The Pollution Prevention Institute at Kansas State University has received a $333,000 grant from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, or KDHE, to provide free, confidential environmental compliance assistance to Kansas small businesses. Nancy Larson, director of the Pollution Prevention Institute, said the funding will allow the program to provide a variety of services, including on-site technical assistance, an environmental hotline, trainings for Kansas industries and development of tools such as videos, guidance documents and online resources as part of the Small Business Environmental Assistance Program, or SBEAP. “Kansas small businesses and manufacturers are a critical part of the state’s economy,” Larson said. “This program provides small businesses with confidential environmental permitting and compliance assistance and training resources, helping businesses by simplifying complicated regulatory obligations, improving compliance rates, sustainability and reducing costs.” While funding is requested and approved on a yearly basis, the SBEAP and KDHE are longtime partners, with funding provided at various levels for nearly 30 years. The program expects to help several hundred small businesses in Kansas while also capturing compliance rates, customer feedback and environmental metrics. Engineering Extension’s programs, including the Pollution Prevention Institute, are independent leaders in technical assistance, training and outreach for the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, disseminating knowledge to citizens of Kansas and the nation in service of the land-grant mission.
