Environmental Right to Know | Center for Effective Government

Press Release: Right-To-Know Advocates Win Battle for Access to Chemical Security Data

Washington, DC -- July 12, 2005 -- The non-profit research organization OMB Watch posted updated information on the public risks posed by over 18,000 U.S. chemical facilities on its Right-to-Know Network (RTK NET) website for the first time since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removed the Risk Management Plan (RMP) database, designed to provide communities and individuals with information on chemical facilities, from its website in October 2001. The RMP data is available at www.rtknet.org/rmp/.

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Louisville, Kentucky Finalizes New Air Quality Program

On June 21, the Louisville Air Pollution Control Board unanimously approved the Strategic Toxic Air Reduction (STAR) program to require industrial facilities to reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants. The process that led to the program, which will be implemented July 1, demonstrates how invaluable public access to environmental information is in protecting the health and safety of communities.

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Citizens Protest New Jersey's Proposed Homeland Security Secrecy

Workers and environmentalists picketed outside the office of New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey on June 22 to protest proposed changes to the state's Open Public Records Act (OPRA). Harvey has proposed exempting various facilities from the public records law, including chemical plants, in the interest of homeland security. Protesters expressed concern that the new exemptions are too broad and would conceal from the public important information about toxins in their communities.

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Biomonitoring Shows We Have Toxics in Our Bodies

Steve Lopez, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, participated in biomonitoring tests with ten other people and writes about the troubling results in his June 8 column, "We've Got Really Bad Chemistry". As California considers a bill for a state-wide biomonitoring research program, this test case bolsters the claims that biomonitoring can become a useful tool for protecting human health.

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Whistleblower Reveals Bush Administration Altered Climate Change Reports

A former oil industry lobbyist changed language in government climate change reports to undermine the science on climate change and present it as less problematic, according to a government whistleblower, in what is becoming a persistent problem of politics trumping science. Days after news outlets broke the story, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office asking for an investigation into the whistleblower's claims.

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Court Waters Down Toxic Release Inventory

A federal appeals court ruled May 10 that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can no longer require chemical facilities to report methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) releases under the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). According to the 2003 TRI data, facilities released over 26 million pounds of MEK to the environment.

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Cheney Task Force Documents to Remain Secret, Judge Dismisses Lawsuit

A federal appeals court judge dismissed a lawsuit May 10, which sought to uncover secret documents from Vice President Cheney's energy task force. The judge ruled the task force was not subject to the disclosure requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

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RTK NET Releases 2003 Toxic Release Inventory Data

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY 12, 2005 Contact: Herb Ettel or Sean Moulton, 202-234-8494 OMB Watch, 1742 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009 www.rtknet.org www.ombwatch.org Washington, D.C., May 12, 2005 -- The Right-to-Know Network (RTK NET) published the 2003 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data today, providing public access to important Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data on the release and transfer of toxic chemicals in the United States.

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EPA Late Again with Toxic Release Data

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has significantly missed its publicly stated goal of March for the release of the 2003 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). The agency made several changes to its data management in an effort to streamline the process, apparently to no avail. In recent years, the agency has been releasing the annual TRI database in May or June.

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Texas City Refinery Explosion Verifies Need for Safer Chemicals

Statement by Working Group on Community Right to Know, OMB Watch Project Hazardous chemicals at BP Amoco’s Texas City refinery exploded early Wednesday afternoon, March 23, killing 14 and injuring over 100. The massive explosion also destroyed buildings and vehicles, and shook residents’ homes up to five miles away.

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