TRI Connections
The TRI is a powerful resource that provides the public with information about how toxic chemicals are managed by certain facilities in the United States. Beyond the TRI, there are many other EPA programs that also collect information about TRI-listed chemicals and other regulated chemicals. The figure below is an overview of key laws that EPA implements with some associated regulated activities or industrial processes.
While many EPA programs focus on one environmental medium, the TRI Program is unique in that it covers all environmental media by tracking toxic chemical releases to air, water, and land, as well as chemical waste transfers. TRI also tracks other waste management and the implementation of pollution prevention at facilities. Since facilities report annually, TRI is one of EPA’s most up-to-date sources of data. The data can be used with other datasets to provide a more complete understanding of national trends in chemical waste management practices.
The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) established requirements for emergency planning, preparedness, and reporting on hazardous and toxic chemicals. EPCRA requires facilities to report environmental releases, waste transfers, quantities of chemicals on site, the type and location of storage of those chemicals, and their use to EPA (via the TRI Program) and to state and local officials. The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) of 1990 expanded TRI to include information on waste management activities like recycling, combustion for energy recovery, and treatment. The PPA also requires facilities to report newly implemented source reduction activities to TRI. See the More on EPCRA section for details.
Offices across the EPA use TRI data to support their work to protect human health and the environment. These uses include technical analysis for regulation, informing program priorities and projects, and providing information to internal and external stakeholders.
This page was published in March 2023 and uses the 2021 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2022.