mike, Author at EMAP

2023 DEP Small Business Advantage Grant

Written by mike on August 18, 2023. Posted in Breaking News, Funding Opportunities. Leave a Comment

The Pennsylvania DEP’s Small Business Advantage Grant program is now open and is accepting applications as of August 18, 2023. This grant program is an excellent opportunity for Pennsylvania small businesses to reduce their environmental impact while reducing operating costs, eliminating pollution, and become more efficient.

The Small Business Advantage Grant (SBAG) is a grant program providing 50 percent matching grants, with a maximum grant award varying from up to $5,000 to up to $8,000, to enable a Pennsylvania small business to invest in pollution prevention measures, install energy efficient equipment, or implement natural resource protection projects. Well-designed energy efficient or pollution prevention projects can help small businesses cut costs and reduce the risk of regulatory issues, while simultaneously protecting the environment.

Larger grant award amounts will be given preference to projects that are located in an environmental justice area in Pennsylvania. A small business can find out if they are located in an EJ area by using DEP’s EJ Areas Viewer interactive map.

Examples of eligible projects for the Small Business Advantage Grant include, but are not limited to, the following:

Energy efficient LED lighting,
High efficiency furnaces, boilers and air conditioners,
Digital X-ray equipment,
Water & waste recycling processes,
Solvent recovery systems,
Agricultural BMPs.

Advantage Grant applications are reviewed and awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. Pennsylvania businesses with fewer than 100 full-time employees are eligible to apply. Applicants must be for-profit entities located in Pennsylvania and registered with the PA Department of State. Eligible projects must save the applicant a minimum of $500 annually and save operating costs by a minimum of 25%.

CLICK HERE to learn more.

Agriculture Energy Efficiency Rebate Program

Written by mike on September 17, 2022. Posted in Breaking News, Funding Opportunities. Leave a Comment

Pennsylvania DEP is once again offering rebates to farms and agricultural producers in the Commonwealth for energy efficiency projects. The DEP Agriculture Energy Efficiency Rebate Program is now open in its second year. Applications are being accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis starting September 17, 2022 through March 31, 2023. Implementing energy efficiency measures is typically one of the easiest ways for any small business, farm, or agricultural operation to reduce operational costs, save money, reduce waste, and do good for the environment. Eligible projects for these rebates include LED lighting, variable frequency drives for milk vacuum pumps, ventilation fans, and refrigeration or cooling equipment. Information on eligibility and rebate amounts can be found here.

EMAP Receives 2022 National Small Business Environmental Assistance Program Excellence Award

Written by mike on May 20, 2022. Posted in Breaking News, Press Release, Success Stories. Leave a Comment

The National Steering Committee (NSC) of Small Business Environmental Assistance Programs (SBEAPs) & Small Business Ombudsmen (SBO) have selected the Environmental Management Assistance Program (EMAP) of Widener University with the 2022 Small Business Environmental Assistance Program Excellence Award. This award category recognizes exemplary performance of a state SBEAP in the areas of compliance assistance, sustainability, advocacy, and collaboration at the national level. The SBEAP Excellence Award emphasizes program leadership where they have created resources and work products, promoted policy advancements, developed program innovations, and established new partnerships to build a strong network of small business assistance. Since 1997, EMAP has provided free and confidential environmental technical assistance to the small business community in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Headquartered at Widener University in the School of Business Administration on Widener’s main campus located in Chester, Pennsylvania, EMAP services are available throughout the entire network of the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) to any Pennsylvania small business seeking assistance with issues of air quality and environmental compliance. The EMAP team, which includes Lee Ann Briggs, Jeremy Hancher, Charles Haney, and Carrie Wintersteen, was chosen by the SBEAP/SBO for their involvement and leadership with the National Steering Committee, the Technical and Annual Training Subcommittees, and the Environmental Justice Workgroup. In addition, EMAP was recognized for performing small business analyses on several Pennsylvania air quality rulemakings, for collaborating with the SBDCs and the Pennsylvania DEP Small Business Ombudsman to conduct in-person workshops and virtual webinars on environmental resources, and in partnering with other Pennsylvania stakeholder organizations and trade associations. Since 2018, EMAP Program Manager Jeremy Hancher has served as an appointee from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Small Business Compliance Advisory Committee (SBCAC). This committee provides timely feedback on Pennsylvania air quality regulations and proposed rulemakings, environmental policies and programs, and represents the perspectives and challenges faced by Pennsylvania small businesses. Dale Kaplan, owner of Kaplan’s Careful Cleaners and long-time Chair of the SBCAC, commented on EMAP services and having received the award by saying, “I have been with the DEP Small Business Compliance Advisory Committee for 26 years and EMAP has stepped up to the plate, the whole team, along with the 16 SBDC universities across the state and have served small businesses in a way that is really phenomenal. You deserve what you are getting, thank you.” Several EMAP small business clients have received National SBEAP small business awards of their own including Pennsylvania small businesses Abilene Boot Company in 2022, Dent Design Hardware in 2021, Gate 7 LLC in 2020, and Pik Rite, Inc. in 2017. During the COVID-19 pandemic, EMAP continued to be a reliable and steady presence to Pennsylvania small businesses needing environmental assistance and support. EMAP even pivoted during the early stages of COVID to utilize its connections within the Pennsylvania SBDC to provide firsthand knowledge of economic opportunities so that small businesses could access small business grants and low-interest loans related to COVID related shutdown orders. Always looking to better assist Pennsylvania small businesses in any way they can, the EMAP team recently surveyed their small business clients that received technical assistance in 2021. One small business noted the following in the survey:

