National Clothesline

By the time you read this, it may be all over in California, including the shouting. The South Coast Air Quality Management District may succeed in its quest to become the first regulatory authority in the nation to prohibit the use of perc in drycleaning, but whether that battle is won or lost, we have learned some worthwhile lessons.

First and foremost, we have seen the importance of an industry unified and coordinated through its trade associations. Imagine a thousand individual cleaners each trying to address a powerful regulatory agency. Does any one cleaner have the time to study all the documents, show up at all the hearings, and continually monitor developments over a period of months or years? How many have the expertise to comprehend the scientific issues being presented and develop counter arguments that can hold sway in a roomful of people who make their careers as regulators?

So what, you may say, these agencies just go ahead and do whatever they want, anyway. Sometimes it seems that way, but it’s not really so. Time and again we have seen regulatory proposals modified after industry leadership presented its case on behalf of all cleaners. The South Coast rule is one example. Without industry intervention, the perc ban would have been adopted a year ago, and in a form that would have been even harder on cleaners who are trying to make a living using perc.

More recently, cleaners got together through their associations to appeal to a Chicago alderman who wants to ban perc completely by June of next year. He seems to understand now that such a draconian measure is probably not necessary and certainly not practical.

And consider this: If a new law forces you to stop using perc, how will you cope? How would you decide which of the alternatives to select? How would you learn to use that alternative effectively? Where will you turn for help? If the Chicago perc ban were to be passed tomorrow, these are questions a perc-using cleaner would have about six months to answer. Is that enough time for a crash course on how to save your business?

The answers will come from your trade association, if you have one. If you don’t, try pulling the answers of your hat or your back pocket — and good luck. We’re betting that the cleaners who have a strong trade association to rely on are the ones who will survive.

Every five years, the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau undertakes a Herculean quest. This year will be no different. Five million 2002 Economic Census forms will soon be sent out to every mid-sized and large company in America. Several smaller companies will be targeted, too. The object of the quest is simple: to obtain information.

It’s quite mind-boggling when you think about it: Five million forms full of questions, some tailored specifically for each industry in America, and they are sent to every geographic area in the country. The Bureau leaves no zip code upturned.

The project is so immense in scope that it takes a full year to analyze and record all of the data. Results for the 2002 Economic Census won’t even be available until 2004, making the figures seem a little outdated. Yet, that doesn’t undermine their usefulness. After all, the Economic Census is our country’s best statistical barometer when it comes to understanding our national economy. The numbers from the census are used by federal agencies as a measuring tool for economic activity in the U.S. Even state and local agencies rely on it for economic development and regional planning. Additionally, it gives each industry a historical overview of its own economic trends.

With that in mind, it hardly seems necessary to remind business owners that if they receive census forms in the mail, it is imperative they fill them out truthfully and return them in a timely fashion — by the Feb. 12, 2003 due date set forth by the Bureau. Though the law requires it — those who fail to report can pay a penalty up to $500 and those who deliberately report inaccurate data can pay up to $10,000 — that really shouldn’t matter. Instead, business owners should be encouraged to fill the forms out because it is for the good of their industry, as well as their country. After all, data cannot be insightful or helpful unless it is accurate. For that reason alone, it is worth the time it takes to fill in all the blanks.