Small Business Advisor - Special Edition - May 2019

Small Biz News

Small Business Advisor - Special Edition - May 2019

Celebrate Small Business Week May 5-11

Next week, during National Small Business Week we will celebrate the invaluable contributions Wisconsin’s 450,000 small businesses make to our economy and environment.  The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is committed to our small business community and we have a variety of services to meet their needs.

Watch for messages from DNR Secretary-designee Preston Cole, Small Business Environmental Council Chair Amy Litscher, and more;  follow DNR on LinkedIn and Twitter.  All week we will feature services that help businesses thrive - improving their bottom line while protecting Wisconsin’s precious natural resources.

https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/smallbusiness/SBWeek.html


A breath of fresh air: DNR celebrates Clean Air Month as Wisconsin’s air quality continues to improve

Join the DNR in celebrating Clean Air Month. Throughout the month of May, the department’s Air Program is highlighting ongoing air quality improvements across the state.

Clean Air Month is held annually each May. This year the Air Program offers a webpage for the public designed to provide information, activities and resources, all focused on reducing air emissions and improving air quality in Wisconsin. 

The Air Program has worked on many projects this past year targeted at interacting with the public and ensuring businesses have better options available that provide quality interactions with the department.  Those projects include:

  • The operation permit renewal backlog has decreased significantly in the last several months, while the construction permit issuance timelines have remained steady. The peer review process, implemented in 2017 continues to improve consistency and permit quality.
  • Compliance inspectors are utilizing a new, streamlined report format in a pilot project designed to improve consistency statewide and allow inspectors to be in the field more often.
  • The launch of the department’s first e-Signature reporting option for facilities in Wisconsin. E-Signature gives facilities the option of reporting, submitting and signing Air Program compliance and monitoring reports electronically to DNR, removing the time-consuming mail-in option.
  • The 2018 Air Quality Trends Report, released in October 2018, again showed positive trends in air quality throughout the state in the past year. The Air Program’s Air Quality Monitoring Network collects information, program staff then draw that data from the year and produce an annual report for the public on air quality trends around the state.  The Trends Report can be found at DNR.wi.gov search: trends report

To learn more about Clean Air Month and how to reduce air emissions, visit the DNR's Clean Air Month webpage,  or contact Craig Czarnecki (608) 267-3137.