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EPA Annual Toxics Report Details Chemicals Released from Facilities in New York State

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) data continues to show a general downward trend for chemical releases by facilities in New York State, according to the annual TRI report issued today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) in record time. Total releases to air, water and land by industry in the state decreased by nearly 8% between 2004 and 2005, from 35.8 million pounds to 32.9 million pounds,

“The New York State TRI data reveals an encouraging trend, one that bodes well for a cleaner environment,” said Alan J. Steinberg, EPA Regional Administrator. “This 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.”

Air releases in the state decreased from 22.9 million pounds in 2004 to 19.8 million pounds in 2005. Water discharges increased somewhat from 8.9 million pounds to 9.8 million during that 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. 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.

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