EPA has warm, fuzzy side
Agency reaching out to help communities, businesses
Joy Padgett
MEDINA – A message from the Environmental Protection Agency can often elicit chills from business owners and government officials on the receiving end.
A letter from the compliance division of the EPA can mean a hefty fine is on the way or an order that some costly work must be done to remedy a condition that is polluting the air or water. Either one can mean a lot of stress for those who have drawn the attention of the EPA.
Joy Padgett understands many people cringe when the EPA is mentioned. She’s director of a relatively new section of the Ohio EPA, the Office of Outreach and Community Support, or as she calls it, the EPA’s warm and fuzzy side.
She and colleague John Schmidt recently paid a courtesy call on Medina County commissioners to let them know the EPA can be their friend.
“We’re here to help communities and small businesses keep out of trouble with the regulatory side of the EPA,” she said. “We don’t require anyone to do anything. We just do assessments of potential problems and those are kept confidential and not passed on to anyone.”
Padgett has been making her way around the state talking to public officials to make them aware of the services offered by her new division. She asked county commissioners to pass on the information she provides to other public officials and business owners.
According to Padgett, any business in Ohio can receive free and confidential compliance and pollution prevention assistance through her office. Information obtained by her division is not subject to public records requests and is not shared with inspection or enforcement staff at the EPA.
Schmidt works in the Northeast District Office of Compliance Assistance and Pollution Prevention located in Twinsburg. His district includes Medina County where he has helped companies find ways to dispose of difficult to handle waste products or setup cost effective recycling programs.
Here’s how it works. Someone from the OCAPP staff will spend a few hours visiting a facility to examine processes and operations and talk about initial suggestions to reduce waste and save money.
That’s followed up by a report from the OCAPP staff focusing on the area most important to the company and information on resources that can help the company reach its goal. The company is under no obligation to complete any of the suggestions in the final report.
The office also offers help with Ohio EPA paperwork, compliance information written in plain English and free pollution prevention assessments.
Padgett said her office can also provide financial assistance on works to improve water resources by financing cost-effective and environmentally sound infrastructure projects.
Anyone interested in learning more about the services offered can call the agency’s confidential hotline at 800-329-7518.
A letter from the compliance division of the EPA can mean a hefty fine is on the way or an order that some costly work must be done to remedy a condition that is polluting the air or water. Either one can mean a lot of stress for those who have drawn the attention of the EPA.
Joy Padgett understands many people cringe when the EPA is mentioned. She’s director of a relatively new section of the Ohio EPA, the Office of Outreach and Community Support, or as she calls it, the EPA’s warm and fuzzy side.
She and colleague John Schmidt recently paid a courtesy call on Medina County commissioners to let them know the EPA can be their friend.
“We’re here to help communities and small businesses keep out of trouble with the regulatory side of the EPA,” she said. “We don’t require anyone to do anything. We just do assessments of potential problems and those are kept confidential and not passed on to anyone.”
Padgett has been making her way around the state talking to public officials to make them aware of the services offered by her new division. She asked county commissioners to pass on the information she provides to other public officials and business owners.
According to Padgett, any business in Ohio can receive free and confidential compliance and pollution prevention assistance through her office. Information obtained by her division is not subject to public records requests and is not shared with inspection or enforcement staff at the EPA.
Schmidt works in the Northeast District Office of Compliance Assistance and Pollution Prevention located in Twinsburg. His district includes Medina County where he has helped companies find ways to dispose of difficult to handle waste products or setup cost effective recycling programs.
Here’s how it works. Someone from the OCAPP staff will spend a few hours visiting a facility to examine processes and operations and talk about initial suggestions to reduce waste and save money.
That’s followed up by a report from the OCAPP staff focusing on the area most important to the company and information on resources that can help the company reach its goal. The company is under no obligation to complete any of the suggestions in the final report.
The office also offers help with Ohio EPA paperwork, compliance information written in plain English and free pollution prevention assessments.
Padgett said her office can also provide financial assistance on works to improve water resources by financing cost-effective and environmentally sound infrastructure projects.
Anyone interested in learning more about the services offered can call the agency’s confidential hotline at 800-329-7518.