Three New England Facilities Provide Public with Chemical Information under EPA Settlements
BOSTON (Oct. 13, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has required three New England facilities to report publicly on their use and releases of toxic chemicals, which helps ensure public and community awareness.
"Companies' proper and timely reporting of toxic chemicals used at their facilities ensures that members of the public have access to information about the use and releases of chemicals in their community," said EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Szaro. "Thanks to EPA's actions, these facilities are now in compliance with reporting laws that help protect these communities."
Facilities are required to report annually on their use and releases of toxic chemicals and substances under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). The reports are filed in EPCRA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) database, which is readily available to the public. Complying with EPCRA's and TRI requirements helps ensure that communities are informed about chemical usage and releases that may affect public health and the environment.
Woonsocket, Rhode Island:
Technic, Inc. agreed to pay a penalty of $50,601 for allegedly failing to timely file TRI reports for formaldehyde, methanol, and silver and nitrate compounds at its facility in Woonsocket, Rhode Island for the year 2019. Technic corrected its violations in November 2020 by submitting reports on its usage of these chemicals.
Boston, Mass.
TEI Biosciences, Inc. agreed to pay a penalty of 34,895 for allegedly failing to timely file TRI reports for chloroform in 2017 and 2018 at its facility located in Boston, MA. TEI has since corrected its violations, as the company filed these reports in December 2019 and submitted reports for the year 2020.
Putnam, Conn.
Nutmeg Container Corporation (Nutmeg), a division of Unicorr Packaging Group, one of the largest protective packaging manufacturers in the Northeast, agreed to pay a settlement penalty of $11,322.50 for allegedly failing to timely file a TRI report for diisocyanate compounds at its manufacturing facility in Putnam, Connecticut in 2019. Nutmeg has since corrected its violations and submitted reports on its usage of these chemicals after being contacted by EPA.
Under federal TRI regulations, companies that use listed toxic chemicals must report their chemical usage and releases each year to EPA. This information serves as the basis for the Toxic Release Inventory, which is a collection of data that can be reviewed by communities, government, and industry. Because the information is available to the public, companies have an incentive to reduce harmful chemical use and improve their environmental performance. TRI reporting informs surrounding communities about a facility's toxic chemicals that could potentially impact public health and the environment.
More information:
Toxic Release Inventory: https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/learn-about-toxics-release-inventory
Reporting requirements for facilities: https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/reporting-tri-facilities