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Differences Between ATRS 2001 and TRI-ME v2.0

What are the differences between the Automated TRI Reporting Software (ATRS) and Toxics Release Inventory - Made Easy (TRI-ME)?

EPA plans to completely transition from ATRS to TRI-ME. For reporting year (RY) 2001 (reports due July 2002), facilities may use either TRI-ME or ATRS. Both applications are included in the TRI Reporting Software download.

The TRI-ME software is a new tool to help facilities in determining and completing their Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know (EPCRA) section 313 (TRI) Form R and As. TRI-ME is an interactive, intelligent, user-friendly software tool that guides facilities through the TRI reporting experience. In contrast, while ATRS allows facilities to complete the Form R and A's on their personal computers, it provides much less guidance and assistance. A full comparison of the two TRI software reporting tools is provided in the table below.

TRI Reporting Software for the Form R and A.

Comparison of TRI-ME versus ATRS for RY2001 (forms due July 2002)

Feature
TRI-ME
ATRS
Guides the user through the process of determining whether they must report based on their SIC code and number of employees. Helps determine primary SIC code. Yes No
Guides facilities through the process of determining whether they exceed the chemical activity thresholds for manufacture, process and otherwise use for any TRI chemicals. Yes No
Allows users to access and search the TRI Assistance Library (TRIAL) of TRI guidance documents Yes Yes
Intelligently linked to TRIAL. A user is shown particular paragraphs of guidance that might be directly relevant to the section of the Form R they are working on. Yes  No
Allows users to load or import their facility information and chemical names from RY1999 or RY2000. Yes Yes
Allows users to load or import their facility information and chemical names from years prior to RY1999. No Yes
Allows users to load or import their prior year quantitative information on releases and waste transfers. No Yes
Guides facilities in completing the Form R and A by explaining each element of the form through a questionnaire format. Yes No
Allows expert TRI users to bypass most of the handholding guidance and directly enter the data into the forms. Yes Not applicable
Allows users to directly enter data into the forms on a computer screen. Yes Yes
Streamlines the completion of Form R, Part II, Section 7a information on waste treatment methods. Yes No
Prevents facilities from making common errors while completing the Form R and A. Yes Some
Checks (validates) the forms to identify critical and potential errors that should be corrected before submitting the forms to EPA. Yes Some
Allows users to print their forms on paper or on floppy discs (using the same file format from RY2000). Yes Yes
Allows users to submit their forms electronically over the Internet. Yes No

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