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EPA Annual Toxics Report Details Chemicals Released from Facilities in New Jersey

Release Date: 03/22/2007
Contact Information: Rich Cahill (212) 637-3666, cahill.richard@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y.) The latest Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) report, released today in record time by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), shows an increase in releases to the air and water in New Jersey due in large part to emissions from two major facilities. The reported increase in water discharges between 2004 and 2005 is largely due to an increase over that period in the amount of wastewater treated at the DuPont Chambers Works plant, while the increase in air emissions is primarily the result of emissions from two old PSEG power plants. Last November, EPA reached a major settlement with PSEG, which is expected to bring air emissions from the two facilities down significantly in the near future. The $1.1 billion settlement is one of the largest enforcement agreements ever reached by EPA under the Clean Air Act.

“The TRI report is a valuable tool for communities, local government and business leaders alike because it provides valuable information about chemicals being released into our environment and shows businesses where to focus efforts on making process improvements,” said Alan J. Steinberg, EPA Regional Administrator.

Water discharges from the DuPont Chamber Works facility increased from 2.8 million pounds to 4.1 million pounds from 2004 to 2005. The facility treats wastewater from other companies, and the volume of its business and, ultimately, its discharges varies from year to year. PSEG emissions into the air went from 3.6 million pounds to 4.5 million during the same period.

The TRI is the most comprehensive source of information about chemicals released into the environment. On a national level, over 23,000 facilities reported on approximately 650 chemicals for calendar year 2005. The TRI provides Americans with vital information about chemicals released into their communities, and is an important instrument for industries to gauge their progress in reducing pollution. Thanks to improvements in EPA’s system, the vast majority of facilities now report data electronically and detailed information about specific facilities is more readily accessible to the public.

The TRI tracks the chemicals released by facilities specified by the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of 1986 and its amendments. The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) of 1990 also mandates that TRI data include information on toxic chemicals treated on-site, recycled, and burned for energy recovery.

The TRI data and background information are available to the public at: https://www.epa.gov/tri. Communities can also quickly and easily identify local facilities and chemical releases by using the TRI explorer mapping tool, available at: https://www.epa.gov/triexplorer.

(07-029)