ChemicalRight2Know

EPA TRI Webinar: June 5, 2013 2-3:00pm EST—New Ways to Showcase Sustainability in Your 2012 TRI Report

bshipley — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:04:07 +0000

Join EPA for their webinar to help facilities with Pollution Prevention TRI reporting.

“New Ways to Showcase Sustainability in Your 2012 TRI Report”

To help facilities prepare for the July 1st TRI reporting deadline, EPA is hosting a webinar on June 5, 2013, from 2:00 – 3:00 pm EST. This webinar will provide training on completing the pollution prevention (P2) portion of the TRI reporting form, which gives facilities the opportunity to report and describe P2 activities and other environmentally-friendly practices related to TRI-listed toxic chemicals. Providing this information allows EPA to present a more complete picture of a facility’s management of toxic chemicals and helps make TRI a more effective tool for highlighting and promoting P2 successes.

To register, visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/178660521

TRI Webinar: May 23, 2013 12-1pm EST—Exercise Your Right to Know: Get the Inside Scoop on EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory

bshipley — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:58:06 +0000

The Michigan chapter of the Association of Hazardous Materials Professionals is hosting a free webinar on May 23, 2013 from 12 – 1:00 PM. Enjoy your lunch while learning more about the Toxics Release Inventory Program, and get your questions answered.

Exercise your right to know: Get the inside scoop on EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory
on May 23, 2013 from 12:00 – 1:00 PM EDT

All environmental professionals will benefit from this 1 hour webinar featuring three experts from the US EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program sharing their knowledge of the program. Whether your organization submits TRI data to the US EPA or not, this webinar will provide valuable information on the program, what EPA does with the information, and answers to any questions you have. Do you want to know about the evolution of the TRI Program, its current activities, and where it is heading? Ever wonder what EPA does with the TRI data once facilities have submitted it? Do you have a unique situation at your facility and are not sure how to best determine your reportable quantities of toxic chemicals? Bring your questions to the webinar. Our presenters want to answer them.

Attendees of the webinar will:
• Learn about the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program and where it’s heading
• Understand what EPA does with Form R after its submitted
• Get your specific questions answered about TRI.

Presenters:
- Stephen DeVito, Toxics Release Inventory Program, US EPA, Washington, DC
- Timothy Antisdel, Toxics Release Inventory Program, US EPA, Washington, DC
- Thelma Codina, Toxics Release Inventory Program, US EPA, Chicago, IL
Moderator:
Julie Manley, Guiding Green LLC, Sanford, MI

All webinar attendees will receive 1 CMP following the webinar.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Please contact Julie Manley, MI-AHMP Membership Chair, juliemanley@GuidingGreen.com, with any questions.

EPA TRI Website- Now Search by County, City, or Zip Code Plus Generate Summary Page With Graphical Layouts

bshipley — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:56:05 +0000

EPA recently added more search functions to the TRI website. A summary page is generated when you search by county, city or zip code off the main TRI page. The summary provides not only data but graphical layouts as well. These additions provide an even easier way to quickly find TRI data in your community.

To use this search function go to the EPA TRI Program website or click here: http://www.epa.gov/tri/

You are also able to generate a fact sheet from the tab in TRI Explorer (http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/tri_factsheet_search.searchfactsheet)

Here is a screenshot of the possible search functions utilizing Columbus, Ohio as the sample.

Abt Associates TRI Training Announced

bshipley — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:12:22 +0000

TRI training webinars – Registration is now open

Abt Associates will be offering web-based TRI workshops featuring experienced trainers using the official EPA training slides. Class size is limited to more easily allow participants to ask questions of the instructors. There are two training modules – Basic Concepts and Advanced Concepts. Each module is approximately 3 hours long and costs $130. Details can be found at: www.abtassociates.com/tritraining

Abt Associates has been the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s primary EPCRA Section 313 – Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Training support firm since 2002. While EPA headquarters decided not to continue providing live TRI training classes, Abt Associates’ experienced TRI trainers continue to provide TRI training directly to facilities via web-based workshops. In addition, Abt Associates continues to work with EPA to develop the official TRI training materials for the 2011 TRI reporting year and will use these materials in our training workshops.

