January 26, 2005—The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the first of two proposed rules intended to reduce the time and resources needed to submit annual reports to EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). TRI data and information are currently provided to federal officials by nearly 23,000 industrial and federal facilities owners and operators nationwide.
These rules are being proposed after the agency received suggestions from stakeholders in meetings and online between November 2002 and March 2004. The “Toxics Release Inventory Forms Modification Rule” in the Federal Register Volume 70, Number 6, contains several options that could potentially reduce the amount of time that facilities representatives currently spend each year submitting data and information, without negative impact on human health or environmental quality.
Comments on the proposed rule are due to EPA by March 11, 2005. For further information or to submit comments, visit EPA/TRI or contact Ms. Shelley Fudge at 202/566-0674.
