Update on Activities in the U.S. EPA’s

Toxics Release Inventory Program

November, 2014

Mexico City, Mexico

Stephen C. DeVito, Ph.D., RPh.

Finalized rule that added ortho-Nitrotoluene to TRI Chemical list

o- Nitrotoluene classified as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" by the U.S. National Toxicology Program

Final rule published Nov. 7 2013Effective with the 2014 reporting year (first reports due July 1, 2015)More info at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-11-07/pdf/2013-26475.pdf

Finalized rule that added Nonylphenol to the TRI Chemical listFinal rule published Tuesday, Sept 30th, 2014 Effective with the 2015 reporting year (first reports due July 1, 2016)More info at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-09-30/pdf/2014-23255.pdf

Rulemaking Activities

This project seeks to:

gain a better understanding of and address TRI data user needs

at the community level and national level, and

promote the use of TRI data and information on behalf of

vulnerable communities.

This project involves working collaboratively with professors, college classes or individual students;

TRI University Challengewww2.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/tri-university-challenge

University Partners for 2014-2015 Academic Year

TRI University Challengewww2.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/tri-university-challenge

•Drew University – Environmental Studies and Sustainability

•Southeastern Louisiana University – Computer Sci and Industrial Techn.

•SUNY Plattsburgh - Center for Earth and Environmental Science

•Tennessee State University - Geographic Information Sciences Laboratory

•University of California, Los Angeles - Institute of the Environ and Sustain.

•University of South Carolina – Department of Geography

TRI Community Engagement Initiative• Goal: To make TRI data easier to access, understand and use for communities.

• Conducted Four Pilot Community Projects -- in Tonawanda, NY, South Philadelphia,PA, Jurupa Valley, CA, and North Birmingham, AL.• Held educational workshops and solicited input in each of the four pilot communities to improve TRI

outreach and educational efforts.

• Created new “TRI for Communities” section of TRI website: www.epa.gov/tri/communities

“Introduction to TRI for Communities”Community-oriented slide presentation for

Educating communities about TRI

“TRI Community Snapshots”Two-page handouts for four pilot communities

Interactive map of TRI and other EPA regulated facilities -- and public sites where aging adults and

children congregate in South Philadelphia

TRI Community Engagement Special Pilot Projects

TRI Community Engagement Mapping Projectfor South Philadelphia Pilot Project

FotonovelaLatino/Hispanic novella style

introduction to TRI inSpanish and English

TRI Community-Scale Analysis ofNorth Birmingham, Alabama

Pollution Prevention Activities

TRI pilot community engagement projects demonstrated that TRI can help communities:

• Identify how many TRI facilities operate in the community and where they are located.

• Identify which chemicals are being released by TRI facilities.

• Track increases or reductions of toxic chemical releases from facilities located in the community over time.

• Compare the toxic chemical releases and pollution prevention efforts of facilities in one location with similar facilities across the country.

• Prioritize efforts to reduce pollution from facilities located in the area.

All new TRI Community Engagement products are available at: www.epa.gov/tri/communities

This initiative seeks to:

Encourage better reporting of effective environmental practices

(e.g., P2) by facilities;

Make TRI data collected under the P2 Act more accessible;

Develop a framework for using TRI data to achieve P2;

Promote use of TRI as a tool for identifying solutions and best

practices that have led to superior environmental outcomes.

This initiative involves working collaboratively with public & private sector organizations who promote P2.

TRI Pollution Prevention (P2) Initiativewww2.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/pollution-prevention-p2-and-tri

Comparing TRI & GHG Trends

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TRI National Analysis (Reporting Year 2013) Scheduled to take place in January, 2015;

Much more pollution prevention-related information was

reported;

Parent Company enhancement to the P2 Tool to be available

TRI National Conference November, 2015 Washington DC area

Upcoming Events

TRI and the International Scene

The Current Situation Need to assess progress in sustainability on a global level;

More emphasis will be placed on PRTRs as sustainability tools.

Existing PRTRs were designed to track emissions and waste transfers on a country (local) level, not on a global level;

It is difficult to integrate information from different PRTR systems Differences in chemical coverage; Differences in sector coverage; Differences in reporting criteria (e.g., reporting thresholds).

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The Current Situation

Little guidance exists on how PRTR data can be used to achieve global sustainability;

Many PRTRs collect specific pollution prevention information, but there is little information on how this information can be used to further prevent pollution.

All PRTRs collect information release and waste transfer information, which can be used in pollution prevention related analyses.

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What is Being Done Making the information collected by existing PRTRs more

comparable and miscible;

Taking steps to make the information collected by emerging or future PRTRs comparable/miscible with existing PRTRs;

Developing guidance that describes how PRTR information can be used in achieving global sustainability;

Some PRTR programs are: Improving the pollution prevention information they collect; Expanding and encouraging the use of pollution prevention information; Repackaging the pollution prevention information;

Make it more accessible; Make it more useable; Promote accomplishments in pollution prevention

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Data Comparability Among Existing PRTRs North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation

“Action Plan to Enhance the Comparability of Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers in North America”

Taking Stock Online tool Integrates and enables analyses of PRTR data from Mexico (RETC), U.S. (TRI) and

Canada (NPRI); www.cec.org/Page.asp?PageID=749&SiteNodeID=1215&BL_ExpandID=754

European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) provides easily accessible PRTR data from facilities in European Union Member

States and in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia and Switzerland. prtr.ec.europa.eu/home.aspx

OECD’s Centre for PRTR Data Enables access to PRTR data of the OECD area

www2.env.go.jp/chemi/prtr/prtrdata/prtr/localstart.php

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Data Comparability: Emerging PRTRs

Draft Guidance Document on Elements of a PRTR: Part I (Nov. 2013) Outlines the design of a PRTR; Focuses on common elements among different PRTRs; Serves as a framework from which emerging or future PRTRs can be designed,

such that data can be harmonized with data collected by other PRTRs.

Guidance Document on Elements of a PRTR Part II ( draft developed) Will describe how to implement the guidance provided in Part I (above)

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Activities by the OECD’s PRTR Task Force:

Development of a Global PRTR

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Framework on Use of PRTR Information in Achieving Global Sustainability

OECD PRTR Task Force to develop the FrameworkTarget date is 2016

U.S. TRI Program is developing a framework that will describe how TRI data can be used in achieving global sustainability.

Data Quality Program

Pollution Prevention Program

Data Analytics/Data Visualization

Meeting the Future Needs of Users of TRI Data “TRI 2020” Vision

Knowledge on Demand Paradigm

Where We Are Heading

Humidity: 100%Wind Speed: NE 18 G 33 mphBarometer: 29.89 in (1013.4 mb)Dewpoint: 49°F (9°C)Wind Chill: 43°F (6°C)

Data

Visualization

Knowledge on Demand

High winds will be coming from the south east, with a wind chill of 43 degrees.

Rain predicted through Friday.