TRI-ME Frequently Asked Questions

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Q. What is TRI-ME?

A. EPA's "Toxics Release Inventory - Made Easy" software, or TRI-ME, is an interactive, user-friendly, intelligent software that guides facilities through the entire TRI reporting experience, including "one-stop" guidance searching, threshold calculations, and reporting forms completion. TRI-ME leads prospective reporters through a series of logically ordered questions that eliminates a good portion of the analysis required to determine if a facility needs to comply with the TRI reporting requirements (EPCRA Section 313). For those facilities required to report, the software provides guidance for each of the data elements on the reporting forms. The guidance is contained in the Assistance Library. Finally, prior to submission, a series of validation checks are performed on the completed reporting forms before TRI-ME prints the forms, or transfers them to diskette, or submits the information, via the Internet, using the EPA's Central Data Exchange (CDX).

Q. What is the TRI Assistance Library?

A. Integrated into TRI-ME is the Assistance Library, a searchable,
indexed file that contains the statutes, the regulations and the key TRI
guidance documents a facility is likely to need to understand the TRI reporting requirements. To access the Assistance Library, click on the Assistance Library tab in TRI-ME and then search the index or table of contents to find information on a particular subject. If you are using the Questionnaire feature in TRI-ME, you will also find preselected TRI definitions and "More on" guidance from the Assistance Library that are relevant to the specific screen you are viewing.

Q. Can you provide an overview of the TRI-ME software features?

A. TRI-ME walks the user through the following steps in order to complete a facility's TRI reporting obligations:

1.Loading data directly from TRI-ME, or from submission diskettes created by TRI-ME, or from third-party software.
2.Determining Thresholds: Do you need to report for one or more
chemicals?
3.Completing the basic facility information.
4.Providing chemical specific information on releases and other waste management.
5.Preparing Submissions: Checking for errors and filing forms.
6.Allowing electronic submissions via the Agency's Central Data
Exchange (CDX), including electronic signature.

Q. I used TRI-MEwhen it was first released, what improvements have been made to subsequent versions of the software?

A. Here are some of the more noteworthy features that have been added to the software:

1.Loading data directly onto the form instead of populating picklists.
2.Enhanced error checking and validation of your data.
3.A module for Reporting by Part. Each "part" of the facility, however, must use a separate file session in TRI-ME.
4.A State Information tab that provides contact information for each
state.
5.Preparing Submissions: Checking for errors and then submitting the forms electronically, including electronic signature, over the Internet via the Central Data Exchange (CDX) for submission to EPA.
6. The Section 8 Calculator assists facilities in completeing section 8 of the form R.

Q. What does it mean to submit my TRI submission(s) via the Central
Data Exchange?

A. The Central Data Exchange (CDX) serves as the single point of entry for many environmental data submissions to the Agency. CDX provides facilities the opportunity to submit their TRI Form R report(s) and/or TRI Form A certification statement(s) directly to EPA via the Internet. Be aware, however, that submitting via CDX to EPA does may not satisfy your state reporting requirements. Only facilities in certain states will be allowed to submit information to both EPA and the States simultaneously via CDX. Facilities in all other states You must report to you’re their state separately and in the required format specified by you’re the state. To see if your state accepts CDX submissions go to http://www.epa.gov/tri/stateexchange/.

When you have finished preparing your forms in TRI-ME, simply use the File menu's "Prepare Submission" item and TRI-ME will guide you through the CDX submission process.

For more information about CDX visit the following Web site: http://www.epa.gov/cdx. Facilities in certain states will be allowed to submit information to both EPA and the States simultaneously.

Q. How does TRI-ME handle loading data into the current reporting year (RY) forms?

A. You may load prior year data to assist you in completing the current years forms. With a few exceptions (e.g., Part I, Section 3 certification date, and Part II, Section 8.1 - 8.7, Columns B, C, and D), all of your prior year data will be loaded directly into current year forms. You should review this data and modify it as necessary before submitting it to EPA and the state. You may load prior year data from RY 2003 submission diskettes or directly from TRI-ME RY2004 facility files. In addition, you may load current year data from a RY2003 submission diskette created by TRI-ME RY2004 or third-party software.

Q. How does TRI-ME assist the user in determining if a facility has met the employee threshold, the SIC Code determination, and chemical activity thresholds?

A. The TRI-ME questionnaire walks the new TRI reporter through the analysis needed to determine if a facility is required to file TRI forms for listed toxic chemicals. TRI-ME explains and calculates the employee hour requirement, the facility Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code, and the chemical activity amounts. At each step of the analysis, you may look at more guidance on a topic by clicking a button at the bottom of the screen which takes you to the TRI Assistance Library. Of course, if you already know your facility's reporting obligations, you can quickly click through the questions by declining TRI-ME's offers of assistance or you may avoid the threshold determination sections by selecting the "Expert User" shortcut.

