News Releases from Region 06
EPA publishes 2019 Annual Toxics Release Inventory report; releases from Region 6 facilities down by six percent since 2018
Includes data for Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas
DALLAS (Jan. 13, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released its 2019 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) National Analysis, which shows that releases of TRI chemicals to air in Ark., La., N.M., Okla. and Texas decreased by 5.4 million pounds from 2018 to 2019, driven by reductions in the chemical manufacturing, electric utilities and petroleum product manufacturing sectors. Total releases decreased by 25.9 million pounds or six percent from 2018 to 2019 and are down 11 percent since 2007. For 2019, five percent of facilities in Region 6 reported implementing new source reduction activities.
“Today’s announcement underscores my commitment to helping communities and companies get the environmental information they need to prevent pollution and protect public health,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “The progress made under the TRI program in 2019 is proof that a cleaner environment and economic growth go hand in hand.”
“The National Analysis of TRI data shows that facilities located in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas have continued the trend of decreasing the release of toxic chemicals,” said EPA Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “This data is a tool that can enhance and provide important information to the public on chemicals in their area and our work to reduce emissions.”
For the first time in five years, industrial and federal facilities reported an increased number of new source reduction activities that aim to reduce or eliminate the amount of chemical-containing waste facilities create. Facilities also avoided releasing 89 percent of the chemical-containing waste they created and managed during 2019 into the environment by using preferred practices such as recycling, treatment, and energy recovery.
Nationally, analysis shows that EPA and companies that manage chemicals continue to make progress in preventing pollution. The report demonstrated that between 2018 and 2019 total releases of TRI chemicals decreased by nine percent.
The 2019 TRI National Analysis released today reflects TRI chemical waste management activities, including releases, that occurred during calendar year 2019 and therefore does not indicate any potential impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency that began in the United States in early 2020. Due to the significant analysis of reported information, this summary and interpretation of the most recent TRI data is released approximately six months after the reporting deadline.
Thanks to the passage of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 which helped create EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory program, Americans now have greater awareness of how chemicals are being managed in their communities. Today, nearly 22,000 facilities report annually on the use and quantities of more than 760 chemicals they release to the environment or otherwise manage as waste to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program. EPA, states, and tribes receive TRI data from facilities in industry sectors such as manufacturing, mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste management. The Pollution Prevention Act also requires facilities to submit information on pollution prevention and other waste management activities of TRI chemicals.
To access the 2019 TRI National Analysis, including local data and analyses, visit www.epa.gov/trinationalanalysis.
Information on facility efforts to reduce TRI chemical releases is available at www.epa.gov/tri/p2.
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Activities in EPA Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.htm
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