PROTECTING ACCESS TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

RTKnet: Pollution

Under right-to-know laws, industrial facilities report using and releasing billions of pounds of toxic chemicals. Still greater amounts pass unreported as products and pollution. Find information on tracking chemical use and releases, and on preventing industrial pollution at the source.

On Pesticides: Canadian Bylaws and American Lawn Flags (Environmental Working Group)

"The Canadian and U.S. governments have the same scientific evidence available to them... So why have so many jurisdictions in one nation chosen, as a response to that data, abolition of cosmetic pesticides while jurisdictions in the other rely on dinky yellow flags?"

(20 May 2010)

Emissions Often Underestimated, EPA Standards Old (Associated Press)

An AP investigation suggests "pollution from petrochemical plants is at least 10 times greater than what is reported to the government and the public." The formulas and equipment EPA and facilities use to track emissions are old and unreliable.

(14 May 2010)

Cancer Panel: 'Grievous Harm' Posed By Unchecked Chemicals In U.S. (Washington Post)

According to the President's Cancer Panel, Americans are facing "grievous harm" from chemicals in the air, food and water that have largely gone unregulated and ignored. "With the growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer, the public is becoming increasingly aware of the unacceptable burden of cancer resulting from environmental and occupational exposures that could have been prevented through appropriate national action."

(06 May 2010)

Spreading the Word on the Oil Spill (Federal Computer Week)

"Federal agencies are employing their Web sites and social media tools to release emergency response and health information about the leak from BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig off the coast of New Orleans." Tools include an EPA webpage, a NOAA website, a Facebook page, and Twitter.

(05 May 2010)

Pollution and Justice 101 - New EPA Webinar (OMB Watch)

The EPA will be conducting a webinar to instruct the public on how to use the pollution information in the agency's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) to support environmental justice efforts. In addition to teaching the basics about TRI, the webinar will feature real life examples of how communities have used TRI to address environmental justice concerns.

(30 Apr 2010)

EPA Calling for Abstracts for National TRI Conference (ECOS)

EPA is calling for abstracts for presentations at the National Training Conference on the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and Environmental Conditions in Communities, November 1–4, 2010, in Washington, DC.

(27 Apr 2010)

What Do YOU Want? (OMB Watch)

We’d like to hear your thoughts and priorities regarding improved access to environmental information. Please take this brief survey and let us know what is most important to YOU. You can access the survey at http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22AGT9V3K2B.

(22 Apr 2010)

EPA's Pollution Right-to-Know Program Revived From 10-year Coma (OMB Watch)

After more than ten years in deep freeze, the EPA is now proposing steps to revitalize the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) – the bedrock public right-to-know program that tracks toxic pollution from thousands of businesses. EPA wants to add 16 new chemicals and lift a "stay" on the reporting of another.

(19 Apr 2010)

EPA Proposes Adding 16 Chemicals To TRI (U.S. EPA)

The EPA is proposing to add 16 chemicals to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) list of reportable chemicals, the first expansion of the program in more than a decade. The chemicals that EPA is proposing to add have been classified as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" by the National Toxicology Program.

(15 Apr 2010)

Toxic Chemical Reform Bill Now in Senate (Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ))

Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) today announced legislation to overhaul the “Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976” (TSCA). The new legislation will give EPA more power to regulate the use of dangerous chemicals and require manufacturers to submit information proving the safety of every chemical. The bill creates open access to reliable chemical information and establishes a public database to catalog the information submitted.

(15 Apr 2010)