vxEPA
inside
~ r
Today, citizens can go online and find _
but about a variety qf^ejivironrfiental —„
issues and conditions that; affect~their
lives. Families, planning a beach vacation ,
can find outjwhether the water is safe for
swimming.' Based on the availability of
new'cojtripliance information, corporate
managers can determine how their com-
pany's environmental performance com-
pareFto bother companies in their industry.
Smpl business owners can access virtual
cojfiplianee assistance centers to find out
about the latest pollution prevention tech-
niques and environmental requirements. ,
-------
Vice President Sore Announces 14 American Heritage Rivers
0 PPj|| yni|ecj states
be found, using- the specificJLJRLs
Our Mission:
"...to protect
human health and to
safeguard the natural
environment..."
News & Everttfe '* T Office*, Labs & RfeilonP;
Laws & Regulations
Pobijeattons
Databases & Soflware^T Money Matters
[Search | Browse | What's New I Comments. | Text Version]
http://www, epa. gov/
The Growing Demand for Environmental Information
Visits to EPA's Web Site
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
f-
,ts
of
-1— ^^
II
en
11/94 2/95 5/95 8/95 11/95 2/96 5/96 8/96 11/96 2/97 5/97 8/97 11/97 2/98 5/98 7/98
-------
Laws and Regulations
www.epa.gov/epahome/rules.ht
Activity on EPA's Web site
repeatedly shows that informa-
tion on environmental laws and
regulations is the most frequently
requested by our users. Regulations and
laws drive the entire environmental pro-
tection system; therefore, it is not sur-
prising that these resources are of critical
interest to environmental professionals,
lawmakers, the public, industry, and
other stakeholders.
EPA's Laws and Regulations site allows
users to search a current listing of the new
environmental rules, proposals, and notices
published in the Federal Register each day
and obtain the full text for each item.
For users interested in final environ-
mental regulations as they appear in the
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), links
to the CFR "Web site provide ready
access. The CFR is revised annually to
include all rules and notices published by
federal agencies in the previous year and
is divided into 50 titles representing
broad subject areas. Environmental regu-
lations are found mainly in Title 40.
The "Web site also provides access to
die legislation behind EPA's rules. Users
can access more than a dozen major
environmental laws, such as the Clean
Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water
Act, that form the legal basis for environ-
mental programs, as well as new legisla-
tion proposed within Congress.
&EPA
UoSed Safes
Envirownaital Ptotec&t*
Laws and regulations are a major tool in protecting the environment.
Find out about;
Regulations & Proposed Rules
New regulations, proposed rules, important notices and the
regulatory agenda of future regulations.
Codified Regulations
Federal regulations codified in the Code of Federal Regulations
and additional material related to Title 40: Protection of
Environment.
Current Legislation
Current legislation before the U.S. Congress, Congressional
Committees, and uncompiled Public Laws.
Laws
Public Laws passed by the U.S. Congress and codified in the
U.S. Code.
Unfed SteSK
fiwfromnwlal PretecSou
Federal Register
Table of Cootents-1998
19 January 93
S M T W T F S
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18192021222324
25 26 27 28 23 30 31
13 May 9i
S M T W T F S
1 2
3 * 5 6 1 S 8
10 11 12 13 If 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23:
24252627232330
31
19 September 98
S M T V T F S
123*5
6783 101112J
13 14 IS 16 17 18 19
20212223242526
27282930 I
19 February
S M T W T F S
1234567
8 S 1011 121314
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22232425262728
19 June 9f
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 S 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
2122232425262?
