> Subject: : URGENT: Help Protect Toxic Release > Inventory > > --------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: "Sean Moulton" > EPA recently proposed major reductions in the amount > of information on toxic pollution that it will > collect and make available to the public under the > program. > > The TRI program, which requires companies to report > their toxic releases, > has been incredibly effective at reducing toxic > pollution. For instance, > from 1998 to 2003, TRI helped cut releases of toxic > chemicals in the > United States by 2.8 billion pounds. For more > background on TRI click > here http://www.crtk.org/library_files/TRI.pdf > > The EPA has already started a rulemaking to raise > reporting thresholds so > that facilities will be able to pollute ten times as > much before > reporting the details as well as letting companies > for the first time > skimp on the details about persistent > bio-accumulative toxins (PBTs), > like lead and mercury. EPA also officially notified > Congress of their > intent to cut the TRI program in half by only > collecting pollution > reports every other year instead of annually. > > Under the threshold changes, pollution information > from almost 4,000 > facilities would essentially disappear. The attached > fact sheet contains > additional details about the proposals and their > impacts. For more > information on the impacts of EPA's proposals click > here > http://www.crtk.org/detail.cfm?docID=780&cat=industrial%20toxics. > > We are trying to get as many people to speak out > against these proposals > and were hoping your group might help spread the > word. Would you be > willing to send out a message to your members or > listserves? Or place an > alert message on your website. If it would be > easier, feel free to link > to our action alert that sends letters to EPA and > Congress. > > Please let me know if you can you do this. The URL > to our action alert is: > http://www.ombwatch.org/protecttri. > > The clock it ticking, as currently the deadline for > comment is Jan 13th. > > This is a full attack on the public's right-to-know > - unlike anything we > have seen in 20 years. > > Thanks. > > Sean > > Sean Moulton > Senior Policy Analyst > OMB Watch > 1742 Connecticut Ave. NW > Washington, DC 20009 > Phone: (202) 234-8494 > Fax: (202) 234-8584 > > > Additional Links: > Home page of the Right-To-Know Network (RTK): > http://www.rtknet.org/ > RTK Net's TRI Alert page: > http://www.rtknet.org/trialert.php > EPA's Proposal in Oct. 4, 2005 Federal Register: > > http://www.epa.gov/tri/tridata/modrule/phase2/TRI%20Burden%20Reduction%20Proposal%20FR.pdf > As the RTK is part of the Office of Management and > Budget (OMB Watch), here is the link to a TRI > resource center on their web-site: > http://www.ombwatch.org/tricenter/ > Look under "New Materials". > > > > > > --------------------------------- > Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just > $16.99/mo. or less > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > - - - - - - > To get off the CONS-EQST-WATER-FORUM list, send any > message to: > [log in to unmask] __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL – Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]