Publicly Available Tool Reports On Different Types of Pollution

EPA Press Release:

Publicly Available Tool Reports On Different Types of Pollution
Includes data for Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma

DALLAS – (Feb. 6, 2014) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data is now available for the reporting year of 2012. This annual report provides citizens with critical information about their communities, including data on certain toxic chemical releases to the air, water, and land, as well as information on waste management and pollution prevention activities by facilities across the country.

“Serving the public’s right-to-know is the first crucial step in reducing toxic chemicals in the places where we live, work, and raise children,” EPA Regional Administrator Ron Curry. “This report emphasizes the need for transparency and provides a powerful tool for protecting public health and the environment.”

This year's TRI report provides new tools for people to use to learn about how chemicals are used in their communities. These include analyses and interactive maps for each U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan area, new information about industry efforts to reduce pollution through green chemistry and other pollution prevention practices, and a new feature about chemical use in consumer products.

TRI data are submitted annually to EPA, states, and tribes by facilities in industry sectors such as manufacturing, metal mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste. Many of the releases from facilities that are subject to TRI reporting are regulated under other EPA program requirements designed to limit harm to human health and the environment.

Also available is the expanded TRI Pollution Prevention (P2) Search Tool, which now allows users to graphically compare facilities within the same industry using a variety of environmental metrics.

Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), facilities must report their toxic chemical releases to EPA by July 1 of each year. The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 also requires facilities to submit information on waste management activities related to TRI chemicals.

More information on the 2012 TRI analysis, including metropolitan and micropolitan areas is available atwww.epa.gov/tri/nationalanalysis.

 More information on facility efforts to reduce toxic chemical releases, including the new P2 facility comparison report, is available at www.epa.gov/tri/p2.

More about activities in EPA Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.html

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