ChemALLIANCE: CLEANER LIVING THROUGH COMPLIANCE
A Michigan Tech-based Internet service is helping the chemical industry comply with government regulations.
ChemAlliance is one of nine Compliance Assistance Centers sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency, explains MTU Associate Professor Barry Solomon, ChemAlliance's associate general director. From its Web site at http://www.ChemAlliance.org, it serves as a comprehensive resource center on environmental laws and regulations that affect the chemical industry. (Other centers serve local government, the paint industry, the transportation sector, etc.) In addition, the ChemAlliance Web site features short articles on various issues, and phone and fax numbers so anyone with regulatory questions can contact ChemAlliance staff directly. Usually, they will be referred to other assistance providers. If a company doesn't have access to the Internet, ChemAlliance will send them information directly at no charge.
ChemAlliance grew from the unique needs of the chemical industry. "It's a really mixed picture," Solomon says. "Some companies want to be good corporate citizens; others may not seek help because they're suspicious of the government." Thus, companies that might be reticent to contact the EPA would hopefully be comfortable dealing with ChemAlliance.
ChemAlliance should also appeal to a large sector of the industry that now lacks easy access to information. While the major companies stay abreast of environmental requirements, 56 percent of chemical companies have ten or fewer employees and may lack the information they need to comply with regulations. "Those small companies can be very hard to track, and their actions add up," says Solomon.
ChemAlliance gives companies at all levels reliable information and treats all inquiries confidentially, according to Solomon. "So far, we've gotten positive feedback," he says.
Pacific Northwest National Lab and the University of Wisconsin Extension Service's Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center are partners in ChemAlliance, which is in the second of a three-year, $850,000 EPA grant. The project is also part of the Clinton-Gore National Partnership for Reinventing Government.
For more information on ChemAlliance, contact Solomon at 487-1791 or email: [email protected].
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