ESD launches small business environmental- support office to help navigate regulations

Empire State Development (ESD) says it’s opened a new Small Business Environmental Support Office (SBESO), The SBESO is designed to help small businesses “understand and comply” with federal and state environmental regulations, ESD said in its Nov. 19 announcement. Those regulations involve air, water, solid, and hazardous waste, petroleum and chemical bulk storage, and other important environmental standards. Gov. Kathy Hochul first announced the initiative in her 2024 State of the State address. The new office will provide direct one-on-one guidance to New York small businesses related to environmental regulations and balancing the state’s sustainability goals alongside New York’s economic-development goals.   “Small businesses are not just the backbone of our economy, they also are a partner in helping New York achieve our environmental goals,” Hope Knight, president, CEO & commissioner of Empire State Development, said in the ESD announcement. “ESD’s new Small Business Environmental Support Office will be a resource for small businesses as they navigate an evolving environmental landscape. Small businesses in New York State now have a trusted advisor in understanding and complying with federal and state environmental rules.” ESD says environmental regulations are in place to ensure a clean and safe environment for all but concedes that regulations can also “prove challenging” for small-business owners to interpret. The new SBESO expands the support and advice offered to small businesses, “free and confidentially,” regarding how to navigate regulations, avoid noncompliance, and remedy violations. The Small Business Environmental Support Office can be reached by phone at: (877) 247-2329 or email at: SBESO@esd.ny.gov. More information is also available online at: esd.ny.gov/SBESO.

Assistance offered

The SBESO offers several types of assistance to any New York state business with 100 or fewer employees. They include dealing with compliance and identifying which state and federal regulations apply to a particular business and providing assistance in drafting compliance plans. In addition, the office can offer mediation help in resolving complaints and disputes as well as outreach and informing small businesses of new or changing regulations, compliance deadlines, and current issues that may impact business operations. The SBESO also offers business support and coordination with organizations representing business sectors, along with engagement with regulatory agencies to provide feedback from the small-business community. It also offers guidance on issues pertaining to sustainability, providing resources to move small businesses beyond compliance through energy efficiency, resource conservation, pollution prevention, and sustainability.