PRESS RELEASE
-For Immediate Release-
May 5, 2009

Contact: Brian Gumm, (202) 683-4812, bgumm@ombwatch.org or
Brian Turnbaugh, (202) 683-4840, bturnbaugh@ombwatch.org

OMB Watch Unveils Redesigned, Expanded Environmental Right-to-Know Website

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2009—OMB Watch today launched a redesigned and expanded website for the Right-to-Know Network (RTK NET) at www.rtknet.org. The website serves as a source for information about environmental and public health threats and opportunities for public engagement with environmental policy, and it offers news, data, and analysis of environmental right-to-know issues.

Sean Moulton, Director of Federal Information Policy at OMB Watch, said, "The Right-to-Know Network helps citizens defend and promote their right to participate in government decision making about access to public environmental information." Moulton added, "Armed with the information a transparent government provides, citizens can hold their government accountable for policies that affect environmental quality."

Constantly evolving since its initial launch in 1989, RTK NET continues to provide free access to several government databases of environmental information. Users can identify sources of pollution in their communities, learn about the transport of hazardous waste, search reports of chemical spills and accidents, and much more. In addition to offering access to extensive amounts of environmental data, the redesigned RTK NET presents information on how environmental data are being used to protect air and water quality, wildlife habitats, children's health, and more.

Visitors to the site will find easy options for searching the databases and invaluable descriptions of the information. Among the databases available is the Toxics Release Inventory a database containing information on toxic pollution from facilities across the nation. Users can identify releases of specific chemicals to the environment, find out what a factory in a specific neighborhood is releasing, or learn what industries are the top polluters. RTK NET allows users to conduct countless types of searches. Visitors will also find interactive maps for comparing states and easy-to-understand graphs that clearly identify pollution trends.

Along with clear and simple access to vital environmental information, RTK NET provides useful news and analysis on issues impacting citizens' right to know about threats to the environment and public health. Visitors will find news items dealing with government transparency, public access to information, and public participation in environmental decision making. Opportunities for grassroots action and citizen involvement are available, as well as tools for outreach and education.

OMB Watch's Policy Analyst for Environmental Right to Know, Brian Turnbaugh, noted, "By providing both the raw information and the context for how it can be used, RTK NET empowers citizens to make a difference in their communities and beyond."

RTK NET can be found at http://www.rtknet.org.

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OMB Watch is a nonprofit government watchdog organization dedicated to promoting government accountability, citizen participation in public policy decisions, and the use of fiscal and regulatory policy to serve the public interest.