The Environmental Protection Agency is posting the environmental records of companies in five industrial sectors on the Internet as part of a new program. Available at www.epa.gov/oeca/sfi, the sectors covered include auto assembly, pulp manufacturing, petroleum refining, iron and steel production, and the primary smelting and refining of aluminum, copper, lead, and zinc. The database covers 653 facilities in those five sectors.
"We believe that providing the public with basic environmental information about their communities is one off the most powerful tools available for protecting public health and the environment," says EPA administrator Carol Browner.
The data includes information on past inspections and enforcement actions, the size of the facilities and their annual releases of chemicals into the environment, and demographic information about the communities near the facilities.
