EPA-260-R-002-004
May, 2003
How Are the Toxics
Release Inventory Data Used?
government, business, academic and citizen uses
Toxics Release Inventory Program Division
Office of Environmental Information
Office of Information Analysis and Access
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC
May 2003
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Table of Contents
Foreword i
Introduction 1
Public Use 2
Citizens and Community Organizations 3
National Organizations 5
Direct Negotiation 6
Environmental Justice 8
Industry Use 9
Cost Reduction 9
Public Relations Tools 10
Public Disclosure 10
Government Use 11
Environmental Solutions 11
Environmental Targeting 12
Legislation and Regulations 13
Risk Assessment 13
Quality Assurance and Control 14
Other Government Uses 14
International Right-to-Know 14
Investment 15
Academic Use 15
Research 16
Classroom Use 17
Conclusions 17
Appendix A 18
Literature Cited 60
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Foreword
The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data are used in myriad ways. There are many uses
of the TRI data that the authors of the legislation (the Emergency Planning and Community
Right-to Know Act) mandating the TRI envisioned and many that they did not foresee. The
Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 increased the types of data required to be reported to the TRI,
which expanded the potential uses of the TRI. The combination of the types of data collected
under TRI and the fact that they are made available to the public under EPCRA 313 makes TRI a
powerful tool for many environmental analyses and understanding the many factors that
contribute to human health and environmental conditions.
The intent of this report is to provide the reader with an overview of the different ways
in which the TRI data are used, and as such does not include a description of all programs,
activities, and analyses that use the TRI data. The case studies that are presented in this report
were gathered through literature searches and phone interviews. EPA does not support or
condone any of the uses of the TRI data presented here; nor does it endorse any of the
organizations that are discussed in the case studies. To learn more about TRI data and about
EPA's annual Toxics Release Inventory Public Data Release (PDR), consult EPA's TRI website
at .
EPA is interested in learning of new uses of the TRI data. If you know of uses of the TRI
data, particularly types of uses not covered in this document, and wish to share them, please send
them to:
Toxics Release Inventory Program Division (2844T)
United States Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20460
or via e-mail to: tri.us@epa.gov
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Introduction
A chemical accident killed more than 2,000 people and injured hundreds of thousands of
others in Bhopal, India, in December 1984. Coupled with similar, though less devastating,
chemical accidents in the United States, the Bhopal incident greatly increased the public's
awareness of and concern about the dangers of chemicals used and released into communities.
Consequently, in 1986, Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-
Know Act (EPCRA) as a part of the Superfund reauthorization. EPCRA's mandate is twofold:
promote contingency planning for chemical emergencies, and
provide the public with previously unavailable information about toxic and hazardous
chemicals in their communities.
Section 313 of EPCRA created the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which requires
companies within the manufacturing sector and federal facilities to report specified quantities of
certain chemicals released from their facilities. In 1990, Congress passed the Pollution
Prevention Act (PPA), which requires that facilities report to the TRI the quantities of toxic
chemicals that they manage in waste and the types of pollution prevention (source reduction)
activities they undertake. In 1998, the public gained access to data from additional industrial
sectors. The other industries now required to report under EPCRA and the PPA include metal
mining, coal mining, coal and oil burning electrical utilities, hazardous waste treatment and
disposal facilities, chemicals distributors, petroleum bulk plants terminals, and solvent recycling
operations.
Under Section 313(h) of EPCRA, Congress clearly provides for the wide distribution of
the industry information gathered:
"The release forms required under this section are intended to provide information to the
federal, state, and local governments and the public, including citizens of communities
surrounding covered facilities. The release form shall inform persons about releases of toxic
chemicals to the environment; to assist governmental agencies, researchers, and other persons in
the conduct of research and data gathering; to aid in the development of appropriate regulations,
guidelines, and standards; and for other similar purposes." Through their availability, TRI data
have become a useful resource for many different organizations:
Communities use TRI data to begin dialogues with local facilities and to encourage them
to reduce their emissions, develop pollution prevention (P2) plans, and improve safety
measures.
• Public interest groups, government, academicians, and others use TRI data to educate the
public about toxic chemical emissions and potential risk.
• Industry uses TRI data to identify P2 opportunities, set goals for toxic chemical release
reductions, and demonstrate its commitment to and progress in reducing emissions.
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Federal, state, and local governments use TRI data to set priorities and allocate
environmental protection resources to the most pressing problems.
• Regulators use TRI data to set permit limits, measure compliance with those limits, and
target facilities for enforcement activities.
• Public interest groups use TRI data to demonstrate the need for new environmental
regulations or improved implementation and enforcement of existing regulations.
Investment analysts use TRI data to provide recommendations to clients seeking to make
environmentally sound investments.
Insurance companies use TRI data as one indication of potential environmental liabilities.
Governments use TRI data to assess or modify taxes and fees based on toxic emissions or
overall environmental performance.
• Consultants and others use TRI data to identify business opportunities, such as marketing
P2 and control technologies to TRI reporting facilities.1
This document presents uses of TRI data in the following categories: public, industry,
government, international, investment, and academic. Case studies were found primarily by
consulting with EPA/TRI program representatives in the state and EPA regional offices,
researching numerous literature sources, conducting internet searches and following up leads
with phone interviews, mail and email correspondences with TRI data users. This document
does not describe all of the many people, programs, and activities that use TRI data, but instead
presents examples in each category. Appendix A provides additional examples. More case
studies were found of TRI data use by individuals, community groups and environmental
organizations than by private industries.
Public Use
Each year, the EPA makes TRI data
available to the public on two Internet sites:
TRI Explorer
and Envirofacts . The
EPA also provides summary national and
state data in the annual publications Toxics
Release Inventory: Public Data Release and
Toxics Release Inventory: Public Data
Release: State Fact Sheets. States also
release their own reports. Community
organizations, universities, local public
interest organizations, national non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), and workers and labor unions also conduct analyses and
risk assessments based on TRI data. Some of these organizations also make data and analyses
available to the public.
The public can use TRI data to:
• learn about their local environment
and potential exposures to toxic
chemicals
• participate in environmental
decision-making
• learn more about the environmental
behavior of companies in
communities to which they might
consider moving.
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Citizens and Community Organizations
Citizen activists and community organizations educate their citizens or residents about
toxic chemical releases using TRI data, often combining education with a call to action. Some
community organizations have used TRI data to initiate discussions with local industries or to
call on local and public interest organizations to lobby for their causes. Local public interest
organizations improve citizen environmental awareness, encouraging them to become involved
in the environmental health of their communities. Members of a local public interest
organization can be of technical and legal help to citizens in the field of environmental
negotiation. Examples of citizen activists and community interest organizations and the ways in
which they use TRI data follow:
• The Eugene Toxics Right-to-Know program, a local grassroots organization in Eugene,
Oregon, used TRI as a model to develop the first city right-to-know program. This
program gives citizens information about toxic material use and materials accounting
information to the kilogram level. Voters adopted the program in 1996 as an amendment
to the Eugene City Charter. A citizen initiative placed the amendment on the ballot.
Previously, information concerning the use of hazardous substances in the community,
and the releases of those substances into the local environment in particular, was not
readily accessible to citizens under existing reporting regulations. Unlike other
hazardous substance reporting programs, the Eugene charter amendment requires
affected businesses to provide materials balance accounting. In other words, inputs and
outputs of hazardous substances must be reported and must balance. These reports,
required annually, are available in an accessible format at the Eugene Public Library. For
more information, or to view the database, go to
.2
• South Carolina Environmental Watch is an environmental organization that educates
communities about toxic chemicals and their possible health effects. The organization
presents TRI data to communities and discusses the potential effects of toxic chemical
releases.3
• The Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) was formed over a decade ago to
educate and provide a voice for residents concerned about toxic chemical releases from
local facilities. LEAN uses TRI data to help residents become aware of risks associated
with toxic chemical releases and to facilitate discussions between communities and
industries to evaluate the impact of those releases.4 LEAN "encourages community
decision-making and legislative challenge in neighborhoods near toxic chemical sites.
The organization locates waste disposal sites, dumps and industrial facilities that could
potentially affect communities, and compiles TRI, accident release data, and state
groundwater data on these types of sites. The resulting data compilations are then used
as the spearhead of strategic campaigns directed at making changes at the legislative
level." LEAN publicizes its information in the form of "briefing books," which it
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presents to members of the Louisiana House and Senate environmental committees.
These reports "can be the starting points for change. The goal is to build a knowledge
base for legislators and communities and to raise awareness of local environmental
problems.... In one case, a briefing book was compiled for neighborhoods near a railroad
switchyard, where leaking valves on the chemical transport cars stored there overnight
were found to have contaminated groundwater. The chemicals included styrene,
perchloroethylene, benzene, toluene, hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorobutadiene, and vinyl
chloride."5
California facilities are required to develop and make public P2 plans under the state
Hazardous Waste Source Reduction and Management Review. A community
organization called "The Mothers of East Los Angeles of Santa Isabel" used TRI data to
compare toxic chemical release estimates listed in P2 plans submitted by facilities to their
actual estimated releases.6
The Oneida Environmental Resources Board in Wisconsin used TRI data to convince
leaders of the Oneida Tribe to organize a conference on cleaner ways to manufacture
pulp and paper. The Board used TRI data to show that the pulp and paper industry was
the largest industrial source of toxic chemical releases in Wisconsin, despite industry
claims that significant release reductions in the past made further improvements
unnecessary. The conference improved industry awareness of more environmentally
friendly practices and procedures. The Board also used TRI data to alert a local labor
union about possible worker health risks. The union included requests for reductions in
toxic chemical releases in its contract renewal negotiations.7
California's Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition has used TRI data for over a decade. The
Silicon Valley Environmental Index (The Index) shows "sustainability
trends" in Santa Clara County, California. The Index provides information about, but not
limited to, hazardous materials and air and water quality. At least five cities in Santa
Clara County have referenced or relied on the Index as the basis for their "sustainable
city" efforts or municipal environmental management system (EMS) initiatives. Private-
sector companies, such as IBM and Philips Semiconductor, have also used the Index in
evaluating their own EMS practices. Several universities have incorporated the Index
into their environmental science course curricula. In addition, several states (Wisconsin,
South Carolina, New Jersey) and countries (Germany and the Netherlands) have
developed regional environmental indicators studies modeled after the Index*
Ms.Wilma Subra, a chemical research analyst in Louisiana, has been a vocal citizen
leader and an active proponent of the TRI program for 20 years, working to change
regulations and policies to improve public health and the environment at the local level.9
Ms. Subra has informed residents about the possible effects of toxic chemical releases
and has aided their work to improve environmental conditions. The TRI data support
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Ms. Subra's efforts to reduce toxic chemical releases from Louisiana's industrial
facilities. Ms. Subra gathers and analyzes TRI data, distributes information to the public,
participates in legal and regulatory processes against industrial facilities, and is a member
of national and international advisory committees.