282330
19 October 9!
S M T W T F S
123
4 S 6 7 8 9 10
11 121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
19 March S8
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 S 6 7
8 9 10 11 1213 14
15161718132021
22232425262728
23 30 31
19 July 98
S M T W T F S
1234
5 6 7 8 9 1011
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19202122232425
262728293031
19 November 98
S M T V T F 5
1234567
8 9 1011 121314
15161718132021
22232425262723
2330
April
S M T W T F S
1234
5 6 7 8 3 1011
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
13202122232425
26 27 28 29 30
19 August 9!
S H T W T F S
1
2345678
3 101112131415
16171813202122
23242526272829
3031
19 December 9f
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 S
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13141516171813
20212223242526
2728293031
site allows users to search'a
*«-. t T , ffi,]^^
jj^fJoFthefnew eovirojimerjtal rules, ^^'^^^^j-™
j^jl^j—-^
b&fflfeflife, teB&OSr®^^
Activity on EPA's Web site
repeatedly shows
that information on environmental
laws and regulations is
the most frequently requested
by our users.
National Archives and
Records Administration
code of
federal regulations
LfegiiS&iSS^''Elffi:S
Web site
a*2(*M|8!S»iS»W***#S3l!S
rae ready access.
-------
Writometothe
Center for Environmental
Information arul Statistics
Website—a single,
conv«i!«nt soure* of
Information on
environmental
quality, status
and trends.
Pleise move mouse over icons for feature information.
K
Center ror
Environmental
Information
and Statistics
vvww&pagov/ceisj
EA
r
G
PA's new online Center for '.
avironmental Information and
Statistics (CEJS) gives,, users a single,
convenient source of reliable, compfehen-
sivc information on environmental qualj-
;;. irv-; ty, stffiiSj.arid trends in,
profiles on air q
i-n^^N-
EPA envisioned CEIS as a tool
to boost citizens9 environmental literacy and capability
to act as knowledgeable stakeholders.
drinking water systems, surface
water quality, hazardous
.toxic releases—just by
typing in a ZIP code or
Clicking on_a^statej3r_county_._These
The Pollutant Standards Index
(a measure of community-wide air quality)
EPA's Pollutant Standards
Index (PSI) provides accurate,
timely, and easily
understandable information
about daily levels of air
pollution The Index provides a
uniform system for measuring
pollution levels for five of six
major air pollutants regulated
under the Clean Air Act
Unhealthful
Total Reported Releases of TRI Chemicals in District of
Columbia for 1996
119.000-r
9,500- •
4.750- •
0
=4-
Fugitive AJr Stack Air Water Underground Land
Source: Toxic Release Inventory System
Data Tables
Users can .request
environmental profiles*'"
on air quality, drinking^
water systems,.
surface ,wate,r quality,,
hazardous waste, and
reported ixpc''
i a ZIP code
snicking on a state
or county.
. unei; reflera environmemt.il laws.
Because EPA envisioned CEIS as a
tool to boost citizens' environmental lit-
eracy and capability to act as knowledge-
able stakeholders, the Agency conducted
extensive customer surveys to find out
what kind of information people need
and how best to present: it. As a iresujt, in,
addition to learning aboujt envirpnnjental
conditions in specific areas, users caa
obtain detailed maps showing the sources
of pollution in their communities and
the types and amounts of pollutants thjw
have been released. Other featutjes aJ16w
users to browse through a digitajMKbrary
of environmental quality rep/>rts and
maps describing conditions in cities,
, states, the nation, and^other countries.
Users also can search electronically
through dozens'of those reports to get
information'^on a specific place or topic.
Mo,te than just a Web resource, CEIS
jjMvides information in nonelectronic
'"'formats, as well. In the future, CEIS may
offer printed maps and reports, telephone
access, and additional assistance in both
English and Spanish.
-------
Digital Library of
Environmental Quality
The CHS Library of Emiiromaental Quality offers numerous State of the EtreiroHment
Reports on geographical areas ranging from global to local, in addition to EPA documents
grouped by category. The groupings are as follows:
The listing of all the reports included in the Library is shown below. You can browse the
documents below or Search the Reports in this collection.
