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Every Day Is Earth Day for American Entrepreneurs

Posted on: Friday, 21 April 2006, 12:00 CDT

WASHINGTON, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Environmental stewardship is important for America's 25 million small businesses -- and not just on Earth Day. Every day entrepreneurs are on the front lines in the battle to keep their communities "clean and green." Small business owners live, work, and play where their businesses are located. They know their families, neighbors, and employees will hold them accountable for keeping their communities healthy, clean, and green.

At the same time, excess paperwork and government regulation burdens small business. Office of Advocacy research shows that the smallest of businesses annually spend 45 percent more per employee to comply with federal government regulations than do their larger counterparts.

Consequently, additional environmental red-tape and paperwork that does little to actually protect the local environment is doubly frustrating for entrepreneurs. That is why small business owners cheered when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to streamline required annual reports on their use and management of chemicals.

Reports on spills, accidents, accidental releases, and first-responder inventories are still required. However, a simpler form will now be available for firms that handle small amounts of chemicals. This is welcome news for small firms that are lumped-in with large releasers in EPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) database.

Not only will this change annually save an estimated 165,000 hours of paperwork for businesses, it will also help communities understand that their local small businesses are not the same as the big polluters.

EPA's proposal illustrates the fact that small businesses are stewards of their environment and that when small businesses have a seat at the regulatory table, better regulations result. The new TRI reporting plan accomplishes the goal of environmental protection while recognizing the disproportionate impact regulations have on small business.

America's small businesses are at the forefront of innovation, especially fast-growing "green gazelles." They hold the promise of important new environmental solutions. On Earth Day 2006, Americans can be proud that their small business-owning neighbors are working to better protect the environment, and keep their communities clean and green. After all, every day is Earth Day for American small business.

The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent voice for small business within the federal government. The presidentially appointed Chief Counsel for Advocacy advances the views, concerns, and interests of small business before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, federal courts, and state policy makers. For more information, visit http://www.sba.gov/advo, or call (202) 205-6533.

Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration

CONTACT: John McDowell of the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. SmallBusiness Administration, +1-202-205-6941, john.mcdowell@sba.gov

Web site: http://www.sba.gov/

Source: PRNewswire

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