National Organizations
National organizations employ TRI data in many of the same ways as small community
organizations, but on a larger scale. Such organizations analyze TRI data, use it to conduct risk
screening and risk assessment, and often help the public interpret the data. National
organizations often work with local public interest and community organizations to initiate
discussions between citizens and industry. Some national organizations also use TRI data to
help them lobby for changes in environmental policy. Examples of TRI data used by national
organizations include the following:
• Environmental Defense (ED) launched its Scorecard web site in 1998
. The site's "polluter locator" allows users to perform a search by
ZIP code on a database containing information on more than 17,000 chemical-releasing
facilities. The Scorecard also provides data on the health effects and regulatory status of
different chemicals.10 The site correlates TRI chemical release data with U.S. Census
demographic data. ED is currently linking TRI data with toxicological studies to create a
Scorecard tool that compares the risks of different toxic chemical releases.11 Logging
500,000 data requests on its first day of operation, the Scorecard web site has drawn
significant public interest.
• The Right-to-Know Network (RTKNet) web site , launched in 1989 by
the nonprofit organizations OMB Watch and the Unison Institute, also facilitates public
access to TRI data. Users can search the TRI data by ZIP code, city, county, state, year,
or chemical. The web site also includes links to additional information about chemicals
and right-to-know issues. RTKNet estimates that about a quarter of a million searches
are performed on the site annually.12
• The former Environmental Information Center conducted a study of the Great Lakes in
1997. Scientists used TRI data to examine endocrine disrupters released in states
bordering the Great Lakes. The study ranked the largest emitters of various classes of
toxic chemicals by region, and found the Great Lakes region to be the nation's top
emitter of reportable endocrine disrupting chemicals.13
In September 2000, Physicians for Social Responsibility, along with the National
Environmental Trust and the Learning Disabilities Association of America, released the
report, "Polluting Our Future: Chemical Pollution in the U.S. that Affects Child
Development and Learning" . This report used TRI and
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other data to present national information about releases of chemicals that present
potential developmental and neurological risks. The report ranked states by their releases
of these chemicals and included information about counties, industries, and facilities with
the highest toxic chemical releases.14
• Labor unions also have used TRI data to support demands for safer working conditions
for employees. Other than citizens who live near facilities, employees of TRI reporting
facilities are most at risk from toxic chemical releases because they are most likely to
come in regular contact with these chemicals. Beginning in 1990, the International
Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America
(UAW) began training employees and managers of UAW companies to access, interpret,
and utilize computer databases and programs in "critically assessing industrial emergency
response activities at their facilities." Workers were trained to download and interpret
environmental compliance data. TRI data comprised one of the main sources of
information for the program. Concerning TRI, the UAW stated, "knowing about
maximum amounts on-site can help people prepare for a 'worst-case scenario.' It can
help an emergency response planning group decide if there are enough response
equipment and personnel to deal with an emergency involving the chemical(s) in
question."15 The UAW continues to provide potential risk information to workers
regarding toxic chemical releases to the environment using TRI data. The UAW website
provides links to EPA Envirofacts, and to the most recent TRI Data Release
().
Direct Negotiation
Through increasing their understanding of TRI data, members of the public can begin to
understand potential risks associated with toxic chemical releases in their communities, and can
work with facilities to reduce those risks. The nation's first "right-to-act" law was enacted in
September 1999 by the Passaic, N.J., Board of Chosen Freeholders, the county's governing
body. The law "allows neighbors and/or employees to petition the county health officer for
creation of Neighborhood Hazard Prevention Advisory Committees (NHPACs) for specific
facilities."16 Even without the aid of this law, concerned citizens nationwide can take action in
their own communities. Community organizations and citizen activists have used TRI data to
negotiate with local facilities. Examples of direct negotiation agreements between citizens and
facilities follow:
• In the city of Richmond, California, community members were concerned about toxic
chemical releases from several oil refineries and other large industrial facilities. The
West County Toxics Coalition, a local environmental organization, joined with
Communities for a Better Environment, a statewide environmental organization, to
investigate industrial polluters in Richmond. Using the TRI and other databases, they
published the report, Richmond at Risk, which identified the area's 20 largest industrial
polluters and named the Chevron oil refinery the number one polluter. The report served
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to initiate discussions among Chevron, the West County Toxics Coalition, and other
community and environmental organizations. As a result of the meetings, the company
agreed in 1994 to close down older portions of the plant and install P2 equipment to
achieve zero net toxic chemical releases on its reformulated fuel project.17
The Calhoun County Resource Watch (CCRW), founded by a Texas environmental
activist and shrimper named Ms. Dianne Wilson, used TRI data to build community
awareness about pollution of the rich shrimp and oyster breeding grounds of Lavaca Bay
on the Gulf of Mexico18. Calhoun County was ranked first in the nation for toxic
chemical disposal to the land, based on the 1987 TRI data. Lavaca Bay was designated
as a Superfund site in 1993. CCRW brought suit against the Aluminum Company of
America (Alcoa) related to this pollution. In 1995 Alcoa signed an agreement designed
to protect the breeding grounds.19 Two Alcoa firms, a chemical plant and a bauxite
refinery, committed to "fund independent review of zero discharge options and to adopt
the technologies where technically, economically, and environmentally sound."20 In
return, CCRW agreed to drop its legal challenges and suspend permit interventions
against the companies. According to an Alcoa Operations Manager, as of March 2000
the company had made considerable progress toward the goals set in 1995, including
compliance with a permit that sets the "allowed total annual maximum mass loading
mercury limit" at 30 pounds, development and implementation of a Best Management
Practices plan, and installation of an "evaporative spray and dust control system" near the
refinery.21
In 1998, Butler County, PA, warned pregnant women and infants against drinking water
from Connoquenessing Creek due to high levels of nitrates in the water. In its report, the
Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group (PennPIRG) used TRI data to highlight the
significant quantities of nitrate compounds being released into the creek.22 The report
identified the major source of the nitrates as the AK Steel Corporation. TRI data showed
that the company had discharged approximately 29 million pounds of nitrates into the
creek in 1997 and 32 million pounds in 1998. This report and several newspaper articles
about these toxic chemical releases prompted the state to commit to reduce the levels of
nitrates that AK Steel is permitted to release into the creek.23 Pennsylvania began
developing a new water permit to reduce allowable nitrate releases to a level 90 percent
lower than the previous level. In June 2000, EPA issued an emergency order requiring
AK Steel to significantly reduce the nitrate compounds it discharges into
Connoquenessing Creek. In addition, AK Steel was required to provide and pay for an
alternative water source for the affected public on any day that the local water plant could
not meet the federal maximum nitrate contaminant standard.
Working with The Ecology Center, a public interest organization based in Ann Arbor,
Michigan, residents of the town of Flat Rock used TRI data to obtain a commitment from
Auto Alliance International to enact an aggressive solvent reduction program. TRI data
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showed that the company's air releases of toluene had increased from 100,000 pounds in
1991 to 800,000 pounds in 1993, along with an increase in noxious odors in the
community. A former Ecology Center staff member, Andrew Cormai, said, "[RJesidents
who have put up with the smells since 1987 suddenly have a bone to pick with the
company. The company is going to be saving some money by recapturing solvents, and
they will be improving community air quality."24
Environmental Justice
The goal of environmental justice is to ensure that all people, regardless of race, national
origin, or income, are protected from disproportionate impacts and environmental hazards. "The
concept [of environmental justice] addresses evidence [that] in some parts of the nation, poor and
minority communities live closer to factories, highways and airports and are exposed to more
pollution and noise and generally more environmental risks than the population at large."25 TRI
data have proved to be an important tool in environmental justice. Communities that were once
uninformed about the toxic chemical releases in their area now have access to that information.
Examples of TRI data use in environmental justice activities include:
• Two areas of Louisiana have become focal points for environmental justice efforts: the
Mississippi River corridor, popularly known as "Cancer Alley," and the Lake Charles
region. Local groups have used TRI data to illustrate the high toxic chemical release
rates in these areas compared to those in other regions.26 Several small communities have
confronted industrial facilities about their toxic chemical releases and possibly related
health effects. One illustrative dispute arose in Mossville, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana,
where some residents suspected that poor health in their community was due to the
activities of 17 industrial facilities located within one half-mile of the community. Their
concerns prompted numerous public interest organizations to collaborate on the report,
Breathing Poison: The Toxic Costs of Industries in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. The
2000 report used TRI data and information from the Scorecard web site to convey the
health risks to which the community might be exposed, and stated the need for "pollution
reduction, environmental health services, and a fair and just relocation for consenting
residents."27
• The Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) works with Asian and Pacific
Islander communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. APEN created a series
of maps that combined TRI and demographic data, to show that many poor Asian and
Pacific Islanders live in "toxic hot spots." The maps increased awareness among
community members about both their environment and environmental justice issues.
