AKT Peerless, an award-winning environmental consulting firm, reminds EH&S professionals that Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reports are due to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by July 1, 2016.
If you are a manufacturer or facility that operates under certain North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, has the equivalent of 10 full-time employees, and processes, manufactures, or otherwise uses certain chemicals above SARA Title III thresholds, then you may be required to submit these annual reports to the EPA by the July 1st deadline to be in legal compliance with the TRI Program.
What is the TRI Program and how do I learn more?
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) was enacted by Congress in 1980 to clean up hazardous waste sites and improve emergency response to releases. CERCLA became known as Superfund and, in response to chemical release tragedies, a reauthorization and expansion of Superfund was signed into law in 1986.
Title III of the Superfund Amendment Reauthorization Act (SARA Title III) is known as the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Section 313 of SARA Title III (40 CFR Part 372) created TRI, which requires facilities meeting specific requirements to report information regarding releases, storage, and transfers of certain chemicals at their facilities. The primary purpose of TRI is to inform communities and emergency response agencies of potential chemical releases and wastes generated by nearby facilities.
“Manufacturers or facilities meeting these criteria are required to submit compliance reports by July 1st for the previous reporting year,” said Timothy McGahey, Vice President of AKT Peerless. “However, time is of the essence because the evaluation process may require a comprehensive audit of all materials within your facility.”
AKT Peerless is qualified to audit facilities to determine compliance with SARA Title III and serves as a resource for many companies to ensure they become and remain compliant with such regulatory requirements. For more information on TRI compliance, please contact AKT Peerless at 800-985-7633 or visit the EPA’s TRI website at https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program.