The Environmental Protection Agency could not have sent a clearer message about its priorities as dictated by the White House: corporate interests before public health and safety. On September 21, EPA officials announced plans to roll back our nation's premier tool for citizens seeking information on toxic pollution released into their communities. The agency proposed dramatically reducing industry reporting requirements under its Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) program and plans to cut the program in half by switching to reporting every other year from the current annual program. The TRI program provides detailed information annually about toxic chemicals released by U.S. facilities into the surrounding. Concerned citizens groups are thus able to call for improvement and local governments are able to reduce and adequately respond to risks. The program has been one of the most effective environmental law ever enacted, from 1998 to 2003 the TRI program spurred companies to cut annual toxic pollution by 2.8 billion pounds. The current EPA leadership, however, seems more concerned with sparing companies a bit of paperwork than it is with protecting the public, proposing to:

• Cut the program in half by switching to every other year reporting for all facilities;
• Allow companies to release ten times more pollution reporting the filing detailed reports; and
• Create a first time ever exemption for reporting disposal of low-level persistent bioacculuative toxins (PBTs), including lead and mercury, which have been proven to be dangerous even in the smallest quantities.

These changes will leave thousands of communities around the country at greater risk from toxic chemicals. Environmental groups, first responders, workers and public officials have begun to call upon the EPA to abandon the plan. Today they released a state-by-state analysis detailing the risk the plan poses to emergency preparedness. Unfortunately these unwise changes are only the latest, and by far the worst, in a series of actions by EPA over recent years that have systematically weakened the TRI program. OMB Watch released a report today laying out each stage of EPA assault on this cornerstone environmental program that so successfully held companies accountable for their toxic waste. For more details, go to the full report "Dismantling the Public's Right to Know." After almost 20 years of progress, EPA wants to make it easier for corporations to pollute. The toxic soup aftermath of Hurricane Katrina showed us the need for more information about dangerous chemicals in our communities, not less. EPA refuses to learn that important lesson, but it will be families and workers that will pay the price.