The Advocate, Volume 9, Issue 4, October-December 2004 Page: 1
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Texas State Publications and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
T e x a s C o m mis sio n on E n vir o n m e n t al Q u alit y
Te
PD-006/04-04
dvowae
Volume 9, Issue 4 / October - December 2004
Improving Environmental Compliance Statewide
The TCEQ's Small Business and
Local Government Assistance (SBLGA)
program helps you stay up to date and
in compliance with environmental rules.
In fiscal year 2004, SBLGA staff spoke
with thousands of small business repre-
sentatives and local government offi-
cials in response to approximately 6,700
requests for environmental assistance.
Compliance Assistance Works!
In addition to providing one-on-one
assistance, SBLGA launches special
initiatives to help specific groups meet
their environmental responsibilities.
Success stories for FY04 include:
* Informing almost 200 local gov-
ernments and small businesses of
the advantages of renewing their
wastewater permits in a timely
manner. Unauthorized discharges
due to an expired permit can result
in fines over $10,000. More than
85 percent of those contacted re-
newed their permit in a timely way.
* Informing cotton gins of a statu-
tory deadline to submit a permit
application for a "small business
stationary source." As a result of
SBLGA outreach, the number of
cotton gins with air permits
doubled so that over 94 percent of
the facilities are permitted.
* Contacting petroleum storage tank
(PST) owners to explain the certi-
fication rules. In the Harlingen re-
gion, our assistance brought 95
percent of the contacted PST sites
into compliance.
* Assisting dry cleaners in Houston
to achieve compliance with air
rules. This outreach resulted in fullcompliance when 75 sites were
investigated by a local air enforce-
ment program.
* Providing compliance checklists
to help 63 public water systems
in the Harlingen and Laredo
regions significantly improve
their compliance as evidenced
by investigation results.
* Helping equip small businesses
and local governments to comply
with regulations by offering tools
such as:
a model storm water pollution
prevention plan,
a poster with tips to reduce
emissions from surface coating
operations, and
a new compliance
checklist for salvage
yards.
* Partnering with
local groups to
clean up and
prevent the
spread of ille-
gal dump sites.
Cleanup efforts
in the El Paso area
collected 65 tons of trash and
400 tires, and triggered the
voluntary cleanup of hazardous
waste by the responsible party.
One way to take advantage of
SBLGA's services is through the Site
Visit Program, which provides an evalu-
ation of a site's environmental compli-
ance. After a business or government
corrects any problems found during the
initial site visit, a second site visit is
conducted to determine complete com-
pliance and demonstrate eligibility forthe Compliance Commitment (C2) Part-
nership. In fiscal year 2004:
* More than 330 site visits were
conducted for 250 small busi-
nesses and local governments; and
" 70 sites showed complete compli-
ance and became C2 partners,
earning a one-year exemption
from scheduled inspections by
TCEQ, EPA, and local enforce-
ment programs in Houston,
Galveston, Pasadena, Dallas,
Fort Worth, and El Paso.
Of the 154 sites who had both a
first and second visit:
* More than130 showed a
significant improvement in
compliance; and
* On average, the rate of compli-
ance increased by approximately
60 percent.
Another service
SBLGA offers is
the EnviroMentor
program. SBLGA
staff match small
businesses and
local governments
needing detailed "hands
on" compliance assistance
with dedicated environmental
professionals who volunteer
their time. Last year, EnviroMentors vol-
unteered over 750 hours helping 40
small businesses and local governments.
If paid out of pocket, this assistance
would have cost approximately $77,000.
For more information on SBLGA
projects, as well as tools especially de-
signed to help small businesses and lo-
cal governments improve compliance,
visit our Web site at www.sblga.info. EFor and about small businesses and local governments affected by environmental regulations
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The Advocate, Volume 9, Issue 4, October-December 2004, periodical, October 2004; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth575875/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.