EPA Proposes Changes to TRI Reporting and Requests Comments—Comments must be submitted by January 16, 2008.

EPA has proposed the following changes to TRI reporting standards:

1. Provide more specific "basis of estimate'' codes (applies to Form R only.) Facilities may currently select among four codes to indicate how they calculate their release quantities: the use of monitoring data (code M), mass balance calculations (C), emission factors (E), and other approaches (O). The addition of more specific codes in the TRI Reporting Forms and Instructions will allow reporting facilities to provide more detailed information on their basis of estimate. Collecting more specific "basis of estimate'' data will help the TRI Program determine which methods are most often used and/or appropriate for use by particular industries for certain chemicals, as well as when new TRI guidance may be needed. Therefore, EPA will provide a more extensive list of codes for "basis of estimate'' in the TRI Reporting Forms and Instructions, including (M1) and (M2) for continuous and periodic/random monitoring, respectively; and (E1) and (E2) for published and site-specific emission factors, respectively. (Codes (C) and (O) will remain unchanged.) By using these codes, facilities will indicate the principal method used to determine the quantities reported to TRI.
2. Enhance Public Contact information (applies to Form and Form A.) EPA proposes to add a place on the form where a facility can provide the e-mail address for the "Public Contact'' on the Form R, in addition to the Public Contact name and telephone number which are already on the Form R. This should make it easier to contact the individual identified.
3. Add boxes for entering revision codes (applies to Form R and Form A.) The TRI Program currently receives many form revisions each year, but does not currently collect information on the reasons for the revisions. EPA proposes to add new revision codes that will help both the public and the TRI Program staff understand why a facility resubmitted a form. In addition, the TRI Program may be able to analyze the revision codes entered by facilities to identify and address recurring reporting issues that facilities may be facing, ultimately reducing errors and saving time for both the Agency and the reporting facilities. Facilities would be able to report up to two codes (listed and defined in the TRI Reporting Forms and Instructions) indicating the main reason(s) that a form is being revised.
4. Provide a field for withdrawing a form and add boxes for entering withdrawal Codes (applies to Form R and Form A.) Currently, a facility that wishes to withdraw a previously submitted form must submit its request, including the rationale, as a hard copy memorandum to the TRI Data Processing Center. Adding a "Withdrawal'' field and associated code boxes for reasons for withdrawal to Form R will (1) streamline the withdrawal process for facilities, (2) make it easier for EPA to automate the withdrawal process, and (3) improve the Agency's ability to analyze the reasons for withdrawals.

Comments must be submitted on or before January 16, 2008.  Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-TRI-2007-0355, to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by e-mail to oei.docket@epa.gov, or by mail to EPA Docket Center, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB by mail to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.

More Information

Agency Information Collection Activities, Proposed Collections; Toxic Chemical Release Reporting; Request for Comments on Proposed Changes and the Renewal of Form R.  Federal Register: December 17, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 241).