APEN might add more environmental, health, and demographic information, and expand
its mapping work to other nearby counties.28
• The Los Angeles chapter of Communities for a Better Environment used TRI data to help
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ensure that the communities it serves would not be exposed to higher environmental risks
as a result of poverty or ethnicity. In one project, the organization combined 1996 TRI
data with GIS mapping data to show that 80 to 100 percent of facilities that release toxic
chemicals in Los Angeles County were located in areas where a large majority of the
residents were people of color. These findings led to the report, Holding Our Breath -
the Struggle for EnvironmentalJustice in Southeast Los Angeles.29
Industry Use
Although Congress intended the public to be the primary audience for TRI data, the TRI
has also benefitted industries.
Cost Reduction
A primary goal of ISO 14000 (International Organization for Standardization's standards
on environmental management) was to bring environmental issues to the attention of the highest
levels of corporate management. Leaving decision-making to environmental managers alone
might not produce the corporate commitment necessary to achieve the best success.30 TRI data
have been used as evidence to convince high-level management of the need for an
Environmental Management System (EMS). In turn, the proactive environmental protection
afforded by an EMS can reduce corporate costs.
For some industries, the creation of the TRI marked the first time that company managers
and operators could look closely at the quantity of chemicals being released from their facilities.
Initially, some companies expressed surprise
at their own toxic chemical release amounts
and set goals to improve their environmental
performance. Some companies have reduced
their toxic chemical releases and increased
their efficiency at the same time, leading to
an increased profit. Examples of ways that
industry has used TRI data to reduce costs losses
follow:
Industry can work with TRI data to:
• improve internal auditing
• stimulate more efficient use of
chemicals by identifying material
provide a template for
environmental reporting under ISO
14000.
At the 1997 EPA Toxics Release
Inventory and Right-to-Know
Conference, John Pine provided
examples of how TRI information has helped companies develop waste reduction
strategies. For example, Marathon Oil installed a thermal desorption unit to process oily
waste and recovered over 120,000 barrels of oil and the Georgia Gulf Corporation
relocated a methanol stripper purge line that resulted in the recovery of 9,300 gallons of
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methanol that previously underwent biological waste treatment.
• The Haartz Corporation, located in Acton, Massachusetts, makes coated fabrics used in
automobiles. The firm once used 800,000 pounds per year of methyl ethyl ketone
(MEK), a solvent that can cause dizziness, nausea, or unconsciousness when inhaled.32
In 1987, when Haartz was preparing its first TRI report, the company installed a new
emissions control system to capture and recycle MEK. TRI data enabled Haartz Corp. to
track the association between reduced toxic chemical releases and reduced costs.
According to the Haartz environmental manager, the company's "emissions have stayed
pretty flat" despite its "double-digit sales growth" between 1993 and 1998. In addition,
reducing its MEK releases saved Haartz an estimated $200,000 annually.33
Public Relations Tools
Demonstrating environmental progress has become a selling point for industries, and
many company web sites now include an environmental report. Examples of positive
environmental marketing include:
• The Boeing Company posts TRI release data on its web site and uses the information to
track the company's environmental progress. The web site noted that overall toxic
chemical releases have decreased by more than 82 percent since 1991, and that "Boeing
continues to invest and innovate in pollution prevention programs and find new ways to
get greater leverage for current emission reduction programs."34
Monsanto's similar web site provides both current and past TRI information on
consolidated chemical releases and transfers from Monsanto facilities. The web site also
includes data about carbon dioxide releases, priority on-site toxic chemical releases,
compliance penalties, chemical spills, Superfund sites, safety, and compliance.35
Public Disclosure
Companies can use TRI data to "obtain an overview of the release and management of
toxic chemicals, to identify P2 and release reduction targets, and to measure progress toward
these goals. The publicity that has resulted from the availability of TRI data has prompted many
facilities to pledge toxic chemical release reductions, and to work with communities to develop
effective strategies for reducing environmental and human health risks."36 For example, the
Iowa Association of Business and Industry organized a community-wide pollution prevention
initiative in the Des Moines-Polk County area. The organization adopted a goal of a 60 percent
reduction of all TRI chemicals by 1992 and a 70 percent reduction by 1995.37
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Government Use
Environmental Solutions
Government agencies can take a variety of actions when TRI data reveal an
environmental problem in a specific state or region. Some of these actions involve voluntary
incentive programs for companies. Although these programs are not binding commitments, they
offer good publicity for participating companies. Examples include:
• Governor Frank O'Bannon of Indiana announced the Indiana Governor's Toxics
Reduction Challenge in 1998. The challenge pledged to "support the state's goal to
reduce toxic chemical releases to the air and water from 1995 levels: 50% by December
31, 2000, in large urban areas for carcinogens and persistent bioaccumulative toxic
chemicals; 60% by December 31, 2002 statewide for these chemicals; and, 50% by
December 31, 2002, statewide for all toxic chemicals reported in the Toxics Release
Inventory." The Challenge also pledged to "energetically help the state reach these goals
through efforts emphasizing pollution prevention within your organization and/or in
cooperation with other organizations." As of mid-April 2000, 67 companies in Indiana
had committed to the Challenge. A list of the companies and an update on their progress
is available on the Indiana state web site .38
• The EPA "33/50 Program" targeted 17 priority TRI chemicals for 33 percent and 50
percent reductions from 1988 release levels, to be attained by 1992 and 1995,
respectively. More than 1,200 companies nationwide joined the Program, which
provided several forms of recognition to participating companies. The Program reached
both its interim 33 percent reduction goal and its final 50 percent reduction goal one year
early.
• The P2 Program of the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment used
TRI data, in combination with other data about hazardous waste and toxic chemical
releases to air and water, to identify the ten industry organizations responsible for the
largest quantities of hazardous waste generation or toxic chemical releases in the state.
This research served as the basis for establishing priorities for P2 activities and for
distribution of technical assistance grants. The report also aided in targeting large
companies for participation in the "Governor's P2 Challenge Program" to reduce toxic
chemical releases and hazardous waste generation.39
• Due to the new TRI reporting requirements for dioxin, the Delaware Department of
Natural Resources and Environmental Control became aware of dioxin-tainted waste at
DuPont's Edge Moor, DE titanium dioxide (TiO[2J) plant. Subsequently, DuPont agreed
to pay an estimated $15 million to remediate dioxin-tainted waste at this facility. DuPont
discovered that the waste sludge was contaminated with dioxin while the company was
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preparing to comply with EPA's requirement that dioxin releases be reported under TRI.
In addition, DuPont agreed with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and
Environmental Control to spray a 23-acre stretch along the Delaware River with a starch-
like coating to keep the dioxin from being stirred up by the wind or eroding into the river.
DuPont used the site to store waste sludge from the Edge Moor plant. The company will
also close four sludge lagoons near the plant and plans to cut dioxin formation in half by
2003 and by 90 percent by 2007.
Environmental Targeting
Budgets to fund environmental programs and measures often do not increase in
proportion to the need for these activities. Environmental targeting initiatives, such as those
listed below, help governments and communities prioritize their needs and ensure that their
resources are used most efficiently.
The P2 Division in Georgia's Department of Natural Resources used TRI data to identify
the technical assistance needs of manufacturing sectors generating chemicals that pose
the greatest relative risk to public health and the environment. The Division prioritized
chemicals, examined manufacturing sectors releasing the highest priority chemicals, and
identified particular subsectors for further assessment. The Division also conducted in-
depth manufacturing sector assessments to determine which processes produce which
wastes, what multi-media waste problems exist, what P2 activities were being
undertaken, and what additional opportunities might exist.40
The Florida Waste Reduction Assistance Program provides assistance in source reduction
and waste minimization to facilities handling TRI chemicals. The Program relies on TRI
and other data to target facilities for the Program.41
• EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance uses TRI data within its Online
Tracking Information System (OTIS) — a collection of on-line search engines that
enables EPA staff, state/local/tribal governments, and federal agencies to access a wide
range of data relating to enforcement and compliance. Data on the OTIS site are from
OECA's Integrated Data for Enforcement Analysis (IDEA) system, which extracts and
integrates information from TRI as well as the following databases: AFS (Clean Air Act
— AIRS Facility Subsystem), PCS (Clean Water Act — Permit Compliance System),
RCRAInfo (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Information System), the Federal
Enforcement Docket, National Compliance Database (NCDB), and the 1990 U.S.
Census. OTIS can be used for many functions, including program planning, enforcement
targeting, sector and geographic analyses, data quality review, and pre-inspection review.
As of March 2002, all states, all EPA Regional Offices, and another 90 local, state and
federal governmental organizations are registered.
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Legislation and Regulations
TRI data often provide the impetus for legislative action from federal, state, and local
governments. For over a decade, TRI data has been used to influence and change environmental
standards, regulations, and legislation, for example:
In response to legislation passed in 1987 to address toxic chemical releases to the air, the
Illinois EPA Bureau of Air used TRI data to determine quantities of stack and fugitive air
emissions of reported substances to support continued development of regulatory
proposals.42
Risk Assessment
As the connection between toxic chemicals and human health becomes better known,
public health officials are looking for ways to assess the levels of risk in their communities. TRI
data have been a crucial component in creating tools to address these assessments. Examples
follow:
• The New York State Department of Health developed a risk screening protocol using TRI
air release data and toxicity potency data to produce relative risk scores and rankings for
facilities and chemicals within the state. Results suggested the need for a more careful
evaluation of health effects resulting from large releases of noncarcinogenic
compounds.43
• Researchers from EPA's Office of Health Research published a study of national and
regional differences in county-level TRI chemical releases to air according to the
ethnicity or race and household income of the populations. Using the "Population
Emissions Index," a population-weighted average release for each county, the study
found that all minority groups except Native Americans tend to live in counties where
levels of TRI chemical releases to air are higher. The data also suggest that household
incomes tend to be higher in counties with higher TRI chemical releases to air.44
• The EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics's Risk-Screening Environmental
Indicators Model provides year-to-year indicators of the potential impacts of TRI
chemical releases on human health and the environment. The indicators consider TRI
release and transfer volumes, chronic toxicity, exposure potential, and the size of receptor
populations. Both generic and site-specific exposure characteristics can be incorporated.
