Small Business Advisor - February 2021

Small Biz News

Small Business Advisor - February 2021



Wisconsin Water Week March 8-12

The DNR invites the public to participate in Wisconsin Water Week, a digital experience from March 8-12, 2021. This year’s virtual interactive event spotlights protecting and enhancing Wisconsin’s water.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from experts, grass-roots organizers and passionate water advocates. Participants can engage in discussion sessions and interactive workshops, plus enhance their network of water-focused professionals.

Wisconsin Water Week brings together the array of people who care for our water and features content-rich presentations and discussion panels. Speakers include climate scientist Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson and Dr. Marissa Jablonski, Executive Director of the new Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin at UW-Milwaukee.

Nearly 200 different presenters, including 40 DNR staff, will join the event live to share their knowledge of water, ecology, advocacy and management. You can view the full conference schedule here.

Registration for Wisconsin Water Week is open here and costs $20 per day. This event is a collaborative effort of the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership which includes the DNR, Extension Lakes and Wisconsin Lakes.


Input Opportunities

EPA Seeks Small Businesses Input on Risk Management Rulemaking for Asbestos, Part 1: Chrysotile Asbestos

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting small businesses, governments, and not-for-profits to participate as Small Entity Representatives (SERs) to provide advice and recommendations to a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) panel for Asbestos, Part 1: Chrysotile Asbestos. The panel will focus on the agency’s development of a proposed rule to address unreasonable risks identified in EPA’s recently completed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) risk evaluation for this chemical.  Self-nominations may be submitted at https://www.epa.gov/reg-flex/potential-sbar-panel-asbestos-part-1-chrysotile-asbestos-risk-management-rulemaking-under and must be received by February 25, 2021

Under TSCA, EPA is required to evaluate the risks associated with existing chemicals in commerce using the best available science before taking action to address any unreasonable risk. The agency issued a final risk evaluation, Asbestos, Part 1: Chrysotile Asbestos, in December 2020, showing unreasonable risks to workers, occupational non-users (ONUs), consumers, and bystanders under certain conditions of use. EPA is now moving to the risk management step in the TSCA process by working to draft a regulation to protect public health from the unreasonable risks identified in the final risk evaluation.

The Regulatory Flexibility Act requires agencies to establish a SBAR Panel for rules that may have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The SBAR panel will include federal representatives from the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and EPA.

SERs will be selected by the SBAR Panel to provide comments on behalf of their company, community, or organization and advise the panel on the potential impacts of the proposed rule on small entities. EPA is seeking self-nominations directly from the small entities that may be subject to the rule requirements. Other representatives, such as trade associations that exclusively or at least primarily represent potentially regulated small entities, may also serve as SERs.

SERs provide advice and recommendations to the panel. The SERs participate in consultations with the SBAR Panel via telephone, webinar, or in person in one or two meetings and are given an opportunity to submit written comments to the Panel.

For more information and the nomination process go to the EPA press release.

 

Draft WPDES General Permits – Comments Due March 22, 2021

The Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) Recycling of Scrap and Waste Materials (WI-S058831-4) and Dismantling of Vehicles for Parts Selling and Salvage (WI-S059145-4) general permits are tentatively proposed to be reissued.  The DNR will accept written comments until March 22, 2021. Comments may be submitted electronically to DNRSWPermits@wisconsin.gov or mailed to: Suzan Limberg – WT/3, Wisconsin DNR, 101 S. Webster St., P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921.

The documents (Public Notice of Intent, draft permits and fact sheets) are available here: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Wastewater/PublicNotices.html.

Storm water discharges to waters of the state from certain industrial activities in the categories listed below may be covered by the corresponding general permits. These proposed general permits contain requirements specified under ch. NR 216, Wis. Adm. Code. Chapter NR 216 states how storm water from industrial operations can be discharged so that waters of the state will be protected. These proposed general permits will apply to discharges to waters of the state throughout the state. Each permit specifies the specific contamination areas of concern for each type of industry and the corresponding compliance schedule required for implementing storm water pollution controls for those areas.


Training Available

WISCON Online Safety Training