Compliance Advisory Panel

Compliance Advisory Panel 

The Small Business Compliance Advisory Panel (the Panel) was created under federal and state law to monitor the effectiveness of the Michigan Clean Air Assistance Program and the Michigan Clean Air Ombudsman . Together, these three components comprise the compliance assistance program for small businesses set up under the federal 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. 

The seven-member Panel is comprised of individuals appointed by the Governor, legislators, and the Director of the Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to represent citizens, small business owners, and governmental agencies.  Each member serves on the Panel voluntarily and without compensation. 

Responsibilities of the Panel 

The Panel receives its delegation and oversight authority from Part 57 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act of 1994, as amended (Public Act 451 of 1994) .  By statute, Panel members are charged with: 

• Reviewing information prepared by the technical assistance and ombudsman programs to assure that it is written in plain-English. 
• Prepare advisory reports on: 
  • The effectiveness of the small business technical assistance and ombudsman programs. 
  • The difficulties faced by small businesses including the average costs associated with  compliance and enforcement with the air quality regulations. 
  • The costs associated with operating a technical assistance and ombudsman program for small businesses. 
• Providing copies of prepared advisory reports to the U.S. EPA, the MDEQ, the legislature, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), and the general public. 
• Periodically reporting to the U.S. EPA. 
• Determining the use of private contractors for external expertise in providing technical assistance to small businesses. 

How Can the Panel Help Small Businesses? 
The Panel is always looking for ways to help Michigan's small businesses thrive and achieve success through improved environmental performance.  If you are a small business and have concerns about or difficulties with meeting the state and federal air quality requirements, the Panel would like to hear from you.  Feel free to contact the Panel at any time regarding your:  

• Experiences with the MDEQ or MEDC, including any telephone consultations, compliance assistance or any other interaction your business has had with the MDEQ or MEDC's programs and employees 
• Suggestions about how to maintain a cooperative regulatory environment between the small business community and the MDEQ that is less burdensome and more solution oriented.
• Interest in providing small businesses with a meaningful opportunity to make comment on or address enforcement or other regulatory activities.
• Interest in improving the level of service provided to the small business sector by the MDEQ or the MEDC. 
• Willingness to seek out an environmental mentor (or to become an environmental mentor to another small business) so that a variety of resources or tools can be shared to address environmental compliance issues. 
• Willingness to participate in the federal and state regulatory process so that the voices of the state's small business community can be heard.