Q. Are you an Expert User?

A. If you are an experienced TRI reporter, you may wish to begin completing your Forms immediately, without using the threshold determination portions of the Questionnaire. If so, you can select the "Expert User" option. After collecting your primary SIC code and the TRI chemicals or chemical categories you wish to report on, TRI-ME will allow you to complete your Forms. But, even if you are familiar with the TRI reporting requirements, you may want to skim through all the screens in the Questionnaire for one chemical to make sure you have not been overlooking important information.

Q. How does TRI-ME handle the Part I facility-specific information that is the same for all Form Rs and Form A certifications submitted by a facility?

A. The Part I facility-specific information you enter in TRI-ME will be duplicated on all the Form R reports and/or Form A certifications submitted. For those facilities new to TRI reporting, TRI-ME's Questionnaire guides you through each of the Part I facility-specific data elements on the Form R/A. As you answer the questions, TRI-ME completes the TRI Form R/A for you. If you are an experienced TRI reporter, you may wish to simply click on the appropriate Form tab and directly complete an electronic facsimile of Part I of the Form R/A.

It is important to note that there are a number of Part I data elements that are chemical-specific and that, if you choose, may be different on each Form R/A you submit. These Part I chemical-specific data elements are the Certifying Official's name and title, the Certification Date, the Technical and Public Contact information, and the Part I Section 4.10 Underground Injection Code ID Numbers. When entering these data elements TRI-ME will ask you if you wish the data to apply to all of your Forms, or just the one you are currently working with.

Q. How does TRI-ME keep track of the Form R, Part II chemical-specific information that is different for every form submitted?

A. TRI reports are chemical-specific so you must first select a chemical using the Select Chemical window. Once you have selected a chemical, you can use the Questionnaire to guide you in completing the release and other waste management information for that chemical, or you can open the Form R tab and complete an on-screen facsimile of the Form R. If you are completing a Form A certification for a chemical, TRI-ME automatically completes Part II of the Form A for you. At any point you can switch to another chemical by using the Select Chemical window. You may complete an entire Form R for one chemical and then switch to another chemical, or, for example, you may decide to complete the air releases for one chemical, then switch to another chemical and do the air releases for that chemical.

Q. Does TRI-ME check my reports for errors?

A. After you have completed entering information on your releases and other waste management activities, TRI-ME checks your forms for missing information and critical errors. TRI-ME also provides you with a list of possible errors you may want to double check. After you fix any critical errors, TRI-ME will either prepare the official diskette for submission, or allow the user to submit electronically over the Internet via CDX. If you prefer to submit the forms on paper, TRI-ME also prints paper copies for submission. Of course, you do not have to wait until you have completed your forms to check for errors. At any time, you can use the "Validate" button while working in the Form R or Form A tab to check for errors on a particular chemical submission. Similarly, you may use the Tools menu "Validate chemical" item. And don't forget to use the Reports menu, where you can get handy summary reports of the data you have entered.

Q. How can I get a copy of TRI-ME?

A. For each reporting year, TRI-ME is widely distributed with the Reporting Forms and Instructions in the Spring to all facilities that reported to TRI in the past 2 years. If you are not in this category and would like to receive a copy of the software, send an email to tri-me@epa.gov. Further, users can access a downloadable version of the TRI-ME software

Q. How do I install the TRI-ME software from the CD?

A. To install TRI-ME, place the CD into your CD-ROM drive. The installation program should start automatically. If the CD does not run automatically, click on Windows "Start", "Run" and then "Browse". Browse the CD-ROM drive and click on the "launch.exe" file. After selecting the launch.exe file, click on the "Install" button to open the installation window. From the "Install" window, select the "TRI Software" button to run the installation program. Follow the prompts to complete the installation. If you have any problems installing the software, call the TRI Software Support Hotline. Contact information for the TRI Software Support Hotline is available at http://www.epa.gov/tri/report/trime/contacts.htm.

Q. How do I uninstall the TRI Reporting Software?

A. You can uninstall TRI-ME or the Assistance Library by using the "Uninstall TRI RY200x Software Now" application that is included during installation. The uninstall program can be started by clicking on the Windows "Start" menu, selecting "Programs", and then selecting the "Uninstall TRI RY200x Software Now" application within the "TRI Software RY200x" folder.

The "Automatic" option will uninstall all of the applications previously installed. If "TRI-ME RY200x Application" was selected during installation, both the TRI-ME RY200x and the Assistance Library RY200x applications will be removed. The "Custom" option allows you to selectively remove pieces of the previous installation. This option is not recommended.

If any files on your computer were overwritten or updated during the TRI Software RY200x installation, you will be asked if you would like to perform a "rollback." If you choose "Yes", all files updated during installation will be reinstated to their prior versions.

Once the "Uninstall TRI RY200x Software Now" application has begun to remove files, you may be asked if you wish to remove "shared system files" that are no longer in use. If you are uncertain as to whether or not it is OK to delete these files, it is recommended that you not delete them.

