The long overdue regulation of the power industry in the view of supporters is under attack by Republicans and some but not all power companies.
Toxic air pollution in the U.S. dropped 8% in 2011 from a year earlier because of decreases in hazardous air pollutants, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. However, EPA said that total releases of toxic chemicals increased for the second year in a row. The agency, which is under constant attacks from Republican party members, some of whom want to abolish it, publishes an annual Toxics Release Inventory or TRI report.
In spite of harsh Republican rhetoric against the agency’s efforts, the fact remains that concerted actions by industry, regulators and public interest groups – with broad public support – are resulting in cleaner air. Among the hazardous air pollutants declining were hydrochloric acid and mercury. EPA said that likely reasons for the decreases seen over the past several years include installation of control technologies at coal fired power plants and a shift to other fuel sources. – see http://www.epa.gov/tri/NationalAnalysis
TRI provides information about U.S. communities and toxic chemical releases to the air, water and land, as well as information on waste management and pollution prevention activities by facilities across the country. TRI data are submitted by manufacturing, metal mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste facilities, among other sites.
“Since 1998, we have recorded a steady decline in the amount of TRI chemicals released into the air, and since 2009 alone, we have seen more than a 100 million pound decrease in TRI air pollutants entering our communities,” said outgoing EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.
So called hazardous releases into surface water decreased 3% and releases to land increased 19% since 2010, primarily from metal mining. The 2011 TRI data show that 4.09 billion pounds of toxic chemicals were disposed of or released into the environment in the form of air, water or land pollution, an 8% increase from 2010. EPA said the difference is mainly due to increases in land disposal at metal mines, which typically involve large facilities handling large volumes of material.
Facilities must report their toxic chemical releases to EPA under the Federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act – EPCRA – by the beginning of July each year. The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 also requires information on waste management activities related to TRI chemicals. In addition, EPA’s TRI mobile application, myRTK, geographically displays nearby facilities that report to the TRI program, as well as facilities with EPA air, water or hazardous waste program permits.
