2023 marked the 30th anniversary of the Iowa Air Emissions Assistance Program (IAEAP) housed within the Iowa Waste Reduction Center at the University of Northern Iowa.

Established in 1993, the IAEAP works with Iowa small businesses (100 employees or less) to provide free, non-regulatory assistance in the areas of permitting, recordkeeping and reporting, as well as provides guidance and training related to state and federal air quality regulations. The program is funded by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Air Quality Bureau.

The IAEAP supports businesses through on-site visits, phone and email assistance, newsletters, the development of compliance materials and web tools, and direct one-on-one assistance. The IAEAP works with businesses in many industries including manufacturers, dry cleaners, body shops, grain facilities and printers. Since 1993, the IAEAP has assisted businesses over 7,500 times in all 99 Iowa counties. 

In collaboration with the DNR, the IAEAP has recently prioritized creating tools and resources to support small businesses. Examples include: 

• GrainPTE program - enabled over 800 grain elevators to qualify for streamlined state permitting. 
• Paint Tracker Program - assists businesses with painting operations to easily comply with permit recordkeeping requirements. 

Another facet of the IAEAP is assistance with the Minor Source Emissions Inventory (MSEI) requirement. To help businesses with the inventory, the IAEAP provides one-on-one assistance and has developed resources, tools and calculators for facilities to use as they complete the report. During the 2023 reporting year, the IAEAP documented more than 60 instances of assistance provided to small businesses in western Iowa. Additionally, over 250 facilities were contacted via email and over 100 facilities via phone to remind them of the reporting requirement and the resources available to them.

The impact of the IAEAP over the last 30 years can’t be better explained than by the clients themselves: 

“The IAEAP has been an extremely valuable resource for our company for a number of years,” said one manufacturing company based in Cherokee. “As a small manufacturing company, I recommend them to any business that lacks a dedicated subject matter expert. Along with reporting requirements, we have requested their on-site consulting services to maintain our compliance with air, water and waste regulations.”

Having a resource, such as the IAEAP, available to Iowa small businesses who often have limited knowledge, time and resources to understand their regulatory responsibilities is invaluable.