TRI Restored

The weakening of the cornerstone of environmental right-to-know laws by former President Bush was finally reversed today. The omnibus spending bill signed by Obama includes language that restores the previous reporting rules for the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), the highly successful program that provides the public with information on pollution released in communities nationwide.

The Senate passed the spending bill last evening after Senator Harry Reid's cloture motion passed with 62 votes, ending debate on the controversial appropriations bill. The bill had passed the House in late February.

Regardless of one's opinion on the rest of the massive legislation or the process by which it passed, the 13 lines restoring TRI are a long overdue correction to what was a misguided, unscrupulous attack on the public's right to know and a dangerous subversion of an effective tool for protecting public health and the environment.

OMB Watch worked for years alongside hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals to stop the TRI rollback, and then to restore the reporting rules following the Bush EPA's stubborn thwarting of the public's will. The TRI program is still in need of improvements, and under the Obama administration we hope to upgrade this vital program and bring it into the twenty-first century.

One remaining question is whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will apply the restored reporting rules to reports now being submitted for 2008 releases. It is crucial that the public not lose another year of data to the raised reporting thresholds. Companies must submit their 2008 reports by July 1 of this year, and it is likely some have done so already. EPA should make it clear to all companies that use of the Bush thresholds will be considered incorrect and rejected. Early-filers have plenty of time to revise their submissions and since companies already have all the records needed to report the detailed pollution data, it is merely a matter of having them fill out the correct form.

We encourage EPA to act quickly to notify facilities that the weak reporting rules from last year no longer apply to 2008. Congress and the president have spoken.

(Brian Turnbaugh* 03/11/09)

Comments

by Howard Wilshire (not verified) on 06/27/09

Can you confirm, or deny,

Can you confirm, or deny, that toxic components of mine waste rock (untreated waste, as opposed to tailings) were removed from the TRI? I believe this was done as a result of a lawsuit rather than a rules change. This was accomplished for the 2002 reporting year and greatly reduced the toxics inventory for metals mining. Thank you

by Brittanicus (not verified) on 03/11/09

All spending bills in the

All spending bills in the Stimulus or Omnibus bill to assist jobless American Workers seem insignificant, when Democratic leaders left in a giant loophole so millions of ILLEGAL ALIENS can steal jobs? REMEMBER THESE NAMES..? Sen.Harry Reid (D-NV) arch enemy of American workers, committed the ultimate sin today Reid and 49 Democrats blocked E-Verify in the Senate. Their disloyal actions shall be well remembered, when the grovel for re-election. They condemned hundreds of thousands in the construction industry, having to compete over jobs. Parasites are organisms that live of a host and that is what contractors will do, when they look for the cheapest labor they can find. Starting with the stimulus, then followed by the Omnibus spending plan this Senators blocked E-Verify. Akaka (D-HI) Inouye (D-HI),Begich (D-AK),Bennet (D-CO) Udall (D-CO),Bingaman (D-NM) Udall(D-NM),Boxer (D-CA) Feinstein (D-CA),Brown (D-OH),Burris (D-IL) Durbin (D-IL),Byrd (D-WV) Rockefeller (D-WV),Cantwell (D-WA) Murray,(D-WA),Cardin (D-MD) Mikulski (D-MD),Carper (D-DE) Kaufman (D-DE),Casey (D-PA),Conrad (D-ND) Dorgan (D-ND),Dodd (D-CT) Lieberman. Here's more Senators who killed E-Verify Here's more (ID-CT),Feingold (D-WI) Kohl (D-WI),Gillibrand (D-NY) Schumer (D-NY),Hagan (D-NC),Harkin (D-IA),Johnson (D-SD),Kerry (D-MA),Landrieu (D-LA),Shaheen (D-NH),Leahy (D-VT) Sanders (I-VT),Levin (D-MI) Stabenow (D-MI),Lincoln (D-AR) Pryor (D-AR),Menendez (D-NJ) Lautenberg (D-NJ),Merkley (D-OR) Wyden (D-OR),Nelson (D-FL),Reed (D-RI) Whitehouse (D-RI),Reid (D-NV) and Warner (D-VA). They sold the American Worker out for campaign money from corporate lobbyists and open border fanatics. In this miserable time of unemployment and uncertainty from the janitor, to the computer programmer you will be REMEMBERED. You will not escape your insult to the American worker, who depends on your honesty to vote on their behalf. You have now proved the dimensions of how far you will go, to keep the illegal alien invasion crossing our borders, overstaying their ship or plane visa. The corruption so deeply instilled in the Washington elite. The billions of tax dollars taken from every, man, woman and child, to support the welfare of illegal aliens. Like Pearl harbor we will not forget the traitors who swore to uphold their allegiance to THE PEOPLE.