EPA Proposes Addition to List of TRI Reportable Chemicals

bshipley — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 21:48:27 +0000

EPA has published a rule proposing to add o-nitrotoluene to the TRI chemical list. Comments on the proposal must be received on or before May 13, 2013.

On March 13, 2013, EPA announced its proposal to add o-nitrotoluene to the TRI list of reportable chemicals. This proposal is part of the Agency’s ongoing efforts to examine the scope of TRI chemical coverage and provide communities with more complete information on toxic chemical releases to the environment.

o-Nitrotoluene has been classified as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) in their Report on Carcinogens (RoC) document. Based on a review of the NTP RoC data, EPA believes that o-nitrotoluene meets the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Section 313(d)(2)(B) statutory listing criteria because it can reasonably be anticipated to cause cancer in humans.

Read the proposed rule (PDF)

Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted until May 13, 2013. You can submit your comments by one of the following methods:

www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
Email: oei.docket@epa.gov
Mail: Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460.
Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Center’s normal hours of operation.

Please identify comments by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-TRI-2012-0111; FRL-9785-9

What is the basis for adding o-nitrotoluene?

o-Nitrotoluene has been classified by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) in their Report on Carcinogens (RoC) as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” EPA believes that o-nitrotoluene meets the statutory listing criteria because it can reasonably be anticipated to cause cancer in humans. EPA also expects o-nitrotoluene will meet or exceed the TRI reporting thresholds resulting in reports being filed.

What is the NTP?

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) is an interagency program within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) headquartered at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The mission of the NTP is to evaluate chemicals of public health concern by developing and applying tools of modern toxicology and molecular biology. The mission of the NTP includes the evaluation of chemicals for their potential to cause cancer in humans.

What is the RoC?

As part of their cancer evaluation work, the NTP periodically publishes their Report on Carcinogens (RoC) document. The RoC was mandated by the U.S. Congress, as part of the Public Health Service Act (Section 301(b)(4), as amended). The RoC is an informational scientific and public health document that identifies chemicals that may pose a carcinogenicity hazard to human health. The NTP RoC classifies chemicals as either “known to be a human carcinogen” or “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”

What is the advantage of using the NTP RoC assessments?

By using the NTP RoC assessments EPA is taking advantage of readily available, high quality assessments that provide strong evidence to support adding a chemical to the TRI list. The NTP RoC review process includes evaluations by scientists from the NTP, other Federal health research and regulatory agencies (including EPA), and nongovernmental institutions. The RoC review process includes external peer review and several opportunities for public comment. The specific data used by the NTP to determine whether a chemical is “Known To Be Human Carcinogen” or “Reasonably Anticipated To Be Human Carcinogen” are consistent with data used by EPA to evaluate chemicals for their potential to cause cancer and classify chemicals as either “Carcinogenic to Humans” or “Likely to Be Carcinogenic to Humans”.

How did EPA review the toxicity data for o-nitrotoluene?

EPA reviewed the NTP RoC chemical profile and supporting material for o-nitrotoluene. Given NTP’s extensive reviews and expertise, EPA’s review focused on ensuring that there were no inconsistencies with how the Agency would consider the available data. EPA also reviewed available production and use information for o-nitrotoluene to determine whether it is expected to be manufactured, processed, or otherwise used in quantities that would exceed TRI reporting thresholds.

How many facilities are expected to be affected by this proposed rule and what are they required to do?

EPA estimates that 22 facilities will be affected by this proposed rule. These 22 facilities are expected to file 22 reports containing release and waste management data for o-nitrotoluene.

For further information contact:

You can contact Daniel R. Bushman (bushman.daniel@epa.gov) at 202-566-0743. By mail: Environmental Analysis Division, Office of Information Analysis and Access (MC #2842T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460.

