Altruism aside, compliance is key.

Linda Pratt doesn't care one whit about what motivates businesses to meet environmental regulations. Her concern as manager of San Diego County's Pollution Prevention Program is the bottom line: compliance.

"If somebody is reducing waste to increase their profitability and the net gain is the same, I don't care about their motivation," Pratt said, "so long as the result is the same. Business needs to look at how to minimize the waste that's produced."

"What they're doing is actually losing materials. That equates with a loss of money. They're throwing money down the drain. Pollution prevention is the link between economic competitiveness and quality."

Business and government are working together despite continued grousing about the onus of regulations. Federal mandates, like the Clean Air Act, as well as state and local regulations, may be modified, but business officials and regulators agree they're here to stay.

An example of this increased cooperation is the Environmental Health Services-Industry Coordination Group, a joint committee of the county's Environmental Health Services and the Industrial Environmental Association.

Formed in 1983 to promote environmental compliance within industry, the IEA has 40 members representing the county's largest industrial manufacturers, and environmental lawyers and consultants.

"Traditionally (environmental) regulators and business have been adversaries," said Paul Downey, IEA executive director. "That still exists, but industry is learning the importance of working cooperatively."

Downey said big business has developed a new, pro-active attitude toward compliance over the last 18 months.

Much of the joint committee's work will be aimed at educating small business about compliance, he said. The committee plans to publish a newsletter in March focusing on how business can be more involved in the government decision-making process. The newsletter will be mailed to the county's 5,000 generators of hazardous waste.

"The issues of empowerment are critical," Pratt said. "If you don't think you can make a difference, why would you want to work cooperatively?"

Vigorous Outreach To Business

The county's Pollution Prevention and Industry Compliance programs have vigorous outreach campaigns to business that includes workshops, speakers, mail and inspections.

Industry Compliance coordinator John Misleh is also working to cut red tape. He wrote an amendment to a state law that took effect April 1 mandating "tiered permitting."

Under this law, pollution regulations would vary according to the amount of waste a company produces and the attendant health risks.

"The amendments are meant to make it more business friendly," Misleh said. "Industry thinks the law is duplicative and burdensome since state inspections are more costly."

Most businesses want to comply with the law, said Gary Stephany, director of county Environmental Health Services. Some, however, "feel it's unfair for competition. We try to level the playing field.

"Everybody blames the bureaucrats for environmental regulations," Stephany added. "But elected people were lobbied to (create the rules) and a lot of times it was by business, banks and insurance (companies) looking to limit their liabilities."

It's not uncommon for businesses to report noncompliance by competitors, according to Deputy District Attorney James Pitts.

Compliance Levels Playing Field

"A lot of companies are spending the money and the resources to comply, and you have industries and companies out there who, by choosing not to comply, are placing themselves at a competitive advantage," Pitts said. "Most of the cases we prosecute are unfair business practices."

The district attorney's office filed 10 environmental-related lawsuits this year. Nine were settled out of court, including the highly publicized case against the Kelco Division of Merck and Co., Inc.

The DA's civil suit against the company claimed the million gallons of effluent it pumped into the sewers each day was inadequately treated. Kelco, which harvests sea kelp used to make food additives, settled the case this summer by agreeing to pay $200,000 in penalties.

"Although Kelco has no direct competitors here, it is unfair to require that some companies comply with the law and not others," Pitts said. "Kelco was sophisticated enough to know its effluent treatment system was inadequate."

Kelco's problems had been going on for years, Pitts said, adding that the Regional Water Quality Control Board and the city of San Diego's Industrial Waste Department were not strong enforcers of the regulations.

"But the city is working to put together a more credible enforcement program," Pitts said.

Like other officials, Pitts favors ongoing education for business owners about pollution.

"Then when I see (polluters), they can't say they didn't know about the regulations," Pitts said. "I'm not the Maytag repairman, but business knows we're here. The education's out there. They're not taken by surprise."

Government agencies are also working with educators on pollution prevention and regulatory compliance.

Cuyamaca, Southwestern and Palomar community colleges offer training in hazardous waste management for employees and others wanting to enter the field. UCSD's hazardous waste management courses are available through its extension program.

UCSD's classes cost $315 to $340 each. Community college fees are about $13 to $30 per unit. Students who already have college degrees pay more.

The community college curriculum is called the Environmental Hazardous Materials Technology Program. Students can earn a two-year degree or get a certificate by taking core classes. County officials and waste management experts serve as advisers.

Todd Wright is vice chairman of Cuyamaca's advisory committee and the manager of environmental health and safety at Advanced Tissue Sciences, Inc., a La Jolla biotech.

"The program is being taught by professionals in many cases who've been out in the field, also government officials and regulators," Wright said. "It gives students a good balance to understand both sides."

Cuyamaca's program began in spring 1992 with 45 students, and enrollment has since doubled.

"Not An Enviro-Nazi"

"I'm not taking this course because I'm an enviro-Nazi," said student Russ McCarthy, who is a transportation supervisor at a local shipyard. "I'm taking this course because it increases my employer's profits and helps them meet the guidelines."

Environmental technicians are employed in government agencies, manufacturing, industry, transportation, storage and disposal companies, research labs, utilities, environmental engineering and consulting firms, and education.

Salaries range from $11 to $17 an hour for entry-level technicians and go up to $80,000 annually for experienced workers in the field with a four-year or master's degree.

"The public demand for compliance is just not going to go away," said Michael Hall, program coordinator at Cuyamaca College. "They demand that environmental issues be addressed. Industries seek to do it in a cost-effective way."

Hall says a few students start working at entry-level jobs in the field before completing the program.

Cuyamaca student Neal Holland, a couple of courses shy of earning a certificate, was hired in January as an environmental technician for Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Student Alex Williams works for South Bay Sandblasting & Tank Cleaning Inc., providing health and safety training for employees.

"(The program) enhances me so I get the knowledge I need to take into the field," he said.

Like other technicians, he uses a catalog and other reference material to look up chemicals and their potential health risks. These risks include irritation to or burning of skin and eyes, dizziness and nausea, or worse if the exposure is great.

"I'd be in more danger if I didn't attend these classes," Williams said. "I wouldn't know about the danger."

Some hazardous waste technicians just handle compliance paperwork and never come in contact with the substances they police, Hall said.

"There's a little stigma," Hall said. "Some people think we're all running around with gas masks on."