The model allows the targeting and prioritization of chemicals, industries and geographic
areas. Facility scores can also be tracked from year to year to analyze trends.45
13
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Quality Assurance and Control
Some states, such as Massachusetts, that require separate reporting of toxic chemical
releases for their facilities find TRI data to be a useful measure of quality assurance and control.
The Air Pollution Control Program in the Missouri Department of Natural Resources also
compares fugitive and stack emissions reported to the TRI with toxic chemical release data
reported on the state's Emissions Inventory Questionnaire for quality control.46
Other Government Uses
Additional governmental uses of TRI data can be found in agencies not immediately
associated with environmental issues. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service used TRI data to
identify companies releasing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in order to enforce a tax imposed on
releases of CFCs and thus facilitate the phase-out of these chemicals.47
International Right-to-Know
The TRI has served as the model for many countries' Chemical Right-To-Know
programs and laws. Within the next few years, more than 30 nations are expected to have a TRI-
like system, known internationally as Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs). PRTRs
allow the public to obtain toxic chemical release data over a large geographic area. Countries
can compare their data and share ideas about improving environmental regulations. Examples of
how PRTR information is being used include:
• The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), which was created by a side-
agreement to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), began it's PRTR
work by preparing a document that compares U.S. and Canadian PRTR systems. The
CEC now develops an annual report, entitled "Taking Stock", that correlates data from
the TRI and the Canadian National Pollutant Release Inventory to give an overall view of
releases and transfers of toxic chemicals within and between countries. The CEC also
has created an Internet search engine that allows the public to obtain continental PRTR
data.48
• In 2000, the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition attended an international conference in
Croatia on public participation and community right-to-know. Participants recognized
the fundamental importance of Chemical Right-To-Know and are lobbying the United
Nations to promote the program and persuade nations to support the passage of
community right-to-know laws modeled after the TRI.49
14
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Investment
The public's increased awareness of environmental issues has made environmental
performance an important factor in their investment decisions. Many investment companies
have responded to this demand by providing socially responsible investment options. Examples
of how TRI data have been used in investment decisions include:
• Green Century Funds, an investment organization that specializes in socially responsible
mutual funds, offers two funds committed to promoting corporate environmental
responsibility. The Green Century Balanced Fund invests in "performance-driven
companies that are a part of the solution to environmental problems," as well as in
environmentally benign companies and "best of class" companies that are setting
standards for environmental protection in their industries. The Green Century Equity
Fund screens out companies with the worst environmental and social records. The funds
are monitored for environmental performance using TRI data.50
• Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management found a correlation
between a company's stock value and its P2 efforts, which were assessed using TRI data.
A researcher from the University performed two separate studies comparing the progress
of a company's P2 activities as reported on TRI forms to a company's stock market
performance. The study reported that "companies that underperform expected pollution
prevention goals are penalized in the stock market, and the stock of the companies that
engage in pollution prevention activity tends to outperform the stock of companies that
do not engage in pollution prevention."51
Using TRI data, the Investor Responsibility Research Center (TRRC) developed an
Emissions Efficiency Index® that indicates which companies have a competitive edge in
environmental performance. The Index is predicated on the idea that greater toxic
chemical releases are associated with higher risks of negative publicity, more tort actions,
and higher costs for pollution control and waste management. IRRC's constituency uses
TRI-based information to identify companies with poor environmental records. Using
the index, investors can either screen such companies out of their portfolios or purchase
shares and use their ownership as leverage to improve environmental performance.52
Academic Use
A variety of TRI data use applications occur in academia, in areas ranging from doctoral
theses to journal publications to use in the classroom itself.
15
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Research
Universities and research institutions are using TRI data as a means for "examining
environmental policies and strategies, and clarifying risks associated with toxic chemicals at the
state and local level."53 Students and faculty in the academic community also perform studies
based on TRI data. Examples of academic research using TRI data include:
• In February 2000, the j ournal Drug and Chemical Toxicology published an article
entitled, "Using GIS to Study the Health Impact of Air Emissions." This article showed
how public health professionals are able to use data (such as the TRI) on toxic chemical
releases to air, air dispersion modeling, and GIS to identify and define a potentially
exposed population. In addition, such data can be analyzed to estimate the health risk
burden of that population and determine correlations between point-based health outcome
results and estimated health risk.54
• In the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management in 1999, researcher Mr.
Madhu Khanna published results of research that examined the environmental, economic
and investment effects of voluntary and mandatory toxic release reporting programs. One
of the research studies focused on the EPA's "33/50" Program during its first three years,
1991-1993, and its impact on the U.S. chemical industry. The paper concluded that
Program participation led to a statistically significant decline in toxic releases over the
time period, a statistically significant negative impact on current return on investment,
but a positive and statistically significant impact on the expected long run profitability of
firms.55
• At Louisiana State University, environmental science professor Paul Templet developed
a method, using TRI data, to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of pollution control
strategies, policies, and programs, by calculating an "emissions to jobs ratio." This ratio
consists of the number of pounds of toxic chemical releases per job in a given industry
and location, can be compared to a national or other average. The comparison is then
used to assess the relative toxic air releases associated with a certain job. This ratio was
used to modify tax exemptions granted to facilities to encourage and reward job
creation.56
• Professor Mark Stephan used TRI as the background for an academic paper focusing on
the role of information disclosure programs in environmental policy. Professor Stephan
used TRI as a prime example for the fundamental theories and concepts that underlie the
empirical work on the comparison of basic theories arising from the knowledge of
economics, psychology, and politics.57
Researchers Klassen and Whybark studied management of the natural environment in
manufacturing firms, given increased public awareness and scrutiny as a result of
16
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programs like the TRI. In one of their published studies, they concluded that an
emphasis on pollution prevention instead of pollution control, improved delivery
performance and firm competitiveness.58
Classroom Use
High school and university instructors have incorporated the TRI into curricula involving
subjects ranging from introductory chemistry to business.
• The JSI Center for Environmental Health Studies developed a field-based environmental
education curriculum for high school students in Chelsea, Massachusetts, a low-income
minority community near Boston. The goal was to encourage student participation in
environmental assessment and protection. Students learned to inventory sources of
contamination in a local creek and worked with community agencies on protecting a
valuable environmental resource. TRI data were an integral part of the students'
research.59
Conclusions
A variety of stakeholders work with TRI data on a regular basis. Some data uses, such as
risk screening, were recognized when the TRI was first implemented; other uses have developed
as the program has matured and expanded. TRI data have been a key tool in the environmental
justice movement and in the drive toward more environmentally responsible investment. The
applications of TRI data will likely increase in number as environmental awareness grows and
opportunities are identified for integrating TRI data with other types of information.
17
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Appendix A: Expanded Lists of TRI Data Uses and Benefits
User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - Citizens/Community Organizations
Amalgamated Clothing and
Textile Workers Union and
community activists in
Northfield, MN
Amalgamated called for emissions reductions from a
local facility ranked as the nation's 45th largest emitter
of carcinogens to the air. Contract negotiations led to
an agreement for a 64% reduction in use of toxic
chemicals by 1992 and a 90% reduction in toxic
emissions by 1993.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule
to Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-20, April
1997
California Public Interest
Research Group (CALPIRG)
CALPIRG uses TRI data to supplement the information
that water utilities publish in their Consumer
Confidence Reports, and to identify potential water
contamination sources. CALPIRG presents these data
to policymakers to provide more information to the
public on drinking water contamination.
Don't Waste Arizona
Don't Waste Arizona produced two videos about the
Community Right-to-Know Act for the public and the
regulated community. The organization held "house
parties" to show the videos and discuss how
communities can identify and reduce toxic pollution.
Don't Waste Arizona has also distributed videos to
citizens, libraries, and compliance assistance centers
throughout Arizona, thus increasing public awareness
about pollution.
A Citizen's Guide to Reducing Toxics
Risks: Putting the TRI to Work!, EPA
909-B98-001, Region 9 Cross Media
Division, January, 1998
18
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User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - Citizens/Community Organizations
Eugene Toxics Right-to-Know
program, OR
The Eugene Toxics Right-to-Know program used TRI
as a model to develop the first city right-to-know
program. This program gives citizens information
about toxic material use and materials accounting
information to the kilogram level. A citizen initiative
placed the amendment on the ballot. Voters adopted
the program in 1996 as an amendment to the Eugene
City Charter. For more information, or to view the
database, go to
.
JSI Center for Environmental
Health Studies
The Center trained librarians on how to access
information from computerized electronic databases,
including TRI, especially for use as tools to investigate
environmental health problems.
JSI Center for Environmental Health
Studies: A Division of the JSI
Research and Training Institute
Louisiana Environmental Action
Network
The Network uses TRI data as part of strategic
campaigns for change at a better informed legislative
level. The network creates "briefing books" for state
House and Senate members and holds tours of focus
sites for representatives, media, citizens, etc.
Massachusetts Toxic Usage
Reduction Institute (TURI)
TURI uses TRI production data to normalize
information on annual toxic chemical releases to
eliminate the effects of changes in production.
Tenney, H.M., Mass TURI, e-mail
correspondence with Abt Associates
on 4/01/99 and 4/15/99
19
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User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - Citizens/Community Organizations
Mothers of East Los Angeles of
Santa Isabel
The organization used TRI data to compare toxic
chemical release estimates contained in P2 plans with
actual releases to the environment., which led to
community evaluation of facility P2 plans.
National Conference of State
Legislators (NCSL)
NCSL conducted a 1996 survey of states, which EPA
used to assess how states currently access and use TRI
data. Twenty-four states produce annual TRI reports,
37 use TRI data to identify facilities for P2 activities,
22 use TRI data to target facilities for inspection to
ensure compliance with permits, 22 use TRI data for
emergency planning, seven use TRI data to develop or
revise permits, and 5 use TRI data for facility siting and
permitting decisions. Other state-produced documents
include annual press releases, facts sheets, computer
applications, chemical fact sheets, and tables of
emissions quantities.
