St. Thomas business — St. Thomas
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Small Business Environmental Assistance Week Activities Planned
Commissioner Alicia Barnes of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources invites small businesses territory-wide to learn more about environmental compliance in several workshops and informational displays presented by the department from May 21-25.
To kick off the Small Business Environmental Assistance Week celebration, there will be three Small Business Compliance informational displays. The first will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on St. Thomas on Monday, May 21, at the Cyril E. King Airport Terminal Building; the second display will be from 9 am to noon on Tuesday, May 22, on St. John, at The Market Place, and the final display from 9 a.m. to noon, on Friday, May 25, on St. Croix, at Sunny Isle Shopping Center. Small businesses concerned about compliance rules are encouraged to get pertinent information at any of these informational displays.
Other activities include Small Business Environmental Assistance Program that will co-host with the St. Thomas-St. John and St. Croix Chambers of Commerce “Business After Hours” on Thursday, May 24, at the Petite Pump Room on St. Thomas and Friday, May 25, at the Caravelle Hotel Court Yard from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
There will also be two workshops to educate the V.I. Plumbing and Air Conditioning Industries on the 2012 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) and the 2012 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC) Editions. This workshop is being sponsored by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), VI Plumbers Association (VIPA), and the Small Business Environmental Assistance Program of DPNR.
The registration fee for each workshop is $50. The St. Thomas-St. John workshop will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 23, at the Palms Court Harbourview Hotel.
The St. Croix workshop will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, May 25, at the Caravelle Hotel Conference Room. The workshops will provide lunch for a limited amount of attendees. Registration for both workshops will be held from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Small businesses, usually with less than 100 employees and emissions less than 50 tons per year per pollutant or 75 tons per year of combined pollutants must adhere to mandates of the Federal Clean Air Act of 1990. All businesses have 180 days to correct any discrepancies discovered at their facility during an on-site assessment. “Compliance is always cheaper than enforcement.”
When Congress passed the Clean Air Act, it also required states and territories to create educational programs to give environmental assistance to small businesses. These programs are funded by the federal government. The benefits of the program also keep owners up-to-date on new regulations and requirements that could affect their businesses, reduce emissions and waste, and save money.
For more information on the Small Business Environmental Assistance Program workshops and informational displays and about the program, call Marylyn A. Stapleton, environmental program manager, or Jasmine Blyden, small business assistant, at 774-3320 on St. Thomas or Luis Ali at 773-1082 on St. Croix.
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