PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO SMALL BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY THE 1990 CLEAN-AIR ACT AMENDMENTS

Section 507 of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) requires state s to develop a small business stationary source and environmental comp liance assistance program to aid small businesses impacted by applicab le air quality regulations. In general, the program consists of three main components: (1) a small business assistance program (SBAP) for pr oviding compliance and technical assistance to small businesses; (2) a n ombudsman for providing direct oversight to the SBAP; and (3) a comp liance advisory panel consisting of members from both the public and p rivate sector responsible for determining the overall effectiveness of the SBAP. The key component of the program for assisting small busine sses is the SBAP. Providing the necessary assistance to small business es regarding such issues as permit applicability, rights under the CAA A and emission control options Will require the SBAP to develop both p roactive and reactive components. The proactive component involves pro viding outreach services in the form of collecting and disseminating c ompliance and technical information to small businesses. The reactive component includes the establishment of an information clearinghouse f or handling the many inquiries from members of the small business comm unity who have never been subject to air pollution control regulations . States without the available resources to fully implement an SBAP ma y need to rely on contractor assistance. This paper briefly describes the establishment of the program, provides an overview of each of the program components, discusses many of the ways in which states may imp lement both the proactive and reactive components of the SBAP, and lis ts the types of contractors most suitable for SBAP assistance.