“I’ve worked with EMAP for many years. The services they provide to small businesses are exceptional. I have and will continue to work with and support EMAP and continue to recommend and refer them to others as well.”

Sustaining Your Business: Craft Breweries

Written by mike on January 27, 2022. Posted in Webinar. Leave a Comment

Jeremy Hancher from EMAP and Cheri Chastain, Sustainability Manager from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, provide tips and best practices in the recorded webinar, Sustaining Your Business:Craft Breweries. The webinar covers ways to increase the efficiency of solid waste, water & wastewater, and energy usage, how to setup a bench-marking system to measure environmental performance and reach realistic targets, and resources available to both breweries in planning and recently established small businesses.

1-BP Added to Hazardous Air Pollutants List

Written by mike on January 5, 2022. Posted in Breaking News, Regulatory Updates. Leave a Comment

EPA has now added 1-BP to the Clean Air Act List of Hazardous Air Pollutants. EPA Administrator Michael Regan signed the final rule on December 22, 2021 and this action was published in the Federal Register on January 5, 2022. The effective date of this final rule is February 4, 2022.

EMAP previously wrote about this topic which can be found here.

1-bromopropane (1-BP), also commonly known as nPB, is a chemical solvent often used in surface coating operations, dry cleaning, and in electronics and metal cleaning. 1-BP is also used an adhesive and is sometimes used in the manufacturing process in pharmaceutical and agricultural industries.

What does this rule mean for Pennsylvania small businesses?

If you are a Pennsylvania small business and use 1-BP as part of your operations, you will now need to take into account the use of 1-BP as a regulated Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP). In Pennsylvania, an air quality permit is required if the actual emissions of a single HAP is greater than 1.0 ton per year or if emissions from multiple HAPs are greater than 2.5 tons per year. If you are an existing Pennsylvania small business that already uses 1-BP then you will now need to take into account the use of 1-BP in facility wide air quality permit limits, requirements, and reporting standards.

Are there any new special requirements that apply due to the 1-BP listing as a HAP?

Simply answered, no, there are no new requirements that will apply to a facility for simply using 1-BP in normal small business operations. The more complex narrative is that the use of 1-BP may affect a facility’s classification as an area source or air quality emissions into a major source, or Title V facility, due to the use of 1-BP and taking into account the facility’s Potential To Emit (PTE). To help better explain this, EPA has put together a Question and Answers document on the Listing of 1-BP as a Clean Air Act Hazardous Air Pollutant.

Small Business Assistance with 1-BP

If any of this confuses you as a Pennsylvania small business owner or operator, EMAP’s highly skilled team of environmental assistance providers is available to talk one-on-one. Simply call our toll-free environmental hotline at (877) ASK-EMAP or send us an email at questions@askemap.org.

Proposed Rulemaking for Dry Cleaning Facilities

Written by mike on December 2, 2021. Posted in Breaking News, Regulatory Updates. Leave a Comment

EPA has proposed amendments to the National Perchloroethylene Air Emission Standards for Dry Cleaning Facilities. This proposal would add provisions which would require all dry-to-dry machines at new and existing facilities to have both refrigerated condensers and carbon adsorbers as secondary controls.

The request for comment period is currently open. EPA seeks comments and information regarding the number of third generation and earlier model dry cleaning machines that potentially could still be in operation. In addition, EPA seeks information on dry cleaning practices, processes, and control technologies that could reduce emissions from hazardous air pollutions, or HAPs, for fourth generation (or better) dry cleaning machines.

A copy of the rule summary, the new proposed rule, and fact sheets can be found here.

General speaking, most dry cleaning facilities and operations are small businesses. Estimates from EPA report that there are approximately 10,000 to 15,000 perchloroethylene dry cleaning facilities in the United States. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic it is estimated that 10-15% of perc dry cleaners have closed.

