EPA Adds Industrial Sectors to Toxic Release Report

The EPA has added seven new industrial sectors to its latest Toxic Release Inventory report, which reports emissions in 1998. The EPA previously tracked only the manufacturing sector. The seven new sectors include: electric utilities; coal mining; metal mining; chemical wholesalers; petroleum bulk plants and terminals; solvent recovery; and hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal. The report indicates the annual total toxic emissions in the U.S. is 7.3 billion pounds. Among the new industries reporting, metal mining generated 3.5 billion pounds of emissions; electric utilities, 1.1 billion pounds; hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities together with solvent recovery facilities, 281.8 million pounds; coal mining, 13.3 million pounds; petroleum bulk plants and terminals, 4.7 million pounds; and chemical wholesalers, 1.6 million pounds. The report shows a 45% decrease --1.5 billion pounds -- in the manufacturing sector.