WVEC Action AlertDecember 15 , 2005(this alert posted on behalf of ombwatch.org) Take Action Now to Stop Epa'S Dangerous Reporting Rollbacks I'm writing to ask you to take action today. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced plans to drastically reduce the amount of information the agency will collect on toxic pollution under the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). Regardless of where you work or live, these changes will affect you--this is about the air you breathe, the water you drink, and the health of you and your family. The TRI program provides detailed information annually about toxic chemicals released by U.S. facilities into their surroundings. From this information, journalists report on releases in our communities, citizens groups call for improvements, and local governments reduce and adequately respond to risks. The TRI is widely recognized as among the most effective environmental programs ever enacted; from 1998 to 2003 the TRI program spurred companies to cut annual toxic pollution by 2.8 billion pounds. EPA, however, seems more concerned with sparing companies a bit of paperwork than with protecting the public, proposing to:
These changes will leave thousands of communities at greater risk from toxic chemicals. Environmental groups, first responders, workers and public officials are now calling on EPA to abandon the plan. We estimate that almost half of facilities that report toxic pollution under TRI will be able to hide the details on some portion of their chemical releases due to these changes. In fact, our research shows that approximately 6,700 facilities will stop reporting the details on 50 percent or more of the toxic chemicals they produce. EPA could not have sent a clearer message about its priorities: corporate interests before public health and safety. After almost 20 years of progress, EPA wants to make it easier for corporations to pollute. The toxic soup left in Hurricane Katrina's wake illustrated the need for more, not less, information about dangerous chemicals. Ultimately, families and workers will pay for EPA's refusal to learn this important lesson. TAKE ACTION NOW Two simple steps you can take can help stop this EPA proposal that would leave all of us at greater risk of exposure to toxic chemicals: 1) Contact EPA Officials and Your Members of Congress: Click here to tell EPA and Congress to abandon the proposed rollbacks and keep the TRI program intact. Please also forward the action alert to friends, family and colleagues. EPA has already received thousands of comments, but the agency needs to know that opposition to TRI rollbacks comes from every region and area of interest. If you've already emailed, please forward this message to others and take the next step by calling EPA. 2) Get Your Organization to Sign On: Read the letter to Congress and contact Clay Northouse, (202) 234-8494, to sign on. Your organization can join the more than 100 groups, including environmental, labor and public interest groups and state agencies that have come together in opposition to EPA's proposals. For more information on EPA's proposals, visit our TRI resource center. If you have questions, contact Sean Moulton, 202-234-8494. To understand EPA's proposals in the context of the agency's ongoing efforts to weaken the TRI program, take a look at our recent report "Dismantling the Public's Right to Know," available here. If you and your organization are already involved in fighting these dangerous rollbacks, I thank you. Yours truly, Gary D. Bass 1742 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Promoting Government Accountability and Citizen Participation since 1983
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