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Resources
- Small Business Strategy (PDF) (7 pp, 200K)
- Small Business Implementation Plan (PDF) (13 pp, 174K)
- Environmental Laws & Regulations
- Small Business Initiatives/Policies & Laws
- Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
- RFA/SBREFA Website
- Regulatory Agenda & Plan
- Small Entity Compliance Guide to Renovate Right (PDF) (36 pp, 2Mb, about PDF)
- ASBO Hotline:
800-368-5888
EPA has many activities across the Agency to assist small businesses and an ongoing commitment to minimize the regulatory burden on small entities to the extent feasible while still meeting the statutory requirements.
- Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA)
- Small Business Paperwork Relief Act (SBPRA)
- Executive Order 13272: Proper Consideration of Small Entities in Agency Rulemaking
- Action Initiation Lists
- Rulemaking Gateway
- On-Line Rule Development Brochure and Regulatory Map
- Regulations.gov
- Federal Register
- Environmental Compliance
- Small Business Administration Report on the RFA FY 2008
- Office of Advocacy- Frequently Asked Questions
Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA)
Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) (PDF) (12 pp, 29K, about PDF) as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) (PDF) (29 pp, 99K, about PDF) - The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) imposes both analytical and procedural requirements on EPA and other federal agencies. Analytical requirements call for EPA to carefully consider the economic impacts our rules will have on small entities. Procedural requirements are intended to ensure that small entities have a voice when EPA makes policy determinations in developing its rules.
In support of the RFA/SBREFA, the Asbestos and Small Business Ombudsman (ASBO) team participates in the various stages of the Agency’s Action Development Process and Small Business Advocacy Review Panel process to ensure small businesses concerns are considered.
Small Business Paperwork Relief Act (SBPRA)
Small Business Paperwork Relief Act (SBPRA) (PDF) (5 pp, 54K, about PDF) - Addresses the needs and concerns of small businesses, and reduces the information collection burden for small businesses (for fewer than 25 employees). The ASBO is the official Point of Contact for the SBPRA.
Executive Order 13272: Proper Consideration of Small Entities in Agency Rulemaking
Executive Order 13272: Proper Consideration of Small Entities in Agency Rulemaking (PDF) (2 pp, 23K, about PDF) - Requires: (1) Each agency to establish procedures and policies to promote compliance with the RFA, as amended by SBREFA, (2) the Office of Advocacy to provide training to agencies on compliance with the RFA, and (3) each Agency to notify Advocacy of any draft rules that may have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the RFA and to give every appropriate consideration to any comments provided by Advocacy regarding a draft rule.
Action Initiation Lists
Each month, EPA posts summaries, proposed publication dates, contacts, and other information about recently initiated rules, giving the public early notice of upcoming regulatory actions. These Action Initiation Lists augment EPA’s Semiannual Regulatory Agendas, which provide the public with updates every six months.
Rulemaking Gateway
The Rulemaking Gateway serves as a portal to EPA’s priority rules, providing citizens with earlier and more concise information about agency regulations. Rulemaking Gateway complements Regulations.gov, the federal government’s main portal for tracking rules from all federal agencies, by providing brief overviews of specific EPA rules and additional ways to search rules based on the phases they are in (e.g., pre-proposal, proposal), the topics they relate to (e.g., air, water), and the impacts they might have (e.g., impacts on small businesses or environmental justice).
On-Line Rule Development Brochure and Regulatory Map
The general process by which EPA creates new regulations, including commencement, options selection, and receiving public comments is outlined in an on-line brochure.
A Regulatory Map (PDF) (1 pg, 50K, about PDF) is also available on the general steps of regulatory development. For more information, contact the Regulatory Management Division at 202 564-5480.
Regulations.gov
Regulations.gov is the Federal government’s one stop site to comment on Federal regulations. It serves as EPA’s clearinghouse for materials related to EPA rulemakings and is EPA's official on-line comment system.
On regulations.gov, you can also sign up for email notifications so you can be alerted when a document (e.g., a proposed rule or a meeting notice) is added to a docket. All of EPA's rules have a docket on Regulations.gov.
Federal Register
You can browse EPA's Federal Register Environmental Documents site to search for Federal Register (FR) publications related to environmental protection. Every proposed environmental regulation that has been published in the FR typically contains instructions about how to submit comments to EPA. Look for a section called "ADDRESSES" in a rule's Preamble. Subscribe to EPA's Federal Register (FR) Listserv to receive daily email alerts about new FR publications regarding any of 12 environmental topics.
Environmental Compliance
The mission of the Asbestos and Small Business Ombudsman (ASBO) is to support the environmental and compliance performance of small businesses as compliance is an integral part of environmental protection. The ASBO offers a wealth of compliance resources.
Small Business Administration Report on the Regulatory Flexibility Act FY 2008
The Small Business Administration Report on the Regulatory Flexibility Act FY 2008 (PDF) (69 pp, 375K, about PDF) states that Advocacy saved American small businesses $10.7 billion in foregone regulatory costs in fiscal year 2008, by helping federal agencies comply with the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA).
Office of Advocacy - Frequently Asked Questions
The SBA’s Office of Advocacy has developed a Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) (2 pp, 59K, about PDF) document which answers questions such as: What is a small business?, How important are small businesses to the U.S. economy?, How many new jobs do small firms create?, What is small firms’ share of employment?, How many small businesses are there?; How many businesses open and close each year? ; What is the survival rate for new firms?... and more.