Environmental Right to Know

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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more news

Secrecy at the EPA

On May 6, 2002, President Bush granted Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christine Todd Whitman the authority to classify information as "Secret." This order was published in the May 9, 2002, Federal Register. The delegation of this authority is provided in accordance with Executive Order 12958 of April 17, 1995, entitled ''Classified National Security Information.''

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Public Still At Risk of Chemical Plant Attack

The Washington Post reported last week that a previously undisclosed study by the Army surgeon general concludes that as many as 2.4 million people are at risk of being killed or injured in a terrorist attack against a U.S. toxic chemical plant in a densely populated area. This shocking number is twice as high as previous government estimates of possible casualties of a worst-case scenario involving terrorist attacks on chemical plants.

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EPA Announces Plans to Restrict Access to Envirofacts

On March 14, 2002 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emailed an announcement to Envirofacts users explaining that it will no longer allow direct access to the Envirofacts databases. In the email to Direct Connect Users, EPA stated that, "As part of our continuing efforts to respond to Homeland Security issues . . . starting April 1, 2002, Direct Connect access will no longer be available to the general public. Direct Connect access to Envirofacts will only be available to U.S. EPA employees, U.S. EPA Contractors, the Military, Federal Government, and State Agency employees."

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Letter From Congressman Doolittle

Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-CA) mailed a letter asking for suggestions for steps that "a new president can enact immediately upon taking office to go on the offensive against the extreme environmentalists." According to the letter, Doolittle's goal is not only to fight environmental and protections, but to "force [those who support human health and environmental protections] to spend money and resources, weakening their influence." Dear Friend:

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EPA Set to Release New TRI Data for 1998 - No Immediate Access through RTK NET

EPA has indicated it plans to release 1998 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data at 2:00 p.m. EDST on Thursday, May 11, 2000. For the first time in ten years, EPA has not provided the data in advance for posting on RTK NET. We do not know when we will be able to make 1998 TRI data available - with our easy-to-use search capabilities -- on RTK NET. We hope to obtain the data very soon and will make every effort to provide public access to the new data as soon as possible. EPA's Envirofacts system can be accessed at www.epa.gov/enviro (click on Toxics Release Inventory).

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John Graham Advises EPA to Improve Information Policies

John Graham, administrator of OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, today released a “prompt letter” to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging the agency to take three steps to improve public access to its information. Graham’s top priority is to have EPA establish an identification number for each facility reporting information to the agency.

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Politics Plays Prominent in Government Denial of Service Attack on Itself

Late in the evening on Wednesday, February 16, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) without any warning shut down its Internet services, including its web site and email services. The public, which monthly racks up millions of visits on EPA's web site, could not access EPA's web site (www.epa.gov), and there has been no way to communicate via email with EPA employees. Rep. Thomas J. Bliley (R-VA), who chairs the powerful House Commerce Committee, has been conducting a McCarthy-like campaign against "cyber-terrorism." Instead of Red-baiting,

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Proposed Rule Blocks Public Right To Know about Chemical Accident Scenarios

A rule proposed jointly by the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice today would block the public's right to know about potential chemical accident worst case scenarios in communities across the United States. A public hearing is scheduled for May 9 in Washington, DC and public comments on the proposed rule are due on June 8, 2000. The text of the proposed rule, along with the EPA and Justice Department assessments that formed the basis of this rule (totaling over 200 pages) can be found at: www.epa.gov/ceppo/whatnew.html Background

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Citizen's Platform Lays Out Proactive Right-To-Know Agenda

An OMB Watch report released this week highlights key gaps in government efforts to meet the public's right to know about environmental and human health threats. "A Citizen's Platform for the Environmental Right-To-Know" lays out fundamental right-to-know principles, key issues and a right-to-know action plan for EPA in 2001.

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