PWNA Launches Environmental Program
www.thepwna.org/regs
February 20, 2009 Prattville, Alabama
PWNA (Power Washers of North America) Environmental Chairman Robert M. Hinderliter launched the new PWNA Environmental Initiative at a Contract Cleaner Round Table hosted by Russ Spence (Prokleen Power Wash) and promoted by Ron Musgraves (Pro-Power Wash). Over 50 contract cleaners plus Vendor Sponsors attended the event held in a suburb of Montgomery, Alabama.
In the next seven years, all municipalities and urban areas will have their environmental regulations and ordinances reviewed in detail by the EPA. Part of this in depth audit includes regulations, ordinances, and BMPs concerning Cosmetic Cleaning which includes pressure power washing. All municipalities over 100,000 populations will have their audits completed in the next 5 years. This action is forcing a review and implementation of these ordinances.
The main thing that effects how these regulations are implemented and interpreted is the protection of the environment coupled with the “economic revenue stream” of various participants including: 1) Environmental Regulators, 2) Environmental Equipment Manufactures & Distributors, 3) Cosmetic Cleaners, 4) Competitive Trade Associations, and 5) Interested Stake Holders including concerned citizens.
Not always, but generally the following apply for the effect of the “Economic Revenue Stream” on how the Clean Water Act is interpreted and implemented:
Environmental Regulators: They want the regulations to be heavily enforced with lots of restrictions to create a revenue stream with fines and fees. Because the Regulators are not sure of the effect on the environment they will err on the conservative side, like not allowing waste water, that is filtered through an oil absorbent boom to remove the hydrocarbons (oil and grease) and filtered through a screen (to remove the sand and debris), into the sanitary sewer system.
Manufactures & Distributors (CETA Members): Strong environmental rules will increase the sales of environmental equipment and related items, i.e., a regulatory driven market increase sales.
Cosmetic Cleaners: They want the regulations to be reasonable, rational, and logical to decrease the cost of compliance while protecting the environment. They do not want the rules and regulations to be arbitrary, irrational, and unreasonable. The rules should be good for the municipality, the contract cleaner, and the environment.
Competitive Trade Associations: The Coin-op Car Wash Associations see mobile Contract Cleaners and Charity Car Washes as competitors taking away revenue from their facilities. The average charity car wash does about $3,500 in revenue and mobile contract cleaners do hundreds of thousands of dollars of business. The Liquid Waste Haulers want to haul the waste water and put as many restrictions as possible on the transportation of the liquid waste water to force the use of their transportation services and disposal facilities.<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><!--[endif]-->
Interested Stake Holders and Concerned Citizens: Generally those parties that get involved in the development of these regulations are extremist having unconventional points of view, otherwise they are not concerned.
As you can see from the above if the regulations are going to be reasonable, rational, and logical then the contract cleaner is going to have to get politically involved! If the contractors do not get involved then by their silence they are voting by default for tough rules and regulations because of the “economic revenue stream” of other interested parties. If a contract cleaner receives enforcement action of a citation or fine and he did not get politically active in the development of the ordinances, then he voted by default for this enforcement action.
The Contract Cleaners are going to pay for the development of the ordinances either by getting politically active or through citations, fines, and the expense of environmental equipment and regulations that are unnecessary. PWNA has developed a program for contract cleaners to follow that will help assure that these regulations and ordinances are reasonable, rational, and logical. The ordinance is up on the EPA’s Website as an example for other communities to follow.
The PWNA Program is based on 13 years of positive results of a regulation that is reasonable, rational, and logical. This program has been administered at almost no cost to the municipality and has resulted in pollutants in the storm drains equivalent to areas of heavy police action! The Ordinance is good for the municipality, good for the environment, and good for Contract Cleaners. But it required politically active involvement of the contract cleaners to make this happen, otherwise the regulations would have been unreasonable, arbitrary, and irrational.
Note: Almost always the Environmental Department, Storm Water Department, or Health Department is Reasonable, Rational, and Logical. The problem is that their hands are tied (policies restricted) by the Sanitary Sewer Department (POTW) who invoke stringent and sometimes arbitrary requirements for discharge to the sanitary sewer.
For information on how you can get involved and details of the program go to
www.pwna.org and click on the “Environmental” link.
Can you afford to not get involved or are you going to vote by default? Join PWNA today and support your industry.
Robert M. Hinderliter,
PWNA Environmental Chairman
Note:
Economic Revenue Stream of Delco Cleaning Systems of Fort Worth: The Economic Revenue Stream of Delco Cleaning Systems of Fort Worth has come up several times since it does not fit the general scenario of a Manufacturer, Distributor, or CETA Member. Delco’s Revenue Stream is based on the assumption that if the regulations are reasonable, rational, and logical then there will be a high level of compliance at a reasonable cost. This will assure a larger customer base for standard equipment instead of fewer customers with a large capital investment for Environmental Equipment. This large investment also limits the jobs that are financially feasible to larger jobs leaving the smaller work for nights, and weekends to go the storm drains when enforcement is at its lowest. This is one major reason why police actions do not work better they do. It forces the smaller non-economical jobs to uneducated contract cleaners just entering the business and to owners who do not know any better.
As a result of the political action of Robert Hinderliter, President and founder of Delco Cleaning Systems of Fort Worth, the use of recycling units almost disappeared in his local market. Individuals are now able to do cosmetic cleaning with less than a $300.00 investment for environmental equipment and while a typical Contract Cleaner has about a $1,000 to $3,000 investment to comply with the local environmental ordinance. The investment choice is up the contractor to decide which option is the most economical for them.
This ordinance has withstood the test of time of over 13 years as an example for other regulating agencies and has been followed by many municipalities.
