Just because we got lucky doesn’t mean we have clean air
EPA Backtracks on Easing Toxin Rule - washingtonpost.com
Under pressure from Democratic senators, the Bush administration has modified its proposal to ease public reporting requirements for companies that handle or release toxic chemicals.
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new rules for the Toxics Release Inventory, an annual accounting of more than 650 chemicals that industry releases into the air, land and water. The changes would raise the threshold for reporting releases of toxic chemicals in detail from 500 to 5,000 pounds and would allow companies to report every other year instead of annually.
The Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) doesn’t necessarily require companies to do anything about the releases, it just requires them to report what they release. And why would companies worry about reporting “releases?” Maybe because eventually enough people might read about them and will want to reduce or eliminate them.
Meeting the federal governments clean air standards doesn’t mean we have clean air. The clean air standards measure ozone and since we aren’t the worst in the state in ozone levels, David Hendricks thinks we should invite other industries in because they would be able to release their emissions here.
Well, thanks to the TRI you can find out what is already being released.
Source: Scorecard The Pollution Information Site
Now just because we’re in the worst counties for Carbon Monoxide and Sulfur Dioxide emissions doesn’t mean things are bad. Ultimately, it depends on the actual releases and if it’s enough to cause harm. Think of it like when the lowest grade in a class is a 90. That’s not bad but it would be if it was a 30.
Anyway, the amount of information available for making that decision would be severely reduced if the Bush controlled EPA got it’s way. But then why should we let toxic releases stand in the way of economic development?
Technorati Tags: ozone, toxic release inventory, Bexar County, Carbon Monoxide emissions, Scorecard
Filed under: Carbon Monoxide emissions, Ozone, Scorecard, bexar county, toxic release inventory
