5/7/2020 Update
CICD has been in contact with the Governor’s Office regarding the face mask EO and we have received some guidance from them. We explained that our members are fully committed to practicing proper social distancing and, in the event that there is not a safety concern, to ensuring that everyone is wearing a mask. We outlined our specific safety concerns, based on the feedback you provided us.
The Governor’s Office said that as long as companies are exercising their best judgement and making serious efforts to promote a healthy workplace, then we should not have any issues. They recommended trying alternatives before dismissing entirely. For example, they suggested trying cloth masks instead of an N95 to get around the perspiration issue.
Please let us know if you have any questions regarding this guidance. Below you will find additional updates from the Governor's Office and a Title V update from CICD President Alan Rogers.
Regards,
CICD Team
Governor Carney Announces Interim Steps for Small Businesses
On Tuesday, May 5, Governor John Carney announced a series of interim steps allowing small businesses to resume limited operations effective 8:00 a.m. on Friday, May 8.
The goal of the interim steps is to provide economic relief to Delaware citizens and businesses who are struggling financially - while maintaining strict adherence to health and safety guidelines. The steps also will help as Delawareans and Delaware businesses adapt to new ways of operating once Phase 1 begins.
Governors Announce Joint Multi-State Agreement
Delaware Governor John Carney, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced a joint multi-state agreement to develop a regional supply chain for personal protective equipment, other medical equipment and testing.
While the states will continue to partner with the federal government during this global and national public health crisis, they will also work together to identify the entire region’s needs for these products, aggregate demand among the states, reduce costs and stabilize the supply chain. The states will also coordinate policies regarding the inventory of PPE each state’s health care infrastructure should have to be prepared for a possible second wave of COVID-19. The states will also coordinate policies on what supplies local governments should have on hand for their First Responders, and if any requirements regarding PPE for the non-for-profit and private sector are needed.
The states will then seek to identify suppliers within the country, region or state who can scale to meet the demand of the entire region over the next three months. The goal of this approach is to decrease the potential for disruptions in the supply chain for PPE and medical equipment, including sanitizer and ventilators, and testing, and promote regional economic development.
Click here to read more about the Governors' Joint Multi-State Agreement.
Title V Update from CICD President Alan Rogers
The CICD continues to take an active role in the next 3 year Title V legislation bill. It has been a difficult negotiation this year due to the ending of the fee credit program that reduced the DNREC Air and Climate’s Title V bank reserves from over $4mm down to around $1mm over the last 6 years. The impact of the ending of the free credit is that the Department is now about $800k short annually on revenue from the two existing fee categories.
The industrial team, led by the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, has proposed a new 3rd fee category and after many exchanges DNREC has accepted this new fee structure. The trade off for this increased revenue is that with the new legislation, effective January 1, 2021, they need to provide more transparent hourly billing information to the companies in the Synthetic Minor and Title V program.
We’ve fought long and hard about Departmental growth and have hopefully set the ground work for continued improvements for future renewal legislation, and the goal and burden of this 3rd fee category will be to reduce and eliminate it over time.
It is my pleasure to continue to serve the CICD.
Alan Rogers
CICD President