Safeguarding Public Health and the Environment

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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Time Remains to Comment on EPA's Burden Reduction Plans for TRI

OMB Watch encourages interested individuals to take part in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Stakeholder Dialogue Phase II that focuses on burden reduction options for the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program. The TRI is a flagship database that contains information about releases and transfers of toxic chemicals from manufacturing facilities. Since the establishment of TRI, the simple act of publicizing the amount toxic chemicals that facilities release has pressured companies to reduce these releases by more than half.

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EPA Plans Early Release of Some TRI Data

EPA recently held a meeting with interested stakeholders to explain its intention to release 2002 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data much earlier than in recent years. Under EPA's current plans the 2002 TRI would be available on the agency's website in February or March, several months ahead of the recent release times of May or June.

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Proposals to Lighten TRI Burden Likely to Reduce Information

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently initiated Phase II of a stakeholder dialogue to develop options for reducing the burden associated with reporting under the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). EPA is seeking reactions and comments on several burden reduction options outlined in an online white paper.

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EPA Releases Final ECHO Database

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed the pilot phase of its Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website. EPA finalized the site after reviewing extensive feedback received on the pilot version from the general public, public interest groups, government users, trade associations and regulated entities.

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Industry Pushing for TRI Reporting Changes

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is facing increased pressure on at least two fronts to alter reporting requirements under the Toxic Release Inventory Program (TRI) for mining operations and facilities that manufacture or use lead.

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EPA Requests Comments on Changes to TRI Reporting

The Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed several changes to the Form R under the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) in an attempt to better organize data collection, after receiving feedback from stakeholders.

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Feedback Meeting on ECHO

On July 8th Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials from the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) met with various environmental and public interest groups to hear feedback on the Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) project. JP Suarez, the Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, chaired the meeting.

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EPA Refuses to Release RMP Data

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has denied OMB Watch’s request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for Executive Summaries of the Risk Management Plans (RMPs). This marks the first instance, of which OMB Watch is aware, that EPA has denied a request for information specifically collected to inform the public about homeland security risks they face.

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2001 Toxic Release Inventory Available on RTK NET

Just one day after the Environmental Protection Agency's public release of the 2001 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) the information is online and available for searching at the Right-to-Know Network (RTK NET), an online database service operated by OMB Watch. The TRI is a cornerstone environmental database that has become the prime example of informing the public about environmental hazards within communities. The 2001 TRI is the first year that information on releases of lead will be reported and possibly the last year that full waste data from mining companies will be reported.

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2001 TRI Data Finally Arrives

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing the 2001 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) today, June 30th, just one day shy of the July 1st reporting deadline for 2002 data. As part of the unveiling, EPA will also release their analysis of the latest TRI data and conduct various briefings for the press, congressional offices, environmental community and industry representatives. In addition to being the latest public release of TRI data the 2001 TRI also marks the first year that releases of lead will be reported and potentially the last year that mining companies report their toxic releases.

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