The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Obama administration has turned back a rule created by the Bush adminstration that lessened the reporting requirements concerning toxic chemicals.
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson signed a final rule to reinstate stricter reporting requirements for industrial and federal facilities that release toxic substances that threaten human health and the environment.
The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting
requirements were replaced by the TRI Burden Reduction Rule in
December 2006. The 2006 rule change reduced reporting of toxic pollution for more than 3,500 facilities nationwide.
More than a dozen states had sued the agency over the change.
“People have a right to information that might affect their health and the health of their children–and EPA has a responsibility to provide it,” Jackson said. “Restoring the TRI reporting requirements assures transparency and provides a crucial tool for safeguarding human health and the environment in our communities.”
TRI is a publicly available EPA database that contains information on toxic chemical releases and waste management activities reported annually by certain industries as well as federal facilities.
The Bush administration allowed companies using less than 5,000 pounds of toxic chemicals, or releasing less than 2,000 pounds, to submit less-detailed reports.
The stricter TRI rules require more extensive reporting for as little as 500 pounds.
Full TRI reporting will resume with the 2008 reports due July 1, 2009.
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