US Environmental Protection Agency on the mat: 12 states sue over toxic chemical data

Twelve US states have sued the country’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over new regulations that they say make it harder for the public to learn about toxic chemicals in their communities.

The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday 28 November, focuses on the agency''s Toxics Release Inventory programme (TRI), which requires companies to disclose the type and amount of toxic chemicals stored in company facilities, and say how much is released into the environment.

The revised regulations reduce the amount of information companies must provide for most toxic chemicals, increasing by 10 times the quantity of chemical waste a facility can emit without giving detailed reports.

The lawsuit says the new rules weaken reporting requirements for the most dangerous toxic chemicals that can build up in the body, including lead and mercury. New York state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed the suit in New York City on behalf of the states of New York, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Vermont, as well as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

The TRI programme does not limit the toxic chemicals companies can emit, but requires they report data about the use and disposal of toxic chemicals to the EPA and state governments. That information is available to the public through an online EPA database.

The states say the weakening of TRI regulations makes it harder for labour organisations, environmental and public health advocates, community groups and individuals to monitor the presence of toxins in their communities.