A Citizen's Guide to Reducing Toxics
Risks: Putting the TRI to Work!, EPA
909-B98-001, Region 9 Cross Media
Division, January, 1998
20
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User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - Citizens/Community Organizations
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
The Coalition uses TRI data on the hazardous materials
section of their web site to display toxic chemical
releases and other information, increasing public
awareness. The Coalition also uses TRI data in its
progress reports of the Silicon Valley toxic chemical
releases.
The Coalition used TRI data to develop the first Silicon
Valley Environmental Index ,
showing local sustainability trends in Santa Clara
County.
WashPIRG
WashPIRG used TRI data to relate the number of TRI
sites in states to the incidence rates of cancers
associated with environmental toxins.
Wise, Alison. "The Toxic State of
Washington: Our Health and
Environment at Risk," April, 2001
21
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User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - National Organizations
Citizen's Fund
The Fund summarized 1991 TRI data nationally
and by state to attempt to measure the progress of
manufacturers in preventing pollution, and
included report cards of the top 50 waste
generating facilities in the chemical industry. The
Fund aggregated 1990 TRI data from different
facilities by their parent companies to hold
corporations more accountable for the full extent of
their toxic pollution.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-20, April
1997
Environmental Defense (ED)
ED uses TRI data, along with other resources on its
Scorecard web site, to allow the public to find
chemical information about their communities by
searching by ZIP code.
OMB Watch and the Unison Institute,
"The Right Stuff: Using the Toxics
Release Inventory."13 July 1995
ED is in the process of linking toxic chemical
release data with toxicological studies on its
Scorecard web site. It released the first version in
1998 and focused on the human health impacts of
toxins. The project ranked toxic chemical releases
by equivalency factors, taking into account toxicity
and exposure potential.
A Citizen's Guide to Reducing Toxics
Risks: Putting the TRI to Work!, EPA
909-B98-001, Region 9 Cross Media
Division, January, 1998
ED used TRI data to rank the efficiency of 166
U.S. refineries based on toxic chemical releases
and waste per barrel of oil refined per day.
Selcraig, Bruce. "What You Don't
Know Can Hurt You," Sierra
Magazine. Jan/Feb, 1997
22
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User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - National Organizations
Envirotrust
Hampshire Research Institute
(HRI)
National Environmental Trust for
Clear the Air, the National
Campaign Against Dirty Power
Physicians for Social
Responsibility (PSR)
Right-to-Know Network
(RTKNet)
Sierra Club
Envirotrust uses section 8 TRI data to develop an
index that can compare facilities' progress toward
better environmental management.
HRI surveyed TRI facilities reporting large
reductions in their toxic chemical releases and
production-related waste to determine if these
changes resulted from P2 activities, "paper"
reporting changes, or other factors.
These organizations analyzed TRI data from power
plants, and compared them to those of other
industry sectors, and used TRI data to rank the
power plants within individual sectors.
PSR used TRI and other data in a report that
includes national information about releases of
developmental and neurological toxins, a ranking
of the states, and information about the top
releasing counties, industries, and facilities in each
of the 50 states.
RTKNet maintains a web site similar to
Environmental Defense's Scorecard (see p. 22).
Users can also search by specific chemicals.
The Sierra Club uses TRI data in citizen outreach
documents.
Nathan, T. Envirotrust, phone
conversation with Abt Associates,
March 3, 1999
Nathan, et al. Toxic Power: What the
TRI Tells Us About Power Plant
Pollution, August 2000
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 3 13, p. 6-20, April
1997
23
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User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - National Organizations
Public Interest Research Group
(U.S. PIRG)
U.S. PIRG examined TRI releases to surface waters
and to publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs)
in Troubled Waters: Major Sources of Toxic Water
Pollution (1993). U.S. PIRG identified the nation's
top releasers of toxic chemicals to those water
sources. The organization made recommendations
for amending the Clean Water Act to provide the
public with more information about toxic chemical
releases to waterways.
Hopey, Don. Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh).
February 18, 2000
Unison Institute/OMB Watch
The organizations collected anecdotal data about
how the Right-to-Know Network (RTKNet) used
TRI data in The Right Stuff: Using the Toxics
Release Inventory (1995).
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-20, April
1997
The organizations' publication Where the Wastes
Are examines facilities receiving the largest
quantities of shipments of TRI chemicals in waste.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-20, April
1997
Working Group on Community-
Right-to-Know
The Working Group created a list of questions for
concerned citizens, reporters, and other interested
parties to ask corporations reporting reduced toxic
chemical releases, to find out if the decrease is a
"phantom reduction" due to a change in reporting
procedure (e.g., acetone no longer being required
for reporting) rather than a change in production
practices.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
24
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User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - National Organizations
The Working Group prepared a bibliography listing
well over 100 state and local reports and more than
30 national TRI reports compiled by public interest
groups.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 3 13, p. 6-20, April
1997
25
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User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - Direct Negotiation
Communities for a Better
Environment, CA
In 1994, the organization targeted 16 facilities
in California that failed to submit toxic release
information of ozone depleting chemicals. In
all but one settlement, industries agreed to
phase out the chemicals and to donate funds to
local community or environmental groups.
Selcraig, Bruce. "What You Don't
Know Can Hurt You."Sierra Magazine.
Jan/Feb, 1997
Communities for a Better
Environment, Richmond, CA
The organization used TRI data to negotiate an
agreement with General Chemical, which will
fund a $15,000 study of public health, spend
$100,000 on the surrounding neighborhood,
pay for community's experts to do a safety
audit of the plant, and then submit to binding
arbitration should it disagree on safety
recommendations made by those experts.
A Citizen's Guide to Reducing Toxics
Risks: Putting the TRI to Work!, EPA
909-B98-001, Region 9 Cross Media
Division, January, 1998
Consumer Policy Institute of
Brooklyn, NY
The institute used 1988 TRI data to identify
Ulano Corporation as the top industrial air
toxic polluter in New York City, and launched
a media campaign to pressure the state
Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) to take action. The DEC forced Ulano
to use a new incinerator that reduced toluene
emissions by approximately 95%.
Fung and O'Rourke, "Reinventing
Environmental Regulations from the
Grassroots Up," Environmental
Management. Vol. 25, No. 2
26
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User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - Direct Negotiation
Don't Waste Arizona
In 1996, the organization filed about 30
lawsuits against facilities for not submitting
information on their toxic chemical releases.
Facilities signed agreements to adopt P2
measures that resulted in significant reductions
in toxic chemical releases.
A Citizen's Guide to Reducing Toxics
Risks: Putting the TRIto Work!, EPA
909-B98-001, Region 9 Cross Media
Division, January, 1998
Ecology Center, Ann Arbor, MI
The Center used TRI data to get commitments
from the president of Auto Alliance
International to embark on an aggressive
solvent reduction program. The commitments
improved air quality (fewer instances of
noxious odors).
OMB Watch and the Unison Institute,
"The Right Stuff: Using the Toxics
Release Inventory."13 July 1995
MapCruzin
MapCruzin combines GIS technology with TRI
data to let Santa Cruz residents and Silicon
Valley residents find the exact location of
businesses in their areas that report transfers
and toxic chemical releases
.
Massachusetts Public Interest
Research Group (MASSPIRG)
MASSPIRG used TRI data to target Raytheon,
the state's largest emitter of ozone-destroying
chemicals such as CFCs and methyl
chloroform, in a public accountability
campaign in 1990. MASSPIRG obtained a
pledge from Raytheon to switch to water-based
alternatives to CFCs.
Fung and O'Rourke, "Reinventing
Environmental Regulations from the
Grassroots Up," Environmental
Management. Vol. 25, No. 2
27
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User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - Direct Negotiation
Minnesota Citizens for a Better
Environment
The organization released a report profiling the
state's "top 40 toxic polluters" based on
emissions of certain priority chemicals. TRI
data were combined with other data to provide
enough information to support local efforts to
negotiate with facilities for emissions
reductions. Since publication, activists have
worked with 18 of the 40 facilities.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
Pennsylvania Public Interest
Research Group (PennPIRG)
PennPIRG used TRI data to identify AK Steel
Corporation as the source of nitrate loading of
Connoquenessing Creek, a local water source.
PennPIRG's report prompted the state to
commit to reduce the amount of nitrates AK
Steel is permitted to release into the creek.
Community Members of
Mansfield, TX
Community Members of Mansfield used TRI
data to negotiate permission to have its own
experts perform regular environmental and
safety audits of a local Rhone-Poulenc
chemical plant.
Selcraig, Bruce. "What You Don't
Know Can Hurt You."Sierra Magazine.
Jan/Feb, 1997
28
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User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - Environmental Justice
Asian Pacific Environmental
Network (APEN)
APEN created a series of maps that combine
TRI and demographic data through GIS. The
maps show that many poor Asian and Pacific
Islander communities live in toxic hot spots
and are a powerful visual tool to raise
awareness among community members about
their environment and environmental justice.
A Citizen's Guide to Reducing Toxics
Risks: Putting the TRI to Work!, EPA
909-B98-001, Region 9 Cross Media
Division, January, 1998
Environmental Systems Research
Institute
The institute used TRI data in a study that
compared race, age, and income in areas that
were near or far from airborne toxic chemical
releases. The study used buffers, based on the
toxin released, its quantity, and the
atmospheric conditions present at the time of
the release, to measure "nearness." Various
maps created in the study help communicate
results and explain spatial relationships.
"Toxics Releases and Demography in
Minneapolis/St. Paul: A GIS
Exploration."
29
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User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - Environmental Justice
North Baton Rouge (LA)
Environmental Association,
Florence Robinson
The organization used TRI and U.S. Census
data to demonstrate environmental racism in
Cancer Alley, in testimony before the Civil
Rights Association and at hearings on
environmental justice for the Department of
Environmental Quality.
OMB Watch and the Unison Institute,
"The Right Stuff: Using the Toxics
Release Inventory."13 July 1995
Residents of Louisiana's
Mississippi River corridor,
popularly known as "Cancer
Alley" and Lake Charles regions
of LA
The residents used TRI data (and ED's
Scorecard web site) to show that poor and
minority populations suffer from more
environmental risks than the public at large.