B™«fSf 1 "..''/
Community-Based
Environmental
Protection
www.epa.gov/ecocom m
©EPAE?1—
Environmental Atlas
Welcome to the environmental atlas of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), a CEIS product designed to make environmental information more
understandable. This sHa offers an ever-growing map collection online, links lt>
other Important collections, and information to help you understand maps and
other environmental information.
Maps by Theme
Matt Index/ ,
Gazetteer
It
Hers are maps of the environment for iha entire United Stales, for a particular
state, or for your community. For more background, learn about the geographic
data that EPA uses to make environmental maps. Discover what maps can show
about the land, water, air, and human changes around us. team about io
le CEIS Library offers numerous
state of the environment reports
on geographic areas; the
Environmental Atlas offers an ever-
growing map collection online.
vvEPA
Agency
il Protection
Community-Eased Environmental
Protection (BBIH:
Promoting Attainable Ecosystem! and Corarannities
Ecosystem
Science
Economic! of
People anil
Places
(ase
Studies
Comparative
Risk
Integrated
Approach
Hew Sustainable Development Challenge Grant Winners
About ComiriUBitf-Based Environmental Protection
r
? Have major
protecting pub-
EPA and state
responsibil:
lie health
however official
level—those
taking an
community-^
tion (CBE
Web sites
promote
tools ti
commu
One of many tools available through
the CBEP Web site is the Agency's online
.ecteaQmmunities
Green
. communiiy stakehoMers conduct dg-it-
4-i*rt»--=t.-*:S«!ji« :* S-:iiE»stSlMt^3a7CSvr':a;.I,FKi-a:St^^Si
IDeveloping a profile to clarifj communi-
ariq prorities
iql ri
_ .f,
Irst steg of -this holistic jglanning process.
""
The Green
Communities
kit is designed
to help
community
stakeholders
conduct do-it-
yourself,
integrated
community
planning.
noniicr.ano socia
objectives in a
more unified
-inannerrThe
* CBEP site is spe-
cifically devoted:
, tainable ecosysr
terns and com-
muhitieS" through
: an array of tools,
..resources, xase '."'."':
^studies, and links
"to; other sites
tf
-------
Surf Your Watershed
www.epa.gov/surf
For a growing number of users, log-
ging on to find out about environ-
mental conditions close to home
means looking not at political jurisdic-
tions, but at the boundaries established
by nature—watersheds. Increasingly,
watersheds are becoming the focus for
designing and implementing water quali-
ty and habitat restoration activities.
Adopt Your Watershed programs are
springing up around die country as more
citizens are joining local watershed orga-
nizations. State environmental agencies
are using watersheds as a basis for manag-
ing environmental responsibilities, such
as permitting and monitoring, more effi-
ciently and effectively. And scientists
using geographic information systems are
looking at how actions along the upper
tributaries of a river affect habitat and
ecological conditions in the watershed
below.
EPA's multifaceted, information-
packed Surf Your Watershed site supports
these interests, providing a variety of
tools and resources to promote watershed
protection. As shown to the right, based
on the recendy developed Index of
Watershed Indicators, users can easily
find an assessment of the overall health of
dieir watershed and related information.
The index is compiled from 15 indicators
of current water resource conditions and
the vulnerability to future degradation. A
listing of more tJhan 4,000 watershed
alliances throughout the nation allows
users to locate and participate in local
watershed activities, and a special Speak
Out feature acts as an information
exchange promoting dialogue on water-
shed issues. As a result of the American
Heritage Rivers initiative, users can go to
a "yellow page" directory of services that
communities can access to support their
watershed protection activities.
Surf Your Waters
A Service to Help You Locate, Use, and Share ,
Environmental Information about Your Place.
FttEP YOX1E PLACE:
IWI has been updated for Designated Uses. Contaminated
Sediments. Ambient Water Quality (Toxic, Conventional).
Pollutant Loads Above Limits (Toxic. Conventional)
More Mews Flashes!
* ;H
EPA Horns |Contacts | Disclaims?| About| Hd» | Commtats | T»a18U« Map| Why Wnunhedc?
