TheEPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Reporting program provides information on any industrial or federal facility that has chemical releases and is intended provide data to help in pollution prevention.
Reporting is due by July 1 each year and references the previous year’s activities for each regulated facility. This data becomes publicly available so that it can then be used by public health groups, local emergency planners, prospective home buyers – anyone with access to the Internet. The intent and purpose can vary widely between different audiences. For example, a policy researcher may use TRI data to evaluate progress to help make an informed decision on ways to improve environmental performance across an industry sector. You can find this information for the industrial facilities that released toxic chemicals by all media (air, water, land) for the most recent reporting year on the TRI Toxics Tracker.
Requirements for facilities wondering if they need to report their TRI fall into three main criteria. One, the facility must be in a covered industry sector which is linked to a NAICS code. This includes manufacturing, mining, electric power generation or federal facilities as some examples. Although the TRI Program covers many industry sectors, not every sector and/or chemical is covered, and it is possible that even facilities within a covered sector still do not meet the criteria required to be reported. Second, the facility must have 10 or more full-time employees on site. And third, the facility must manufacture or process a TRI-listed chemical that surpasses the reported threshold level in the previous year (the year you should be reporting for). To know whether your facility meets all these criteria and hence requires filing a TRI report with the EPA, review this TRI Threshold Screening Tool to confirm.
In conjunction with the screening tool, it is also recommended you utilize our Chemical Inventory Software system to ensure you are properly tracking the chemicals used at your facility. This software allows you to access real-time chemical inventory data and track its life cycle. As an easy-to-use system/application, it will provide your facility with organizational tools and therefore simplify your facility’s compliance processes when addressing any federal, state, or local environmental requirements.
For the 2023 report, due by July 1, 2024, there have been a few changes to note.
- Facilities must now report on 9 per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS)and 12 other chemicals.
- The de minimis levels for the following chemicals have been changed from 1.0% to 0.1%:
- I. Direct Blue 218 (28407-37-6)
- 1,1,1-Trichloroethane (71-55-6)
- Diphenylamine (122-39-4)
- N-Methylolacrylamide (924-42-5)
- Foreign parent companies (if applicable) must be reported.
Check the requirements and criteria to determine whether your operations are covered by TRI, and rely on Chemical Safety Software’s tools to facilitate your reporting experience. Next month, we’ll dive in to EPA’s Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).