Spring Webinar Materials Added- bios, learning objectives, presentations, etc

bshipley — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:23:59 +0000

Please click on the following link to access this information: http://www.chemicalright2know.org/2013-webinars/spring-2013-webinar/

Reminder- TRI Pollution Prevention Webinar March 20, 2013- Sign up Today

bshipley — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:46:25 +0000

Exploring the Toxics Release Inventory’s Pollution Prevention (P2) Information:

A New Resource and a P2 Provider’s Perspective

For the past quarter-century, the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) has provided information about toxic chemicals released from industrial facilities in communities across the nation. In addition to informing citizens of releases in their areas, however, TRI also contains a plethora of information about pollution prevention activities and how, in many cases, facilities have switched to safer chemicals or safer waste management alternatives. Now, information about effective pollution prevention practices is easier to access than ever.

To find out more, join the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), and the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable’s Safer Chemistry Challenge Program for the free webinar: Exploring the Toxics Release Inventory’s Pollution Prevention Information: A New Resource and a P2 Provider’s Perspective, on March 20, 2013 from 2:00-3:30 pm EST.

This webinar will provide an overview of the pollution prevention and waste management data collected by the TRI Program and introduce participants to a new search tool that makes this information easy to access, visualize, and use. Additionally, participants will hear about the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP), how they use the TRI information, and how they plan to integrate the new pollution prevention tool into their outreach activities.

Featured speakers will include:

Daniel Teitelbaum, Pollution Prevention Staff Lead, TRI Program Division, Office of Environmental Information, US EPA
Laura Babcock, Ph.D., Director, MnTAP
Robert Lundquist, Senior Engineer, MnTAP

All are welcome to participate! For more information, including agenda (coming soon), speaker bios, etc. please visit: http://www.ChemicalRight2Know.org.

Webinar Registration
To register for the webinar go to: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/269134136

After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email from Jennifer Major of Ross Strategic, along with the option to add the webinar information to your Outlook® Calendar.

Webinar Contacts
Bryan Shipley, ECOS at bshipley@ecos.org
Christine Arcari, US EPA at arcari.christine@epa.gov

TRI University Challenge Informational Webinars Announced for April

bshipley — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:42:09 +0000

Informational Webinars

Interested parties should join the TRI University Challenge staff and other TRI experts for one of two upcoming informational webinars that will allow applicants to learn more about the Challenge and ask questions about getting involved.

Tuesday, April 9 at 2:00 p.m. EST – register at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/190436866

Wednesday, April 17 at 2:00 p.m. EST – register at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/908035978

*Please note that it is not necessary to attend both webinars as they both feature the same content.

More Information on EPA’s TRI University Challenge

EPA is challenging the academic community to find creative ways to use TRI data to promote more informed decision-making and action on the part of communities, manufacturers, and government.

As a TRI stakeholder, we know that you understand the importance of increased access to and understanding of TRI data. We hope that you’ll help us spread the word about the Challenge by forwarding this email to your friends and professional contacts in academia.

Both students and professors are eligible to submit project ideas ranging from one semester to multi-year research or coursework as long as the projects increase the knowledge, use, and understanding of TRI data and other related information. Priority will be given to projects related to one or more of the following topics:

Pollution Prevention & Sustainability: Promote the use of TRI as a sustainable development tool and the adoption of pollution prevention (P2) technologies.
Stakeholder Engagement: Cultivate relationships among stakeholder groups and improve the communication of TRI-related information.
Technology and Data Mashups: Investigate the use of new technologies or analytic methods to integrate TRI data with other datasets to unlock the broader potential of TRI data.
Environmental Education: Explore replicable ways to integrate TRI information into college classrooms.

Institutions whose project proposals are selected will serve as TRI University Challenge partners. Partners will receive direct support from EPA TRI staff experts, and, depending on the outcome of their project, may receive national recognition for their project as well as speaking opportunities at conferences and events. Applicants that are not prepared to submit project ideas this spring are encouraged to submit project proposals during the next open application period.

Sample project ideas, evaluation criteria, and application materials are posted on the TRI University Challenge website: www.epa.gov/tri/university/.

Application Deadline

Applications must be submitted electronically to Scott.Zachary@epa.gov by 5 p.m. on May 13, 2013 to be considered. Applicants will be contacted regarding their application status in by June 14, 2013.

For questions not answered during the webinars, please contact Zachary Scott at Scott.Zachary@epa.gov.

Applications now being accepted for TRI University Challenge

bshipley — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:39:06 +0000

We’re excited to announce that we’re now accepting applications for the TRI University Challenge!