*?*»
Middle Potomac-Anacostja-Occoquaii.
TTSGS Cataloguing tTnit 02070010
X
Overall Watershed Score (October 1997):
Less Serious Water Quality Problems - High Vulnerability to stressors such as pollutant loadings
[~1 I 2 I 3 j||j 5 I BlhiaifflciertOatal
Better Mure Serious
Water Water Quality
Quality Problems
AMERICAN HERITAGE
For a growing number of users, logging on to find out about environmental
conditions close to home means looking not at political jurisdictions, but at the boundaries
established by nature—watersheds. •
-------
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^g»T A single point of access to select U.S. EPA environmental data
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• Select an Overview
Query the database and generate reports'.
iHi Select a Query Form
Produce maps of environmental information.
Iktspage was updated June 24,1993.
Using just a few simple query screens, users can
search for information by facility name, geographic area (e.g., ZIP code,
or state or county name), or chemical substance
to obtain the kind of Information they want.
C Oj3 Hagsyctoug-Waste handlers
C 151 o -Toxic"releases
C O'B'^A'krelease
IR'nd across;' Mafe -s"ele«tion(s)..tiien clibfc" <3ti:thi«biot:«3f interest- 'I:'.
JOformaticin.reported.under the TBI.
The site's
powerful ,
Enviromapper
feature
users zoom
in to any
of the co
Envirofacts
www.epa.gov/enviro
While CEIS is designed to pro-
vide users with a better
understanding of environ-
mental conditions at the community
level, EPA's Envirofacts Warehouse Web
site is an online gateway to information
drawn from seven EPA databases.
Updated monthly based on data submis-
sions required under environmental laws,
these separate databases focus on
Superfund sites, drinking water, toxic and
air releases, hazardous waste and waste-
water discharge permits as well as envi-
ronmental grants information.
Using just a few simple
query screens, users
can search for infor-
mation by facility
name, geographic area (e.g.,
ZIP code, or state or county name), or
chemical substance to obtain the kind of
information they want. Query results are
presented in either report or map formats.
The site's powerful Enviromapper feature
lets users click on maps to zoom in to any
area of the country and obtain informa-
tion about regulated facilities or sites.
Users also can create maps which are then
e-mailed to them in common graphic file
formats for later viewing or printing.
One of the most common usages of
Envirofacts is obtaining information
reported under the Toxic Release
Inventory (TRI). The TRI, established
under the Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986,
is the central collection point for infor-
mation on U.S. facilities' annual estimat-
ed releases to the environment of over
300 toxic chemicals. From inception, pro-
viding public access was a defining feature
of TRI, and its availability continues to
represent one of the most important steps
the Agency has taken to promote public
access to environmental data:
-------
LARGEST NQ2 EMISSION SOURCES IN THE UNITED STATES
AIRS
Graphics
ED ANNUAL EMISSIONS
(EMS. IHV. VEAft)
t 113 •
2 1O7 '
3 S4,7 {85} ASSOCIATED ELECTRIC COW
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•AIRSWeb provides access to ambient air
pollution data for the past 5 years.
'; I1!::
>5e-[smog) level in my city
option today?
'. take to protect my health on bad air days?
PA's AIRNOW Web site, which
provides animated, "real-time" data
.on smog levels in selected cities
and states, offers a glimpse of how these
questions may be readily answered online
in the future. The site will soon expand
to include other air pollutants, health
effects profiles of the most common air
pollutants, protective steps citizens can
take on days when the outdoor air is
unhealthy, and what citizens can do to
reduce air pollution in their community.
With quick, access to environmental
information that is current and easy to
understand, citizens will be able to make
day-to-day decisions taking air quality
conditions into account.
AIRNOW is one of several pilot
projects that are part of EPA's new
Environmental Monitoring for Public
Access and Community Tracking
(EMPACT) Program. By 2001,
EMPACT will allow Americans in 86
metropolitan areas to have access to real-
time data about air quality as well as
other environmental conditions in their
community.