The Circular Merchant: Pennsylvania’s New Materials Exchange

Written by mike on November 30, 2021. Posted in Breaking News. Leave a Comment

A new online platform to exchange materials is now available to Pennsylvania small businesses and organizations. The Circular Merchant, hosted by the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center, allows facilities and operations a way to get rid of unneeded materials by posting items on the new website or via a smartphone app.

Items that may be exchanged include examples such as electronic scrap, glass, organics & composting, paper & cardboard, plastics, metals, textiles, and yard sale items. Users can browse for materials on the Circular Merchant website or create a listing to get rid of excess materials as a means of sustainably recycling or reusing materials.

The benefits are obvious for small businesses and users. Less waste goes to landfills, businesses can become better stewards of the environment, and a little money can be made (if desired).

The Circular Merchant takes the place of the retired Pennsyvania Material Trader website. The PA Material Trader was originally established in 2004 by EMAP and the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC). Operating under the premise that what may be “trash” to one small business may be a “treasure” to another, the PA Material Trader had seen its glory days behind it. Thus, EMAP’s friends and partners over at the Recycling Markets Center took in and embraced the premise of hosting Pennsylvania’s material exchange platform.

DEP Enhanced Public Participation Policy

Written by mike on August 3, 2021. Posted in Breaking News, Regulatory Updates. Leave a Comment

Pennsylvania DEP recently developed the Environmental Justice Enhanced Public Participation Policy. This policy was created to ensure that environmental justice communities have the opportunity to participate and be involved in a meaningful manner throughout the permitting process when companies propose permitted facilities in their neighborhood or when existing facilities expand their operations.

For permit applicants, DEP is strongly encouraging applicants to perform community outreach, provide information to the public and local community, schedule pre-application meetings, and meet one-on-one or in a public setting with local & community stakeholders.

So what is Environmental Justice?

Environmental Justice, or EJ, is the idea or principle where communties and populations should not be disproportionally exposed to adverse environmental impacts. EJ has historically occured in minority or low-income communities where these populations have beared a higher-than-usual proportion of adverse environmental impacts such as poor air quality, contaminated soil, or unhealthy drinking water.

Permit Applicant Checklist

For any small businesses that has a facility or operation within an EJ community, the following list of items are strongly being recommended by Pennsylvania DEP to undertake:

Become familiar with the Environmental Justice Enhanced Public Policy.
Contact the EJ coordinator in your particular region.
Engage the local community early in the process and schedule at least one public meeting. The EJ coordinator will assist in planning an effective community meeting.

To determine if your small business might be located in an EJ area, Pennsylvania DEP has developed the EJ Areas Viewer at http://dep.pa.gov/EJViewer.

Contact EMAP to discuss EJ Issues for your Small Business

If your small business has additional questions related to environmental justice and how it may affect your environmental permit application in Pennsylvania, you can speak with one of EMAP’s environmental consultants by contacting our toll-free environmental hotline at (877) ASK-EMAP or email us at questions@askemap.org.

New and Increased Fees for Pennsylvania Air Quality Applications

Written by mike on January 13, 2021. Posted in Breaking News. Leave a Comment

Effective Saturday, January 16, 2021 as a result of a three-year regulatory process, all Pennsylvania DEP air quality applications, permits, Request for Determinations (RFDs), and initial Asbestos Notifications will be subject to new and/or increased fees.

Pennsylvania small businesses should note that any air quality applications, RFDs, or initial Asbestos Notifications received on or after 1/16/2021 by Pennsylvania DEP’s Air Quality Program must be accompanied by the new or updated fee amount.

Common air quality applications used and submitted by small businesses include Plan Approval applications (new), modifications, and extensions as well as State-Only Operating Permit applications (new) and renewals.

For those small business facilities with existing air quality permits a new “annual operating permit maintenance fee” will take place in 2021 which will replace the “annual operating permit administration fee”. This new maintenance fee will vary depending whether the facility status is considered a “natural minor” versus “synthetic minor” and the fee will also vary due to the calendar year.

Small businesses that qualify as a “small business stationary source” should take particular note that Requests for Determinations (RFDs), which are often used to determine if a facility or operation is exempt from air permitting or not, will now be subject to a fee equal to the following:

$400 for RFDs during calendar years 2021 – 2025
$500 for RFDs during calendar years 2026 – 2030
$600 for RFDs during calendar years beginning in 2031

The new Pennsylvania air quality fees can be found in the Air Quality Fee Schedule Amendments as posted in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

A summary of the new fees for non-Title V sources can be found below and are the ones most likely to affect small business operations in Pennsylvania.

If you are a Pennsylvania small business and would like to know more as to how the new air quality fees may affect your business operation, you can talk to one of EMAP’s environmental consultants by calling our toll-free environmental hotline at (877) ASK-EMAP or emailing EMAP at questions@askemap.org.

