Over 117 distinct programs help small business with regulatory and pollution prevention issues. Yet each year only 4400 small businesses receive direct on-site assistance. This is less than one percent of the potential small business clients that could benefit from such help. Over the last eight years, our experience has shown on-site assistance to be one of the most effective means. The lack of coordination between assistance programs is evident.
Individual programs are often unaware of other similar programs activities.
Duplicate efforts abound. New efforts will complicate the picture. National Compliance Assistance Centers are now in development, pollution prevention grants fund new programs, and agency initiatives in NIST, EPA, and SBA are going their individual directions. Existing and new small business environmental assistance programs must make an effort to form working partnerships. Reduced funding resources could exacerbate the situation if assistance programs do not from partnerships to maximize resources and assist small business.