundwater
and air contamination? What if I have reports of alleged
illegal or offensive releases or dumping and local authorities
have ignored these situations?
Check with your local authorities (state, region). States
are typically the agencies authorized to operate programs
for clean air, groundwater, and solid waste. Regional
EPA offices will have information about current Superfund
investigations and potential new ones. Contact these regional
offices with reports of alleged illegal or offensive releases
or dumping in cases where local authorities have not responded.
3. I have concerns about local dumping and air pollution
incidents caused by companies and/or individuals. What
should I do?
First, contact your local authorities (town, county, state).
If you are not satisfied, then check with your regional
EPA office. For web site/contact information on EPA's
regional offices, see: www.epa.gov/epahome/locate2.htm.
4. How do I dispose of ammonia properly?
Check with your local authorities (town, county, state).
5. How do I dispose of paint stripper properly?
Check with your local authorities (town, county, state).
6. How do I dispose of biodegradable diapers and beverage
cans/bottles properly?
Check with your local authorities (town, county, state).
You may also need to check your city's waste management
program.
7. What is the best concrete form release compound/shot
for blasting concrete I can use?
Check with your local building authority to see what they
can identify. Check to see if any there are conditions
included in the building permit.
8. What do I need to do to test the air and make sure
that I am in compliance with local air regulations?
Check with your state and Clean Air Act Small Business
Assistance Program (SBAP) offices. You can locate a Key
Contact Listing for Ombudsman and SBAP offices at: http://www.smallbiz-enviroweb.org/sbap.asp.
 For
links to State Environmental Agencies and Small Business
Assistance Programs: http://www.smallbiz-enviroweb.org/seasbapweb.asp.
EPA
SBO can also provide you with a list of contacts and telephone
numbers.
9. How do I transport hazardous and nonhazardous wastes
properly?
The generator must prepare EPA Form 8700-22, Uniform Waste
Manifest. The transporter must also comply with DOT Hazardous
Materials Transportation Regulations. The DOT Hazardous
Materials Hotline can be reached at: 800-467-4922.
10. I am starting up a small business (e.g., pharmacy,
recycler, chemical compounder, auto body shop, gas station).
Where can I find general environmental guidance/ requirements/liability
information? What do I need to do for existing properties?
What do I need to consider when purchasing an abandoned
site for the new business?
To find out about general environmental guidance/requirements/liability
information, first check with your local licensing bureau,
and then your state. When considering the purchase of
an abandoned site for new business, check with the state.
They can provide you with previous use information, such
as whether the site had been formerly used as a gasoline
station, or similar activities. Make a final check with
your EPA region to see if there is any record of contamination
for the abandoned site on file.
11. Are there Grants for buying additional equipment
for pollution prevention, or meeting EPA rules and regulations?
There are no grant programs for normal business operations.
However, if you are involved with developing a new pollution
prevention system, it is possible that you may be able
to apply for funding for demonstration of that system.
There are a number of possible routes.
One is to apply through the Assistance Application Kit,
which can be obtained from EPA SBO, or directly from EPA's
Grant Operations Branch. To obtain the kit directly from
EPA's Grant Operations Branch, call or write:
Grant Operations Branch (MC 3903R)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 564-5305
(202) 564-5359
Another route is through EPA's Small Business Innovation
Research Program (SBIR). The EPA Office of Research and
Development's National Center for Environmental Research
and Quality Assurance announces program solicitations
each fall. The solicitation includes a program description,
definitions, proposal preparation instruction and requirements,
method of selection and evaluation criteria, considerations,
submission of proposals, scientific and technical information
sources, and research topics. Program Solicitations are
posted on the web at:
http://es.epa.gov/ncer/sbir
(Enviro$en$e).
For larger firms, Project XL may provide certain opportunities.
This program, created by President Clinton in 1995 with
his Reinventing Environmental Regulation initiative, is
designed to provide regulated sources with the flexibility
to develop alternative strategies to replace or modify
certain regulatory requirements as long as they produce
greater environmental benefits. Eight projects have been
selected to be in the first group of XL pilots. EPA is
interested in selecting 50 projects to be part of the
XL pilot. Information on EPA's Project XL is posted on
the web at: http://es.epa.gov/partners/xl/xl.html
(Enviro$en$e).
Finally, EPA provides grants through state agencies for
funding of small community projects, such as wastewater
treatment programs and other public service programs.
12. Will EPA support the development of my new process
that affords improved environmental control (e.g., soil
decontamination, lower air emissions)?
See information about the Assistance Application Kit from
EPA's Grant Operations Branch, above in Question 11.
13. Are there tax credits for expenses incurred in
meeting EPA requirements?
There is currently no EPA program for such tax credits.
Check with the IRS for further information.
14. Where can I get information on loans, grants, financial
and paperwork assistance, and startup advice for starting
a new business?
EPA SBO can provide you with a listing of SBA district
offices. You can also access this information on the U.S.
Small Business Administration web site at: http://www.sba.gov/regions/states.html.
15. Can I receive funding for completed or planned
cleanups, conceived research projects, or starting an
environmentally oriented business?
If the property becomes a Superfund site, the federal
government may be able to go back to the original owners
for cleanup funding. See information about funding opportunities
under EPA's SBIR program in Question 11. Check with your
state for other programs. Also, please note that when
purchasing property, you should ensure that as part of
the purchase agreement, the previous owner indicates that
the property is free of impediments from contaminants
and pollution.
16. Where can I get a copy of the Small Quantity Waste
Generator Handbook?
You can obtain a copy of the Small Quantity Waste Generator
Handbook directly from EPA SBO, including an Addendum
with updates and specific state contacts for waste programs.
17. Can someone help me fill out and submit various
EPA forms and documents (e.g., Form 8700-12--Notification
of Regulated Waste Activity, Material Safety Data Sheets)?
A copy of Form 8700-12 and Instructions are Found In the
EPA document, Understanding the Hazardous Waste Rules--A
Handbook for Small Businesses. EPA SBO can provide this
document.
A Material Safety Data Sheet is prepared by the manufacturer
of the product and is provided to the buyer. The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the responsible
federal agency.
18. Where can I find the publication that I need, or
information about an organization that can help me?
EPA SBO can help you find the publication you need, or
information about organizations. Also, see Question 19.
19. How can I get a copy of an EPA or other publication
that I am interested in?
First, look at EPA SBO's list of publications, which can
be obtained by calling EPA SBO, or can be accessed from
EPA SBO's home page at: http://www.epa.gov/sbo/pubs.htm.
Second, the National Center for Environmental Publications
and Information (NCEPI), a central repository for all
EPA documents in paper and/or electronic format available
for free, can be accessed at: http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom/,
or call 1-800-490-9198. Other sources of EPA technical
and public information can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/epahome/publications.htm.
Finally, you can search a database for federal, state,
and other publications and fact sheets on the Small Business
Environmental Home Page. The database can be accessed
at: http://www.smallbiz-enviroweb.org/pub_video/pubs_videos.html.
20. How can I be added to the EPA SBO mailing list?
Simply call EPA SBO or send your name, address, and phone
number to EPA SBO by letter, fax, or email.
21. Where can I find telephone numbers for other hotlines,
EPA employees, and other government agencies (headquarters,
regions, states)?
This type of information can be found in EPA SBO's Update
Newsletters, downloadable from the EPA SBO Home Page
http://www.epa.gov/sbo/newslet.htm. Also, hotline
information can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/hotline.htm. Web
site and contact information for state environmental agencies,
state small business assistance programs, EPA headquarters
and regions, and trade associations can be found on the
Small Business Environmental Home Page http://www.smallbiz-enviroweb.org.
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