Emergency Planning Community Right-to-Know Act
The 1986 Emergency Planning Community Right-to-Know Act is the federal law that established the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program and other important protections, such as chemical spill prevention planning. The TRI section of the law requires the tracking of toxic chemicals released into the environment, stored at facilities, or transferred in between facilities. In 1990, the Pollution Prevention Act added waste management and source reduction activities to TRI reporting. The primary purpose of the TRI is to allow citizens to access information on chemical hazards in their communities.
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Toxic Release Reporting Regulations
The federal Toxic Chemical Release Reporting regulations implement the federal law and detail the requirements for industry to report on their releases of approximately 650 chemicals to land, air and water which is then contained in the annual Toxic Release Inventory.
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Supporting Documents
Federal Report on TRI Use
This 2003 Environmental Protection Agency report, titled "How are the Toxics Release Inventory Data Used?", outlines how the information has been used by citizens, companies, government agencies and researchers.
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Overview Fact Sheet
This Environmental Protection Agency fact sheet gives a brief overview for the consumer of the Toxics Release Inventory program.
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Environmental Group Fact Sheet
This fact sheet by the national watchdog group, Working Group on Community Right-to-Know, provides an overview of the TRI program, including its benefits and limitations, and lists useful resources.
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Report by OMB Watch
This 2005 report provided by the national OMB Watch, titled "Dismantling the Public's Right to Know," discusses the Environment Protection Agency’s systematic weakening of TRI and the need to strengthen and improve this valuable program.
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Success Stories
This 2006 document by the Working Group on Community Right-to-Know provides examples of how TRI has been an essential tool in alerting emergency responders, researchers, workers, public health officials, environmentalists, community residents, and federal and state officials to the presence of toxic chemicals.
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