National Clothesline

With the future of soil and groundwater contamination cleanup uncertain, the Western States Drycleaners & Launderers Association does not want to take any chances.

Currently, the association is raising funds from cleaners in an effort to make sure the state’s proposed revisions to water quality regulations are acceptable to the drycleaning industry. So far, it has been a long, expensive battle.

“We’ve spent over $50,000,” said WSDLA President Donn Frye. “We started about 18 months ago. It’s the only way to fight these guys and have any chance in getting what we want.”

As a protective measure, WSDLA has hired a lawyer to be present at all of its discussions with the Arizona Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund (WQARF) board and representatives from the state’s Department of Environmental Quality.

“It’s a legal negotiation. It’s expensive,” he added. “We’re trying to get the industry to support the association by everybody giving us some funding so we have enough dollars in our accounts to go ahead and negotiate with these guys on a one-on-one basis.”

Many cleaners have already contributed $500, and some have made multiple payments of that amount. Frye estimates that the state’s Korean association recently contributed about $7,000.

“We have to see this thing through,” he noted. “We’re kind of hoping that people will send us something a couple of times a year — rather than give once and think it’s all over.”

According to Mike Jordan, the chairman of WSDLA’s legislative/regulatory committee, the negotiation process started about 18 months ago when WSDLA realized the current cleanup program had a shaky future.

“We have a program called the Qualified Business Settlement (QBS) where small businesses that earn gross receipts under $2 million can settle up with the state for a percentage of their receipts — ten percent — spread out over five years and be done with it,” he said. “The problem that has risen is that there is some lack of funding.”

Compounding to its problems, QBS had its share of opponents, including former attorney general Janet Napolitano (who is now governor) and many major businesses in the state. One proposed change was to increase the percentage of gross annual receipts from ten percent to 25 percent. At that point, WSDLA knew it had to be proactive to protect its members. Knowing the QBS program had a limited shelf-life, the association spent many months negotiating a proposed voluntary program that would benefit both sides.

“The good thing is, I think we pulled all of the major businesses around into supporting us,” Jordan said. “We’ve got the majority of the people on the WQARF board supporting us now.”

The association has had more difficulty with ADEQ, however, who originally proposed a 7 percent fee of gross annual sales receipts from all cleaners, among other things. Now, that number is more in the ballpark of two to four percent. Other issues are still being debated, as well.

“They want us as individual businesses to carry environmental insurance,” Frye said. “We’re saying no because it’s really, really expensive.”

“They also want to be able to say where they want the money to go,” he added. “We don’t like that. We’re still negotiating.”

One thing WSDLA does support for any proposed bill is adding element of ongoing education and best management practices.

“We’d really like cleaners in Arizona to have solvent containment trays under their machines,” he said. “If we don’t turn off the faucet and keep on just fixing old problems, we’re never going to catch it, like a cat chasing its tail. If we go ahead and start implementing things like containment basins and all the best practices which we all know about, then I think we’ll be turning off any kind of contamination potential and hopefully have a brighter future that way.”

The Oregon Dry Cleaners Association will be hosting two seminars on material safety data sheets (MSDS) on Saturday, May 14, in Salem, Oregon.

Drycleaners are required by law to keep updated MSDS books. ODCA is offering the seminar to help teach teach attendees everything they need to know to create and maintain an MSDS book and achieve compliance.

The first session will begin at 8 a.m.; another session is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m.

Both will take place at the Best Western Mill Creek at 3125 Ryan Dr. SE. Admission is free to one ODCA member per business; additional attendees must pay $25 each. Non-members pay $70.

For more information, call (503) 871-5144. A registration form is available at www.oregondrycleaners.org.