AIRSWeb
www.epa.gov/
airsweb
While AIRNOW represents a
first step toward providing
access to real-time environ-
mental data, AIRSWeb provides access to
ambient air pollution data for the past 5
years. Updated monthly based on data
reported by the states, this site incorpor-
ates data from 4,000 monitoring sites
across the nation as well as emission levels
and compliance status for 9,000 point
sources regulated by EPA. Users can see
air pollution levels and trends over time
for a single facility, a county, or for the
entire country. Its mapping capabilities
show the locations of major air pollution
sources, monitoring sites, and areas of the
country where air pollution levels exceed
health-based EPA standards. What was
the most common air pollutant measured
in my county last month? Have condi-
tions improved or worsened over the past
five years? Are there major sources of air
pollution in my community? EPA's
AIRSWeb site is the place to find out.
-------
BEACH Watch
www.epa.gov/ost/beaches
Llanning a beach vacation? First, be
sure to visit the new BEACH
Watch Web site for information
about water quality and monitoring
activities at over 1,000 beaches around
the United States. EPA created this
online directory to strengthen beach
monitoring and standards programs and
to better inform the public about beach
water quality. EPA is continuously
expanding the site as local agencies con-
tribute beach water monitoring results.
BEACH Watch is fast becoming the
national hub for information on beach
health protection throughout the coun-
try. In the future the site may include
information for all U.S. beaches, both
coastal and on inland waters.
For any beach currently in the data-
base, BEACH Watch indicates whether
monitoring for bacteria or other
pathogens is performed, and whether an
advisory or closure has been issued since
early 1997. The frequency of monitoring
and the timeliness of reported data vary.
More detailed information also is offerej
about each beach including known
sources of pollution, the agency res
ble for beach water quality monit
(if it is being done), how frequi
water samples are collected for
how many times water quali
were exceeded during the 1
ming season, dates and
advisories and closures si:
and whether the beach
closed. BEACH Wat
to related sites provii
Office of
BEACH Watch
BEACH Wflt
Select a state for information on local beaches
BEAdK:W|fch provides information about water quality and ^^^
^ss^^iS^ffi^^^^^'rf^SM13£s&&^^^i'M^^S«^L'^;M r*^ ^ -j.^.^ ,£. ^^^a^^^s^aArS^^^^^tai^jffitaflMdi^^^rf-ss^^^A^^^das^fe^.^talu^s^t^^^
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aiiot pro-
of
Survey Information on Local Beach
Beach: Lopez Lake, Vista tago, Lopez Lake
Is beach water quality inoiiitoriiig for bacteria or other pathogens performed at this beach? Yes
Was an advisory or closure issued for this beach during 1997? No
Contact ' . • '- . •• " '...-.. .' •: •;'-.. ;...•'-'. '...'. •' ..;. ;' '.. '.
View submitted beach information. _ . . ; . , . .
£fdatabase, BEACH Watch
. „ _Jn—,.-T--. - - -_, ___.-__.___-_, jossiitt^Bj-.ti.-^-!:.-1--,-*•••;--*- -" l *- *-
S$j^y^£%rwM>9«m^ for bacteria or
• pathogens:,is performed, and whether an advisory
MS"
-------
liance Assistance Centers
www.epa.gov/oeca/mfcac.html
c r A H
Helping Automotive
Professionals Save time and
Protect the Environment
Welcome to the Virtual CCAR-
-------
Sector Facility IndeximfTfoject (SFIP)
. . -.
www.epa.gov/oeca/sfi ^^^ -
Are industries and specific facili-
ties complying with environ-
mental requirements? That
answer can be found through the Sector
Facility Indexing Project (SFIP) Web
site, which integrates and provides public
access to environmental compliance data.
