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Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program

TRI Laws, Regulations and Notices

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Laws & Executive Orders

TRI was established in 1986 by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). In 1990, Congress passed the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA), which required that facilities report additional data on waste management and source reduction activities under TRI. The TRI-specific sections of these two laws are section 313 of EPCRA and section 6607 of PPA.

The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation, with environmental regulations contained mainly in title 40. The Toxics Release Inventory regulations can be found at 40 CFR Part 372 .

An Executive Order (EO) in 1993 required federal facilities to comply with Section 313 of EPCRA regardless of their primary North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. Two additional EOs reinforced this requirement.

Rulemakings

The TRI Program is modified over time through rulemakings.
You can browse TRI rulemakings or learn more about the rulemaking process at EPA.

Current Regulatory Development Activities

The TRI Program is currently involved in several regulatory development activities:

  • "Potential TRI Sectors Expansion" - EPA is considering whether to broaden the scope of industry sectors covered by EPCRA § 313 (the Toxics Release Inventory Program) to include the following industry sectors: Steam Generation from Coal and/or Oil, Petroleum Bulk Storage, Iron Ore Mining, Phosphate Mining, Large Dry Cleaning and Solid Waste Combustors and Incinerators.
  • “TRI Reporting for Facilities Located in Indian Country and Clarification of Additional Opportunities Available to Tribal Government under the TRI Program" - EPA has finalized a rule which requires each facility located in Indian country to submit TRI reports to EPA and the appropriate tribe, rather than to the state in which the facility is geographically located. The final rule also provides the tribal chairperson or equivalent elected official of a tribe with the same opportunities as the governor of a state with regard to TRI-related requests and petitions.
  • "Requiring Electronic Reporting Under Section 313 of EPCRA" - EPA has proposed a rule to require the electronic reporting of non-confidential TRI data using the Web-based TRI-MEweb reporting application.
  • "Modification of Toxics Release Inventory Reporting Requirements Primarily Associated with Metal Mining" - EPA's TRI Program is considering modifying TRI reporting requirements that apply to metal mining operations.
  • Articles Exemption Clarification Proposed Rule - In August of 2009, EPA proposed a rule to clarify the TRI articles exemption. EPA has since withdrawn the proposal and now plans to publish a supplemental proposed rule in order to respond to comments received.

Information Collection Requests (ICRs)

An ICR is a set of documents that describe reporting, record keeping, survey or other information collection requirements imposed on the public by EPA. The ICR provides an overview of the collection and estimates the cost and time for the public to respond. The public may view an ICR and submit comments on it at any time. TRI ICRs are resubmitted for approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) every 2-3 years.

2011 TRI ICR Renewals

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