EPA proposes easing chemical-disclosure rules

Thousands of companies throughout the United States would no longer have to provide the public with details of toxic chemicals they release into the environment under a Bush administration proposal to streamline the nation’s environmental right-to-know law.

In 1986, Congress established the Toxics Release Inventory. For nearly 20 years, the inventory has allowed people to assess detailed data about chemicals that are used and released in their neighborhoods. In about 9,000 communities, the annual reports identify which industrial plants emit the most toxic substances and what compounds may be contaminating their air and water.

Seeking to ease the financial burden on industries that pollute, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed elimination of some requirements for smaller facilities that currently must monitor their emissions and file complex annual reports. The EPA will make a decision on the proposal next year, following a public comment period.

Under the agency’s proposal, 922 communities would lose all inventory information detailing emissions, according to a report released Thursday by the environmental group National Environmental Trust.

Nationwide, under the proposal, 3,849 industrial plants would no longer be required to file detailed reports.