In its pilot phase, SFIP profiles approxi-
mately 650 facilities in the following five
industrial sectors: automobile assembly;
pulp manufacturing; petroleum refining;
iron and steel production; and alu-
minum, copper, lead, and zinc (nonfer-
rous metals) primary smelting and
refining.
The SFIP site allows users to look at
recent environmental data about each
facility, such as the number of inspec-
tions the facility has received, its record
of compliance with federal regulations,
its chemical releases and spills, and other
related data. SFIP also includes back-
ground data on the location and produc-
tion capacity of each facility as well as
information on the population of the
surrounding area. SFIP can be used for
different purposes. Local residents can
look up a particular facility in dieir com-
munity, for example, to check on its
compliance and enforcement history
Industry engineers can compare a facili-
ty's performance against their competi-
tors, and environmental officials can
make cross-media comparisons that were
not possible before this information was
brought together.
In its pilot phase, SFIP is allowing
EPA to gauge the level of public interest
in examining records about industry
compliance with environmental laws and
is helping the Agency study whether
increased public access to data provides
an additional incentive for companies to
improve or maintain good environmental
performance. SFIP is an iterative
process in which improvements
will be made over time.
Based upon an evaluation of
this pilot, EPA hopes to
expand this site in the future to
include additional industry sectors
and data.
Aggregate Data Summary: Pulp Manufacturing
ThefaJlawiozlablespresenttla average •falt^scaklJatedforthefadlity-efeciftcaidicatorsfeiieratedandcoiiipihdbySflP. For exaityh, of
the 247 Palp Manufacturers included within the SFIP database, an average of 5.t> inspections (Air, Water, RCRA) -were conducted over the last
eight quarters. In 1995, palp manufacturers released an average afl,047,69SpoundsoJTRlckemicalsof-wxicn 100,311 pounds-were
carcinogens. For a dejaiOon of any efthefacUity-spedjk indicators teai in Iks table below, click or select the HgliSshtta' header.
Significant Noncompliance Indicator
Enforcement Actions Taken - 2 Years
31^^ .:,
iftiiatfctMiBJiy8ta»«^^
The SFIP site allows users to look at recent
environmental data about each facility, such as the number
of inspections the facility has received, its record of compliance
with federal regulations, its chemical releases and spills,
and other related data.
-------
jout the environment.
OlaerKios are invited
aw learning is intergung^ancT
___,,
to checkout the Student
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Center For middle anc
to12 school studentsTTne cen-
joreaie envi-
lgafirabC>Qt the actions they
jictares,:
i gtherieaF"
a issues; news items;
3X>JBach young.chuqren information 0!0,,-protectmg
Jllijssugi33igggiilIe-£~ Zij
tds Magazine.
MS in tdentifvme
Trgpiertts. aeanmg u'c
yeas also can ask
_systems,,and communities;
lus .environmental clubs
Welcome to U.S. EPA's Explorers' Club!
We've filled these pages with lots of
fun and Interesting things to read and do-
To begin exploring, just click on the
picture above.
jnynemaljop-
; to
: for in-
'issues to young
P^Explorers' Club has
!fed in major publications,
ling Better Homes and Gardens and
. careers. The Teachers' Lounge pro-
'vides a wealth of environmental educa-
tion resources, including guides, curricula,
grant information, and links to other
environmental education resources out-
side EPA.
.:..
i-about EPA's information management reforms or reinvention activities in general, con-
Jj'ejSt EPA's Office of Reinvention-at 202 260-1849. Or look for moreJnformation on
|;tRe Internet aF. You'll find special reports, remarks from
senior Administration and Agency officials, detailed fact sheets, and much more.:"
S:SB;i:;S;!= .!it;:
ilJi^K^TuaS'&^fc^4ij^-Jtoa^ivj^m^^^^rfK>^i^f^^tI^t^i4i^^~^^^ -'-"—^—">—^^«s-^->. -'. •*.. j^^.-
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20460
(1801)
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
FIRST CLASS
POSTAGE & FEES
PAID
EPA
Permit No. G-35
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