The residents published a report Breathing
Poison: The Toxic Costs of Industries in
Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, which indicates
the health risks to which the minority
community might be exposed.
"Breathing Poison: The Toxic Costs of
Industries in Calcasieu Parish,
Louisiana." Residents of Calcasieu
Parish, Louisiana
Sheppard, E.; Leitner, H;
McMaster, RB; Tian, H. Journal
of Exposure Analysis and
Environmental Epidemiology
The authors used 1995 TRI and 1990 U.S.
Census data for the City of Minneapolis, MN,
to make a comparative evaluation of two
commonly employed proximity measures in
GIS-based environmental equity assessment
and their influence on the results of the
analysis. The authors proposed a
methodology for evaluating the significance
of these results.
Sheppard, E.; Leitner, H; McMaster,
RB; Tian, H. "GIS-based Measures of
Environmental Equity: Exploring
Their Sensitivity and Significance."
Journal of Exposure Analysis and
Environmental Epidemiology. 9 Issue
l,p. 18-28
30
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User
Description
Reference
PUBLIC USE - Environmental Justice
Texas Network for
Environmental and Economic
Justice
The Network published Toxics in Texas and
Their Impact on Communities of Color. The
network used TRI and other data to document
disproportionate environmental impacts on
racial and ethnic minority communities in
Texas.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
University of California,
Los Angeles
The University found that low-income and
Latino neighborhoods in Los Angeles County
are more likely than other communities in the
region to be near major sources of toxic air
pollution.
Kolacovic, Gary. Los Angeles Times.
October 18, 2001
U.C. Santa Barbara, Center for
Geographic Information and
Analysis
The Center used 1989 TRI data and U.S.
Census data to examine and map significant
relationships between race and income
populations and their proximity to TRI sites in
Los Angeles.
31
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User
Description
Reference
INDUSTRY USE - Cost Reduction
Commonwealth Edison
(ComEd), other companies
These companies have applied life-cycle
costing methods to achieve significant
savings. These steps resulted at least in
part due to public awareness of the TRI
and the addition of electric utilities to
TRI. ComEd has saved over $25 million
since the program's inception in 1993.
McDonnell, Jeff S., "The Toxics
Release Inventory: A New Challenge
for Electric Utilities,"
< www.battelle.org>
EPA Region III TRI workshop,
1997
Attendees provided reasons for undertaking
waste reduction activities. Their most
frequent reason given was cost reduction
(98% of respondents).
EPA Region III TRI workshop, 1997
Florida Power and Light (FPL)
FPL created a recycling center to recover
and sell a variety of scrap materials, due to
public awareness of the TRI and the
addition of electric utilities to the TRI. This
center generates $1.8 million in profits
annually.
McDonnell, Jeff S., "The Toxics
Release Inventory: A New Challenge
for Electric Utilities,"
32
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User
Description
Reference
INDUSTRY USE - Cost Reduction
Pine, J. 7997 Toxics Release
Inventory and Right-to-Know
Conference Proceedings
Pine provided examples of how TRI
information has helped companies develop
waste reduction strategies. For example,
Marathon Oil installed a thermal desorption
unit to process oily waste and recovered
over 120,000 barrels of oil; Georgia Gulf
Corporation relocated a methanol stripper
purge line that resulted in the recovery of
9,300 gallons of methanol that previously
underwent biological waste treatment.
Pine, John. 7997 Toxics Release
Inventory and Right-to-Know
Conference Proceedings
Various Companies, TRI Data
Use Conference for 1993
Several corporations presented their
experiences of how they reduced emissions
and recognized P2 and cost saving
opportunities through the EPA 33/50
program.
Various Companies, TRI Data Use
Conference for 1993
33
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User
Description
Reference
INDUSTRY USE - Public Relations Tools
DuPont
DuPont lists TPJ data on its web site and
uses its progress in emissions reductions as
a marketing tool.
Allegheny Energy and EPPJ
As a result of public awareness of the TPJ
and the addition of electric utilities to the
TPJ, these two companies are coordinating
their efforts to develop an approach for
leveraging the utility-owned wetlands by
selling conservation banking credits.
McDonnell, Jeff S. "The Toxics
Release Inventory: A New Challenge
for Electric Utilities."
Boeing
Boeing uses TPJ data to track the
company's progress. The company
continues to invest and innovate in P2
programs and find new ways to obtain
greater leverage for current emission
reduction programs. Boeing's overall
emissions have decreased for more than a
decade - more than 82% since 1991.
Eastman Chemical Company
Each of the company's four U.S. facilities
has a Community Advisory Panel (CAP).
In addition to other activities, the panel
receives updates on TPJ data. The CAP
then uses the data to recommend process
and waste management improvements and
ways to present the data to the public.
Forrest, Carol J. "The TPJ, P2, and
Public Dialogue," Pollution Prevention
Review. Winter 1995-96, p. 1
34
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User
Description
Reference
INDUSTRY USE - Public Relations Tools
Monsanto
Polaroid
Monsanto provides a web site similar to
DuPont's (see above), including historical
data for sites with over 100,000 pounds of
toxic chemical releases.
Polaroid used TRI data in its annual report
to inform stockholders and the public of
efforts they were making to reduce
pollution.
OMB Watch and the Unison Institute,
"The Right Stuff: Using the Toxics
Release Inventory."13 July 1995
35
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User
Description
References
INDUSTRY USE - Public Disclosure
Chemical Emergency
Preparedness and Prevention
Office (CEPPO), U.S. EPA
CEPPO conducted a study to find out
how the media affects industries and
their emissions reductions. The office
found that large polluters singled out by
the media due to the public availability
of TRI data have decreased their
emissions by about twice the percentage
as the overall average.
Chemical Emergency
Preparedness and Prevention
Office (CEPPO), U.S. EPA
Iowa Association of Business
and Industry
The association coordinated a
community-wide P2 initiative in the Des
Moines-Polk County area. The
association adopted goals of a 60%
reduction of all TRI chemicals by 1992
and a 70% reduction by 1995.
Economic Analysis of the Final
Rule to Add Certain Industry
Groups to EPCRA Section 313, p.
6-29, April 1997
36
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Environmental Solutions
Air Pollution Control Program of
Missouri, Department of Natural
Resources (DNR)
Missouri DNR used TRI data to check
quality of their Missouri Emissions
Inventory Questionnaire (EIQ) data.
Missouri DNR was able to show that 2
facilities incorrectly reported emissions
data on the EIQ.
E-mail from Giroir, Louis Eric,
Toxicologist, Air Pollution Control
Program, Missouri Department of
Natural Resources to Katherine Jennrich,
intern, Toxics Release Inventory
Program Division, OPPT, June 13, 2000
Colorado Department of Public
Health and the Environment, P2
Program
The Department used TRI and other data
to identify the 10 industry groups
responsible for the largest quantities of
hazardous waste generation or toxic
chemical releases in the state. This work
will serve as the basis for establishing
priorities for P2 activities and for
distribution of technical assistance
grants. It will also used to target large
companies for participation in a
Governor's P2 Challenge Program to
reduce toxic emissions and hazardous
waste generation.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to EPCRA
Section 313, p. 6-29, April 1997
Indiana Governor's Office
The Indiana Governor's Toxics
Reduction Challenge of 1998 gives
publicity to companies meeting certain
standards (i.e., reductions in toxic
chemical releases).
37
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Environmental Solutions
Louisiana's Environmental
Leadership P2 Program
Louisiana used TRI data to track the
progress of a statewide emissions
prevention and reduction program that
seeks a 45% reduction in toxic chemical
releases by 1997, using 1992 data as a
baseline. The Program sponsors the
Governor Awards for Environmental
Excellence to promote public recognition
of industry achievements (U.S. EPA,
1993b).
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to EPCRA
Section 313, p. 6-29, April 1997
North Carolina P2 Program
North Carolina uses TRI data to integrate
multi-media toxic chemical release data
into statewide waste reduction activities,
such as technical assistance, grants,
research, and demonstration projects.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to EPCRA
Section 313, p. 6-29, April 1997
38
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Environmental Solutions
States of Kentucky, Ohio, and
West Virginia
The states jointly participated in a "Tri-
State Initiative" to identify, prevent, and
remediate environmental threats.
Program coordinators use TRI data in
their risk assessment process to focus on
sources of greatest concern. The
program will use voluntary industry
commitments and cooperative efforts
among industry, the public, and
government to achieve reductions in TRI
chemical and criteria air pollutant
releases.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to EPCRA
Section 313, p. 6-29, April 1997
States of Arkansas, Ohio,
Oregon, and Washington
The states participated in the EPA Office
of Solid Waste's Measurement Project,
using TRI data in projects assessing P2
measurement at the facility level.
"Taking Stock" Commission for
Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
U.S. EPA
The EPA 33/50 Program included 1200
companies that reduced emissions of 17
priority TRI chemicals from 1988 levels
by 33% and 50% by 1992 and 1995,
respectively. The program reached both
goals a year early.
U.S. EPA's 33/50 Program, Office of
Pollution Prevention and Toxics in the
Office of Prevention, Pesticides and
Toxic Substances
39
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Environmental Targeting
Florida Waste Reduction
Assistance Program (WRAP)
WRAP uses TRI data to target
facilities for the program, which
answers facility requests to provide
assistance in source reduction and
waste minimization in the handling of
TRI chemicals.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
Georgia Department of Natural
Resources, P2 Division
Georgia used TRI data in the process
of identifying the technical assistance
needs of manufacturing sectors that
generate chemicals posing the greatest
relative risk to public health and the
environment. The Division first
prioritized chemicals, and then
examined manufacturing sectors
releasing the highest priority chemicals
and identified particular subsectors for
further assessment.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
Missouri Department of Natural
Resources, Air Pollution Control
Program (APCP)
APCP uses TRI data to identify air
pollution sources that might have to
comply with Maximum Achievable
Control Technology (MACT)
Standards. The Program also used TRI
data to identify environmental "hot
spots" in Missouri for community-
based environmental project targeting.
