toxic chemicals

[Guest guest]

In October 2005, EPA Administrator

proposed an

egregious assault aimed at slashing the amount of

pollution information

companies would be required to disclose.

Without information about toxic chemicals being

released into our air

and water, dumped, and otherwise transferred from

facilities across the

country, local communities would be unable to

adequately act to protect

their health.

Please take a moment to tell the EPA that you want to

know what toxic

chemicals are being released in your community and ask

your family and

friends to get involved by forwarding this email to

them. Then, watch

for the release of our report, " Undisclosed

Pollution, " on December 1st,

which analyzes the local impacts of these proposed

cuts.

To take action, click on this link or paste it into

your web browser:

http://www.safefromtoxics.org/tx.asp?id=1214 & id4=ES

Background

The Toxic Release Inventory Program (TRI) started in

1987. It requires

companies to report toxic releases to air, land and

water, as well as

toxic waste that is treated, burned, recycled, or

disposed.

Approximately 26,000 industrial facilities disclose

information about any of the

650 chemicals in the program.

EPA Administrator is proposing changes

to the program.

These changes would be three-fold:

* A rule to propose that companies be allowed to

release ten times as

much pollution before they are required to report

their releases.

* A rule that would allow companies to withhold

information about some

of the most dangerous chemicals, such as lead and

mercury.

* A notification to Congress that EPA Administrator

intends to

release a rule to change the frequency of reporting to

the program next

fall from every year to every other year.

The first two rules are currently open for public

comment while the

third proposal is a notification of a future rule that

will propose in October 2007.

If these rules become law, there will be devastating

implications in a

variety of areas:

* Lost Incentives to Reduce Pollution : Since the

inception of the

program in 1987, releases have dropped by nearly 60%.

In the past five

years, EPA has reported a 42% drop in the 600

chemicals in the program.

When companies are required to disclose their

pollution, they have an

incentive to reduce it. Under the proposed rules, not

only would this

incentive be reduced, but companies could also

increase their releases

and we wouldn't even know it.

* Impacts on Public Health : The 650 chemicals that

are currently a

part of the Toxic Release Inventory are chemicals of

concern. Many are

known carcinogens, reproductive toxicants and

respiratory toxicants.

Increases in these releases could have devastating

impacts on our health.

* State and Local Regulators Impacted : State and

local regulators use

the Toxic Release Inventory to implement specific

state programs. For

instance Washington state regulators are opposing the

Bush

administration's plan because they use the TRI to

identify facilities eligible for

their pollution prevention program.

* Communities Would Lose Powerful Tool : Many

communities and citizen

organizations use TRI information in their campaigns

and to protect

their family's health. The PIRGs have long used this

information in air,

water and other successful campaigns.

Please take a moment to tell the EPA that you want to

know what toxic

chemicals are being released in your community and ask

your family and

friends to get involved by forwarding this email to

them. Then, watch

for the release of our report, " Undisclosed

Pollution, " on December 1st,

which analyzes the local impacts of these proposed

cuts.

To take action, click on this link or paste it into

your web browser:

http://www.safefromtoxics.org/tx.asp?id=1214 & id4=ES

Sincerely,

Gene Karpinski

U.S. PIRG Executive Director

GeneK@...

http://www.USPIRG.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free

to share this

e-mail with your family and friends.