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Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance EPA-300-F-21-002 January 2022 The United States Environmental Protection Agency provides an array of resources to help small businesses understand and comply with federal and state environmental laws. In addition to helping small businesses understand their environmental obligations and improve compliance, these resources will also help such businesses find cost-effective ways to comply through pollution prevention techniques and innovative technologies. Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/aboutoffice-small-and-disadvantagedbusiness-utilization-osdbu EPA's OSDBU advocates and advances business, regulatory, and environmental compliance concerns of small and socio-economically disadvantaged businesses. EPA's Asbestos Small Business Ombudsman (ASBO) https://www.epa.gov/resources-smallbusinesses/asbestos-small-businessombudsman or 1-800-368-5888 The ASBO helps make technical resources on environmental regulations, asbestos, and compliance assistance information more accessible, while encouraging communication and partnerships with small business on regulatory compliance, and to address asbestosrelated questions from the public. Compliance Assistance Centers https://www.complianceassistance.net/ EPA-sponsored Compliance Assistance Centers provide the information you need, in a way that helps make sense of environmental regulations. Each Center addresses real world issues faced by a specific industry or government sector. They were developed in partnership with industry, universities and other federal and state agencies. Agriculture https://www.epa.gov/agriculture Automotive Recycling http://www.ecarcenter.org Automotive Service and Repair https://ccar-greenlink.org/ or 1-888- 476-5465 Beneficial Use https://www.beneficialuse.org/ Construction https://www.cicacenter.org/ Surface Technology Environmental Resource Center (STERC) https://sterc.org/ Transportation https://www.tercenter.org/ U.S. Border Compliance and Import/ Export Issues https://www.bordercenter.org/ Veterinary Care https://vetca.org/ EPA Hotlines and Clearinghouses www.epa.gov/home/epa-hotlines EPA sponsors many free hotlines and clearinghouses that provide convenient assistance regarding environmental requirements. Examples include: Clean Air Technology Center (CATC) Info-line www.epa.gov/catc or 919-541-0800 Superfund, TRI, EPCRA, RMP and Oil Information Center 1-800-424-9346 Small Business Environmental Assistance Program https://nationalsbeap.org This program provides a "one-stop shop" for small businesses and assistance providers seeking information on a wide range of environmental topics and statespecific environmental compliance assistance resources. EPA's Compliance Assistance Homepage https://www.epa.gov/compliance This page is a gateway to industry and statute-specific environmental resources, from extensive web-based information to hotlines and compliance assistance specialists. Education https://www.nacubo.org/ Hazardous Waste Portal https://www.hazwasteportal.org/ Healthcare http://www.hercenter.org Local Government https://www.lgean.net/ Oil/Natural Gas Energy Extraction https://www.eciee.org/ Paints and Coatings https://www.paintcenter.org/ Ports https://www.portcompliance.org/ EPA Imported Vehicles and Engines Public Helpline www.epa.gov/otaq/imports or 734-214-4100 National Pesticide Information Center www.npic.orst.edu or 1-800-858-7378 National Response Center Hotline to report oil or hazardous substance spills https://nrc.uscg.mil; NRC@uscg.mil or 1800-424-8802 Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (PPIC) ppic@epa.gov or 202-566-0799 Safe Drinking Water Hotline safewater@epa.gov or 1-800-426-4791 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Hotline tsca-hotline@epa.gov or 202-554-1404 Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance U.S. Small Business Resources Small Entity Compliance Guides https://www.epa.gov/reg-flex/small-entity-complianceguides EPA publishes a Small Entity Compliance Guide (SECG) for every rule for which the Agency has prepared a final regulatory flexibility analysis, in accordance with Section 604 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA). Regional Small Business Liaisons www.epa.gov/resources-small-businesses/epa-regionaloffice-small-business-liaisons The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Small Business Liaison (RSBL) is the primary regional contact and often the expert on small business assistance, advocacy, and outreach. The RSBL is the regional voice for the EPA Asbestos and Small Business Ombudsman (ASBO). State Resource Locators www.envcap.org/srl/ The Locators provide state-specific information on regulations and resources covering the major environmental laws. State Small Business Environmental Assistance Programs (SBEAPs) https://nationalsbeap.org/states State SBEAPs help small businesses and assistance providers understand environmental requirements and sustainable business practices through workshops, trainings and site visits. EPA's Tribal Portal https://www.epa.gov/tribal The Portal helps users locate tribal-related information within EPA and other federal agencies. EPA Compliance Incentives EPA provides incentives for environmental compliance. By participating in compliance assistance programs or voluntarily disclosing and promptly correcting violations before an enforcement action has been initiated, businesses may be eligible for penalty waivers or reductions. EPA has several such policies that may apply to small businesses. More information is available at: EPA's Small Business Compliance Policy https://www.epa.gov/compliance/small-businesscompliance EPA's Audit Policy www.epa.gov/compliance/epas-audit-policy Commenting on Federal Enforcement Actions and Compliance Activities The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) established a Small Business Administration (SBA) National Ombudsman and 10 Regional Fairness Boards to receive comments from small business about federal agency enforcement actions. If you believe that you fall within the SBA's definition of a small business (based on your North American Industry Classification System designation, number of employees or annual receipts, as defined at 13 C.F.R. 121.201; in most cases, this means a business with 500 or fewer employees), and wish to comment on federal enforcement and compliance activities, you can call the SBA National Ombudsman's toll-free number at 1-888REG-FAIR (1-888-734-3247), or submit a comment online at: https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/oversightadvocacy/office-national-ombudsman. Every small business that is the subject of an enforcement or compliance action is entitled to comment on the Agency's actions without fear of retaliation. EPA employees are prohibited from using enforcement or any other means of retaliation against any member of the regulated community in response to comments made under SBREFA. Your Duty to Comply If you receive compliance assistance or submit a comment to the SBREFA Ombudsman or Regional Fairness Boards, you still have the duty to comply with the law, including providing timely responses to EPA information requests, administrative or civil complaints, other enforcement actions, or communications. The assistance information and comment processes do not give you any new rights or defenses in any enforcement action. These processes also do not affect EPA's obligation to protect public health or the environment under any of the environmental statutes, including the right to take emergency remedial actions when appropriate. Those decisions will be based on the facts in each situation. The SBREFA Ombudsman and Fairness Boards do not participate in resolving EPA's enforcement actions. Also, remember that to preserve your rights, you need to comply with all rules governing the enforcement process. EPA is disseminating this information to you without making a determination that your business or organization is a small business as defined by Section 222 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act or related provisions. January 2022 Page 2