New Hampshire is still slowly making progress towards developing a self-certification program for the state,Äôs perc drycleaners. The program, patterned after the acclaimed Massachusetts program, would start out as a voluntary compliance tool. The program is designed to give easy-to-understand guidelines to the regulated community. It is a great annual ,Äúreport card,Äu for the individual business, and NEFA feels that if properly used, ERP programs are in everyone,Äôs best interest.

The drycleaning industry has long had a reputation as having one of the worst compliance records among industry. What is important to understand, is that this track record mostly refers to paperwork violations and not understanding the requirements. With regulations changing, different agencies enforcing statutes it is not uncommon for cleaners and other small business to get drowned in the alphabet soup of EPA,Äôs and DEM,Äôs and OSHA,Äôs of the world. This program can be instrumental in improving the drycleaners compliance rate

NEFA is closely monitoring the progress, and is playing a key role in the development of the program. Using its experience in spearheading the Massachusetts effort, NEFA is making sure the Granite State avoids some of the program pitfalls. Once the program is established as a voluntary effort, the State hopes to transition the program to a mandatory requirement. One of the biggest hurdles will be with the Hazardous Waste Section. NEFA hopes this program will encompass the Hazardous Waste training and reporting sectors, to alleviate the burdens facing the drycleaners in the state. It is NEFA,Äôs hope that we can use the program for training purposes, and to structure training programs to satisfy the state requirements, but at the same time, make it more meaningful for the drycleaning industry.