Please read this.....
Alright everyone. I want to get a couple of things straight.
Contrary to popular belief, Aron and I are not out busting contractors. If you go back and read the article in the August 2000 issue of Cleaner Times, you will see a glimpse into the hell that we have been through over the last 4 years. He and I have only EVER gone after ONE contractor. I repeat, ONE contractor….. One that threatened our business, and our lives. The District Attorney verified the illegal dumping and the unfair business practices. This contractor had been given COUNTLESS opportunities to just change his operation and comply. After ignoring all of the warnings, and becoming more shady about his operations, he was rightfully prosecuted. And made an example of.
The point Aron was trying to make in the letter, which according to the buzz on the street no one seemed to catch, was that contrary to what the author of the series “E-washing” had stated there are many other ways of being "caught" other than the Federal EPA. The organization that Aron works for, focuses on the enforcement of water quality laws. That is what they do. They have prosecuted everything from counties and cities to large companies for polluting our local waterways/oceans. Aron's job is to investigate polluters, and provide the evidence, so that the organization can enforce the laws. More often than not, this organization sues the cities and state government for failing to enforce the laws in their own areas. They DO NOT want to put people or companies out of business. They want to put them out of the POLLUTION BUSINESS. They have worked tirelessly to show and encourage people and companies ways to still conduct a profitable business while adhering to the laws. They only prosecute if that entity REFUSES to make the effort to comply with the laws.
We don't EVER want to see another contractor have to fight the fight that we have been through to be able to run a legitimate business and do things the right way. We fought all of this to also ensure that the laws that are on the books are enforced equally, and not just randomly. The selective enforcement of these laws means that ONLY the contractors that can be found will be prosecuted. The fly-by-nighters that are totally screwing up this industry are the ones that will ensure we as professionals will never get ahead or be taken seriously. I, as well as many other contractors, have a vested interest in our business’. Being environmentally compliant should be an accolade not a burden. The customer should not be allowed to decide what we make and why strictly based upon the competition of another company that does not meet the same standards. Apples for Apples, not Apples for Oranges. My equipment, experience, knowledge, etc., should not be compared to a janitorial company that comes in with only a mop and bucket. These are not fair comparisons. If they choose to just have a janitorial company, that is fine, but I do not want the prices I charge for my work compared to that of one person with a mop. That is supposed to be why we are in business for ourselves, and not an employee of theirs.
We have worked with the regulators and enforcement people here in CA, and abroad, to make sure that we didn't get swallowed up by the regulations. We showed them what could be done, and they wrote up Best Management Practices according to what we could prove actually could be accomplished. We kept them from just putting down the iron fist and later scrambling to either try and meet it, or hide in the shadows trying not to get caught.
For any of you that see us as the enemy, you are obviously missing the big picture here. We have been happy and willing to help any contractor that has ever asked for it. And still do. Ask around, and you might be surprised. Everything that we have done was to strengthen this industry. Not to destroy it.
I do not want to tell the whole long story again, I have been telling it for years. But I didn’t want anyone to be afraid or hesitant about talking to either of us based on a letter that didn’t tell much else. I’ll let everyone know when we get the chance to write the next article that Nancy has asked us to write. Till then, if you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail me or call me. We’d be happy to tell anyone the whole story on the phone.
Kendra
Ktillery@juno.com
714-412-2646