E-mail from Giroir, Louis Eric,
Toxicologist, Air Pollution Control
Program, Missouri Department of
Natural Resources to Katherine
Jennrich, intern, Toxics Release
Inventory Program Division, OPPT,
June 13, 2000
40
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Environmental Targeting
New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection and
Energy
New Jersey used TRI data in a
computerized GIS to prioritize
facilities and geographic areas for
implementing P2 measures. The
Department used minor watersheds to
aggregate and map toxic chemical
releases to water. The Department
then grouped chemicals based on
health and environmental effects to
study the cumulative impact of many
releases in the area.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation
New York State used TRI data to
identify 400 facilities generating 95%
of the state's toxic pollution for
priority attention in multi-media
inspection, enforcement, ongoing
monitoring, and P2 planning.
"States as Innovators: It's Time for a
New Look to Our 'Laboratories of
Democracy' in the Effort to Improve
Our Approach to Environmental
Regulation." Alabama Law Review
347, p. 370-71(1994)
41
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Environmental Targeting
U.S. EPA, Office of Enforcement
and Compliance Assurance
(OECA)
OECA uses TRI data as a tool in
inspection targeting and enforcement
and for cross-checking data from other
sources. Enforcement personnel can
use TRI data and the Facility and
Company Tracking System (FACTS)
to identify additional facilities owned
by the same corporation or by the same
parent company that might be subject
to liability.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
U.S. EPA, Office of Enforcement
and Compliance Assurance
(OECA) (cont.)
OECA uses TRI data in its EPCRA
Targeting System (ETS), which
provides local access to TRI and
FACTS data for all facilities subject to
EPCRA section 313 requirements.
ETS supports the creation of
prioritized inspection targeting lists,
generated from a wide array of
selection criteria. It also supports daily
targeting activities, such as contacting
facilities and tracking tips and
complaints. Nine out often Regional
field offices currently use this new
system.
as above
42
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Environmental Targeting
OECA provides guidance to Regional
field offices on the resources available
to their inspectors in identifying non-
reporters, later reporters, and data
quality errors. These resources provide
the inspectors with valuable
information extrapolated from the TRI,
such as facility reporting rates,
processes, and toxic chemical releases.
as above
U.S. EPA, Office of Solid Waste
and Emergency Response
(OSWER)
OSWER uses TRI data when analyzing
long-term trends and identifying
particular industry practices that
warrant attention by the Office.
OSWER also uses TRI data when
establishing liability under CERCLA
and RCRA statutory authorities. TRI
data can be used when developing
emission inventories for the Superfund
site discovery program and during
preliminary assessments.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
43
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Environmental Targeting
U.S. EPA, Office of Water
Enforcement and Compliance
(OWEC)
OWEC used TRI to identify industrial
users with the greatest contribution of
toxic pollutants to city sewer systems.
The Office identified the industries and
provided facility names to the Regions
for further evaluation. OWEC also
used TRI data to identify industrial
users subject to pretreatment standards
that are located in cities not required to
have pretreatment programs.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
U.S. Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA),
local public health departments
OSHA and local public health
departments requested identification of
facilities in certain areas that release
specific chemicals for the purpose of
targeting exposure screening for
facility employees.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
44
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Legislation and Regulations
States of California, Delaware,
Louisiana, New Jersey, and
North Carolina
These and other states have used
TRI to support the passage of
stricter environmental legislation.
Fung and O'Rourke. "Reinventing
Environmental Regulations from the
Grassroots Up." Environmental
Management. Vol. 25, No. 2
Illinois EPA, Bureau of Air
The Bureau uses TRI data to
determine quantities of stack and
fugitive air emissions of reported
substances. This information
supports continuing development of
regulatory proposals in response to
legislation passed in 1987 to
address air toxics.
Dewulf, Cindy. "Utilization of Form R
Data," TRI Contact for Ohio EPA
Louisiana State Legislature
TRI data supported the
Legislature's actions to require the
state DEQ to issue regulations
identifying 100 priority pollutants,
set emissions standards for those
pollutants, and target a 50%
emissions reduction from 1987
levels by 1994.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
Minnesota Legislature
The Minnesota Legislature
amended the state's EPCRA in
1993 to expand TRI reporting
requirements to non-manufacturing
industries.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
45
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Legislation and Regulations
North Carolina Environmental
Management Commission
The Commission set limits for 105
pollutants after a public interest
group published a report on
unregulated air toxics emissions in
the state.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
U.S. EPA, Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics (OPPT),
Pollution Prevention Division
(PPD)
PPD used TRI data as a screening
tool to prioritize proposed
regulations and industrial source
categories, to promote P2 in
rulemaking. The P2 Senior Policy
Council has identified a number of
regulatory development efforts that
should consider inclusion of P2
measures.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
U.S. EPA, Office of Water (OW)
OW used TRI data as one of several
sources of information in
developing regulations under
section 316(b) regarding cooling
water. The data were useful in
identifying facilities to include in a
nationwide list of facilities (i.e., the
"sample frame") within several
major industrial groups. OW used
the list to select a random sample
for survey.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
46
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Risk Assessment
Kentucky Division of
Environmental Services
Kentucky occasionally uses the TRI database
when it makes determinations regarding risk
assessments.
E-mail from Alex Barber to Katherine
Jennrich, intern, Toxics Release
Inventory Program Division, dated
June 1, 2000
New York State Department of
Health
New York State developed a risk screening
protocol using TRI air release data and
toxicity potency data to produce relative risk
scores and rankings for facilities and
chemicals within the state. Results suggested
the need for more careful evaluation of health
effects resulting from large releases of
noncarcinogenic compounds.
Hazen, Susan B. "An Overview of
Uses of the Toxics Release Inventory
Data in the U.S." Environmental
Assistance Division, OPPT, US EPA,
1995.
Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ)
Oregon relied on the TRI database to apply a
computer model that evaluates cross-media
impacts and ranks the relative risks to human
health and the environment associated with
pollutant discharges.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
U.S. EPA, Office of Enforcement
and Compliance Assistance
(OECA) and the Office of
Research and Development
(ORD)
OECA and ORD used TRI to develop a
"Multi-Media Ranking System" to prioritize
sites for enforcement actions and to evaluate
the effectiveness of environmental laws in
reducing risks from sites. The system ranks
sites based on their multi-media releases of
pollutants, their potential risk to human
health and the environment, and the history
of legal violations by the facility.
U.S. EPA, Office of Enforcement and
Compliance Assistance (OECA) and
the Office of Research and
Development (ORD)
47
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Risk Assessment
U.S. EPA, Office of Health
Research
The Office published a study of national and
regional differences in county-level TRI air
emissions according to the ethnicity or race
and household income of the populations.
Using the "Population Emissions Index," a
population-weighted average emission for
each county, the study found that all minority
groups except Native Americans tend to live
in counties where TRI toxic chemical
releases levels are higher.
U.S. EPA, Office of Health Research
U.S. EPA, Office of Information
Resources Management
The Office sponsored the development of a
Population Estimation and Characterization
Tool, which uses GIS technology and
demographic data for risk-based and
environmental justice applications. The tool
allows users to estimate and characterize
populations within a given radius of a single
or multiple TRI facilities and to identify
areas of potential multiple exposure to toxic
chemical releases.
U.S. EPA, Office of Information
Resources Management
48
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Risk Assessment
U.S. EPA, Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics (OPPT),
Existing Chemicals Program
Environmental
Assistance Division (EAD)
OPPT uses TRI data for risk screening,
determining testing needs and priorities, and
considering and developing P2 activities.
TRI data also serve as major inputs to
exposure and risk assessments and are used
in OPPT's outreach efforts in responses to
inquiries from various sources.
EAD developed software that contains health
and ecotoxicity information on most section
313 chemicals. This software, called PC-
TRIFACTS, was made available in January
1991. It enables the TRI data user to better
understand the potential health and
ecological effects of chemical activities
identified in the TRI.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to
EPCRA Section 313, p. 6-29, April
1997
49
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Quality Assurance and Control
Missouri Department of Natural
Resources (DNR), Air Pollution
Control Program
Missouri compared fugitive and stack
emissions reported to TRI with emissions
data reported on the Missouri Emissions
Inventory Questionnaire (EIQ), identifies
facilities reporting incorrectly, and
corroborates data.
E-mail from Giroir, Louis Eric,
Toxicologist, Air Pollution Control
Program, Missouri Department of
Natural Resources to Katherine
Jennrich, intern, Toxics Release
Inventory Program Division, OPPT,
June 13, 2000
50
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User
Description
Reference
GOVERNMENT - Other Government Uses
Illinois Department of Public
Health
Illinois Department of Public Health requested
and received TRI data to use as inputs into its
Health and Hazardous Substances Registry.
Dewulf, Cindy. "Utilization of Form R
Data," TRI Contact for Ohio U.S. EPA
Illinois EPA, Bureau of Land
Illinois EPA uses TRI data to identify toxic
chemicals present at hazardous waste sites for a
number of programmatic reasons.
Dewulf, Cindy. "Utilization of Form R
Data," TRI Contact for Ohio U.S. EPA
U.S. EPA, Office of
Enforcement and Compliance
Assurance (OECA)
TRI data are included in the Integrated Data for
Enforcement Analysis (IDEA) System, which
combines TRI data with permit information from
other databases. The public can access IDEA
information for several industrial sectors and a
subset of federal facilities through the Sector
Facility Indexing Project (SFIP) web site
.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to EPCRA
Section 313, p. 6-29, April 1997
U.S. Internal Revenue Service
(IRS)
The IRS used TRI data to identify companies
releasing CFCs in order to enforce a tax imposed
on CFC releases.