Gate 7 selected for National Small Business Environmental Stewardship Award

Written by mike on September 1, 2020. Posted in Success Stories. Leave a Comment

The National Small Business Environmental Assistance Programs (SBEAP) have recognized Gate 7 LLC as a 2020 recipient of the Small Business Environmental Stewardship Award.

As a small manufacturer of custom-made labels and decals based out of Greencastle, Pennsylvania, Gate 7 LLC, was honored with the award for proper management of their environmental responsibilities and the company’s unwavering commitment to finding greener alternatives to help reduce their carbon footprint and reduce industrial waste.

Nominated by the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers’ (SBDC) Environmental Management Assistance Program (EMAP), Gate 7 has become an inspiration to its customers, stakeholders and local community in Franklin County. “We are honored to be selected for this award as we are consistently aware of how our product and processes have an effect on the environment” said Clare Reay, Vice President of Gate 7 LLC.

The SBEAP’s National Steering Committee Awards are the country’s premier environmental awards for recognizing outstanding environmental performance, programs and individuals. The awards honor and recognize small businesses, individuals, trade associations and others who have made significant contributions to protecting the environment.

“EMAP is extremely happy and delighted to hear that Gate 7 has been recognized nationally by the small business community for being good environmental stewards and for being proactive in their pursuit of making a lasting impact for their customers, employees, and local community” said Jeremy Hancher, EMAP Program Manager. “Small manufacturers such as Gate 7 continue to face difficult challenges in today’s economic climate. EMAP and the Pennsylvania SBDCs are proud to assist small businesses such as Gate 7 to help them remain committed to the well-being of their operation’s family culture and to their own environmental footprint.”

Among their many environmental accomplishments, Gate 7 obtained their ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems certification, built and designed a new facility utilizing energy efficient motion sensors & LED lighting, and installed solar panels with enough generation to offset up to 98% of their electricity needs.

“Gate 7 would like to thank the National SBEAPs for this award and its continued commitment in assisting small businesses achieve and sustain environmental objectives,” added Ms. Reay.

More information about the National Small Business Environmental Assistance Programs is available at https://nationalsbeap.org/.

Updated General Information Form Now Available for DEP Permit Applications

Written by mike on August 31, 2020. Posted in Breaking News, Regulatory Updates. Leave a Comment

Pennsylvania DEP has updated its General Information Form (GIF) which is a form used to facilitate coordination between different types of permit or authorization applications for the same project. The updated GIF form can be accessed in DEP’s eLibrary found here.

Small business permit applicants should begin using the updated forms immediately as older versions of the GIF form will only be accepted through September 30, 2020.

The GIF form is typically used in situations when a small business submits a permit application to Pennsylvania DEP for the very first time for a particular project. This could be if a business decides to start a new type of operation in Pennsylvania and it is determined that an environmental permit application will be needed. The form is thus used to determine whether additional environmental permit applications will be required for the project.

As an example, if a small business is required to submit an air quality permit application for a project, and the business has never submitted an environmental permit application to DEP in the past, then the GIF form is a tool used by DEP to determine if additional permit applications (e.g. waste, stormwater, etc.) will also be required.

If a small business is considering starting a new project in Pennsylvania, or is expanding or relocating an existing operation, then it is suggested to first use Pennsylvania DEP’s Permit Application Consultation Tool.

Small businesses in Pennsylvania can also reach out to EMAP staff to discuss your project and see if any environmental permit applications may be required by DEP. All EMAP services are strictly confidential and are offered at no cost.

EMAP Wins Targeted Service Award During Annual SBDC Meeting in York

Written by mike on June 29, 2016. Posted in Breaking News, Press Release. Leave a Comment

This award was given to recognize service to the entire Pennsylvania SBDC network in a targeted service area. The Pennsylvania SBDC’s Environmental Management Assistance Program (EMAP) was recently awarded the 2015 U.S. EPA Administrator’s Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a Small Business Trade or State Small Business Environmental Assistance Provider, thus making them the recipient of the Targeted Services Award.

EMAP Wins National EPA Honor for Assistance to Small Businesses

Written by mike on May 10, 2016. Posted in Breaking News, Press Release. Leave a Comment

The Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)’s Environmental Management Assistance Program (EMAP) was awarded the Fiscal Year 2015 U.S. EPA Administrator’s Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a Small Business Trade or State Small Business Environmental Assistance Provider. The award was presented on May 5, 2016 during the U.S. EPA Administrator’s 26th Annual Small Business Program Awards Ceremony. The event recognized various program activities, individuals, businesses, and state and local entities for their outstanding contributions in Fiscal Year 2015.

Environmental Management Assistance Program

877-ask-emap

Author: mike

2023 DEP Small Business Advantage Grant

Agriculture Energy Efficiency Rebate Program

EMAP Receives 2022 National Small Business Environmental Assistance Program Excellence Award

Sustaining Your Business: Craft Breweries