January 22, 2016
By:
Walter G. Wright
Category:
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has released the 2014 Toxics Release Inventory Report (“Report”).
The Toxics Release Inventory was established in 1986 by the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.
United States facilities are required to report detailed information to EPA on their management of toxic chemicals, including released to the environment. The federal agency states that it utilizes this information to examine trends and releases, waste management practices and pollution prevention activities.
The Report notes that in 2014 84% of the 25 billion pounds of toxic chemical waste managed at United States industrial facilities was not released into the environment due to the use of preferred management practices like recycling, energy recovery and treatment. The remaining 16% was stated to have been released to the air, water, or replaced in some type of land disposal.
EPA also notes that the Report indicates a 6% decrease in total disposal or other releases to the environment in 2013 to 2014. For example, the federal agency cites a decrease of air releases from industrial facilities by 4% during this period. The decrease stated to be due to chemical manufacturing facilities and electric utility air release decreases which have dropped 55% since 2003.
A link to the EPA information including the ability to search state specific information can be found here http://www.epa.gov/trinationalanalysis.
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