Hazen, Susan B. "An Overview of Uses
of the Toxics Release Inventory Data in
the U.S." Environmental Assistance
Division, OPPT, US EPA, 1995
West Virginia Division of
Environmental Protection, Public
Empowerment Program
West Virginia created a web site that includes
TRI and other environmental, physical, and
demographic data in an easy-to-use and format to
increase the public's understanding of their
communities through better access to
information.
51
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User
Description
Reference
INTERNATIONAL RIGHT-TO-KNOW
Commission for Environmental
Cooperation (CEC)
CEC releases Taking Stock, an annual
sourcebook that uses TRI data to track the
sources of industrial pollutants throughout
the U.S. and Canada. Mexico is currently
establishing an office to track toxic chemical
releases.
CEC correlated TRI data and the Canadian
National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI)
to give an overall view of releases and
transfers of toxic chemicals across both
countries. The CEC has developed a search
engine that allows a user to search the TRI
data and its Canadian equivalent.
52
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User
Description
Reference
INVESTMENT
Clean Yield Asset Management,
New Hampshire
Clean Yield Asset Management compares
companies' TRI release data to their industry
averages of pounds of toxic chemicals per
sales dollars. The firm uses this comparison
to gauge how individual companies measure
up against other companies in their industry.
TRI data also allow Clean Yield Asset
Management to track how a company's toxic
chemical release performance improves from
year to year.
OMB Watch and the Unison Institute,
"The Right Stuff: Using the Toxics
Release Inventory."13 July 1995
Green Century Funds
Green Century Funds offers socially
responsible mutual funds and uses TRI data to
track portfolio company performance.
Investor Responsibility Research
Center, Inc.
The Center has an Emissions Efficiency
Index® based on TRI data that indicates
which companies have a competitive edge in
environmental performance.
Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to
Add Certain Industry Groups to EPCRA
Section 313, p. 6-29, April 1997
The Center uses TRI data in developing its
Corporate Environmental Profile Directory,
which presents quantitative, consistently-
derived data that allows investors to evaluate
and compare corporate environmental
performance.
53
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User
Description
INVESTMENT
Fortune magazine
Neuberger and Bergman
Vanderbilt University, Owen
Graduate School of Management
The magazine used TRI data as a central
element in compiling a "green index" of
America's largest manufacturers by
examining companies' environmental records
and developing a relative ranking system that
assigned companies scores from 0-10 in 20
categories.
Neuberger and Bergman use TRI data to
screen socially-responsible portfolios.
Vanderbilt University used TRI data in
separate studies showing that companies that
engage in P2 activity have better stock values.
Reference
Rice, Faye, 1993. "Who Scores Best on
the Environment," Fortune. Vol. 128, No.
2 (July 26, 1993)
Hendricksson, Maria, "Proof Positive:
TRI Success Stories," Public Access
Information, Vol. 3, No. 2
54
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User
Description
I Reference
ACADEMIC - Research
Drug and Chemical Toxicology
An article shows how utilizing air emission
data (such as the TRI), air dispersion
modeling, and GIS data enables public health
professionals to identify and define the
potentially exposed population, estimate the
health risk burden of that population, and
determine correlations between point-based
health outcome results and estimated health
risk.
Dent, A.L., D.A. Fowler, B.M. Kaplan,
G.M. Zarus, W.D. Henriques. "Using
GIS to Study the Health Impact of Air
Emissions." Drug and Chemical
Toxicology. 23, Issue 1, p. 161-178
Duke University, James
Hamilton
Mr. Hamilton found that stock prices of
companies that reported high emissions
dropped measurably the day the TRI data were
first released. Another study showed that
pressure from communities and investors
influenced firms to cut their toxic chemical
releases.
Varon, Elena. "Power to the People."
Federal Computer Week. March 30,
1998
Institute for Environmental
Studies, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, Frances
M. Lynn
The Institute conducted a national study of
users of TRI data during 1991. The study
provides evidence that the availability of TRI
data has contributed to the ability of the right-
to-know community to effect changes in
behavior in 3 broad areas. Legislation or
regulatory action was stimulated by efforts to
use TRI data, source reduction activities had
taken place, and the data's availability had
prompted increased face-to-face meetings
between community groups and industry.
Lynn, Frances. "The Toxics Release
Inventory: An Evaluation of Use and
Impact." Institute for Environmental
Studies, UNC at Chapel Hill
55
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User
Description
I Reference
ACADEMIC - Research
Madhu Khanna, Lisa Damon,
Wilma Rose H. Quimio, Dora
Bojilova - Journal of
Environmental Economics and
Management
The Journal of Environmental Economics and
Management has published an article by
Madhu Khanna and others that examines the
potential of voluntary programs as instruments
for regulating toxic releases as well as their
role vis-a-vis mandatory regulations. Another
study in the same journal examines investor
reactions to the repeated disclosure of
environmental information about firms in the
chemical industry and the effectiveness of this
information as a decentralized mechanism for
deterring their pollution.
Madhu Khanna, Lisa Damon, Wilma
Rose, H. Quimio, Dora Bojilova.
"EPA's 33/50 Program: Impact on
Toxics Releases and Economic
Performance of Firms"
Louisiana State University, Paul
Templet, Environmental Science
Professor
Templet developed a method to evaluate the
comparative effectiveness of pollution control
strategies, policies, and programs by
calculating an "emissions to jobs ratio," which
is the number of pounds of emissions per job
in a given industry and location. This ratio is
compared to a national or other average to
assess the job's standing. The ratio was used
to modify tax exemptions granted to facilities
to encourage and reward job creation.
Templet, Paul H., 1993. "The
Emissions to Jobs Ratio,"
Environmental Science and
Technology, Vol. 27, No. 5 (May)
56
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User
Description
I Reference
ACADEMIC - Research
Lynn and Kartez,
Environmental Management
Lynn and Kartez conducted a mail survey of
active TRI users. The survey showed which
data the respondents found most helpful and
how they used the data (e.g., check emissions
with permit records, identify source reduction
opportunities, etc.). The authors wrote that the
TRI promotes sound policy development by
fostering dialogue among experts and the
general public on how to most effectively
control toxic emissions into the environment.
"Environmental Democracy in Action:
The Toxics Release Inventory."
Environmental Management. Vol 18
New York State School of
Industrial and Labor Relations
(NYSSILR), Cornell University,
John Bunge
Bunge conducted a statistical analysis of TRI
data to test the hypothesis: "Is formal
employee involvement in source reduction
associated with greater reduction in toxic
releases?" The study found, for example, that
manufacturers using a certain combination of
three formal employee participation practices
had triple the reduction in toxic chemical
releases of manufacturers using none of these
practices. The study also discussed competing
predictors of source reduction and assessed
future research directions.
Center for Advanced Human Resource
Studies, New York State School of
Industrial and Labor Relations. 1996.
.
Texas A&M
Texas A&M used TRI and RCRA data in a
study of 58 landfills. The study determined
that of 143 toxic chemicals found, 60 occurred
in municipal waste samples, 31 in industrial
waste landfills, and 39 in both.
Toxics Watch, 1995
57
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User
Description
I Reference
ACADEMIC - Classroom Use
JSI Center for
Environmental Health
Studies
The Center developed a curriculum for
high school students to encourage
participation in environmental
assessment and protection. The TRI
was an integral part of the students'
research.
JSI Center for Environmental Health
Studies: A Division of the JSI
Research and Training Institute
Florida International
University, Professor
Robert Hognor
Professor Hognor used TRI data in
classes in the Department of Business
and Society. Students issued a report
in 1994 on the impact of toxic
chemicals in the Caribbean.
OMB Watch and the Unison Institute,
"The Right Stuff: Using the Toxics
Release Inventory."13 July 1995
58
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OFFICE OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
INFORMATION
-------
Literature Cited
1. Linda Wunderlich, An Overview of the Uses of the Toxics Release Inventory Data in the
U.S.. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics,
(Washington DC: 1995).
2. Eugene Toxics Right to Know Program. Eugene Fire and Emergency Medical Services
Department, 07 January 2002 .
3. Katherine Jennrich, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, telephone interview with
Mildred Meyers, South Carolina Environmental Watch 26 July 2000.
4. Katherine Jennrich, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, personal interview with
Marylee Orr, Louisiana Environmental Action Network. 21 July 2000.
5. "Taking Stock: 1996," Commission for Environmental Cooperation, January 2002
.
6. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9: Cross-Media Division, A Citizen's
Guide to Reducing Toxic Risks: Putting the Toxics Release Inventory to Work! (EPA #
909-B-98-001, Washington DC, 1998).
7. L. Manthe, "What Information Do Our communities Need: Native Nations," Toxics
Release Inventory and Right-to-Know Conference Proceedings, (EPA #749-R-98-001,
Washington DC, 1997: 104-108).
8. 1999 Silicon Valley Environmental Index. 1999, Silicon Valley Environmental
Partnership, 07 January 2003,
.
9. Katherine Jennrich, personal interview with Wilma Subra, 21 July 2000.
10. "Several Web Sites Help Users with TRI Data Analysis," Community Right-to-Know
Manual Bulletin. 12.2, January 1999: 1-3.
11. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, A Citizen's Guide to Reducing Toxic Risks:
Putting the Toxics Release Inventory to Work! 1998.
12. "Several Web Sites Help Users with TRI Data Analysis," 1999.
13. "Part I: Great Lakes Report on Hormone Disrupting Chemicals," Environmental
Information Center Regional Analysis of Major Toxic Chemical Releases. Environmental
Information Center, Washington DC, June 1997: 1-6.
60
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14. "Polluting our Future: Chemical Pollution in the United States that Affects Child
Development and Learning," September 2002 National Environment Trust Physicians
for Social Responsibility, and The Learning Disabilities. 07 January 2002
.
15. Proposal for Computer-Based Training Program. (Detroit: International Union, United
Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America).
16. "First Neighborhood 'Right-to- Act' Law," Community Right-to-Know Bulletin. 11.11,
October 1998: 1-2.
17. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, A Citizen's Guide to Reducing Toxic Risks:
Putting the Toxics Release Inventory to Work! 1998.
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