The "Uninstall TRI RY200x Software Now" application will not remove all of the TRI-ME RY200x files contained on your computer. If you have installed and used TRI-ME RY200x, the TRI Software Uninstall program will leave as many as four folders in the TRI-ME RY200x program folder - a "Data" folder (containing your TRI-ME facility files), an "Archive" folder (containing backups of TRI-ME RY200x Application facility files created during the submission process), a "Temp" folder (created only if you submitted electronically to CDX via the Internet or generated HTML versions of your Forms), and a "SystemLogs" folder (containing an Autoexec.txt and blnInitialize.txt file). The "Uninstall TRI RY200x Software Now" application will also leave the "TRI Software RY200x" program group containing the uninstall program. The"Backup" folder in the "TRI Software RY200x" folder contains all of the files that were overwritten/updated during the TRI Software Installation.

You may remove any or these remaining files and folders using Windows Explorer.

Q. What are the minimum System requirements to load the TRI-ME software?

A. Please note that in order to run TRI-ME you must have the following minimum system configuration: IBM PC or compatible; Windows 98, 2000, XP, or NT; Pentium or equivalent processor at 166 megahertz minimum; 32 megabyte RAM minimum; 170 megabytes hard disk space available; optional CD-ROM for installing the software and viewing guidance documents (otherwise, software an be downloaded from http://www.epa.gov/tri and guidance documents are available from the same Web site); and optionally a 56k speed modem and Internet account, or a LAN-based Internet account, with Adobe Acrobat reader to allow access to certain Web -based documents not integrated into TRI-ME. If you do not already have Acrobat Reader, it can be downloaded from the TRI Reporting Software CD or from http://www.adobe.com.

Q. How do I get help with the TRI Reporting Software?

A. If you have any questions about how to use the TRI-ME software, please check the TRI Web site (http://www.epa.gov/tri/report/trime/contacts.htm) to find the most recent contact information for the TRI Software Support Hotline.

If you want to talk with someone about a TRI reporting requirement, please contact the EPCRA Call Center at 1-800-424-9346 or 703-412-9810, 9am to 5pm ET. The TDD is (800) 553-7672 outside Washington, D.C. In the DC local area the TDD number is (703) 412-3323. You can visit the call center Web site at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hotline/index.htm

Q. What if I have questions about the TRI Reporting Requirements?

A. Integrated into TRI-ME is the Assistance Library, a searchable, indexed file that contains the statutes, the regulations and the key TRI guidance documents a facility is likely to need to understand the TRI reporting requirements. To access this feature click on the Assistance Library tab in TRI-ME and then search the index or table of contents to find information on particular subject. If you are using the Questionnaire feature in TRI-ME, you will also find preselected TRI definitions and "More on" guidance from the Assistance Library that are relevant to the specific screen you are viewing.

Further, if you want to talk with someone about a TRI reporting requirement, please contact the EPCRA Call Center at 1-800-424-9346 or 703-412-9810, 9am to 5pm ET. The TDD number is (800) 553-7672 outside Washington, DC. In the DC local area the TDD number is (703) 412-3323. You can visit the Call Center Web site at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hotline/index.htm

Questions on how to use the TRI-ME software should be directed to the TRI Software Support Hotline. Contact information for the TRI Software Support Hotline.

Q. What sort of protection is EPA providing TRI software users?

A. EPA will not hold facilities, which act in good faith, accountable for any reporting errors caused by software malfunctions, programming errors, or erroneous guidance contained in the TRI-ME software.

Q. What are some of the limitations of TRI-ME?

A. Mouse Scroll Wheels are not supported by TRI-ME. Please use the scroll bars on the screen or the cursor buttons.

If you do not have an active Internet connection, use of certain TRI-ME features which link to EPA's TRI Web site may "hang" your computer. If this occurs you must use ctrl-alt-delete keys simultaneously to close the application. If you do not have an Internet connection you may not be able to select hyperlinks which reference the EPA Web site.

TRI-ME requires the installation of MS Internet Explorer (IE) 5.5. If you are using an older version of IE it will be updated. If you never installed IE on your machine, TRI-ME will require you to install IE5.5 or greater. The TRI software Installation CD distributed each Spring includes an installation application for IE. TRI-ME's use of IE does not change your default Internet browser settings.

For more information about limitations or known issues with this software, please review the "readme" text file, which can be found on the TRI-ME CD as well as at the "Download Software & Patches" page on the TRI Web site.

Q. Does EPA expect subsequent versions of TRI-ME to have enhanced functionality?

A. TRI-ME is useful for facilities that are new to TRI reporting and need the Questionnaire portion of the software. The software is also useful for experienced reporters who may just be loading data, validating the data, and then submitting the data to EPA via CDX. EPA expects subsequent versions of TRI-ME to have enhanced functionality, such as additional data quality checks, that will be helpful to both the new TRI reporter as well as the experienced TRI reporter.