[StBernard] Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals News Release (Region 6): EPA Reports Toxic Releases to Air, Water and Land in Louisiana in 2007

[Westley Annis]

EPA Reports Toxic Releases to Air, Water and Land in Louisiana in 2007 

  

(Dallas, Texas - March 19, 2009) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) today issued its report of the most recent data available for the
amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment in Louisiana by
industrial and other facilities.  The data made available today are for
releases that took place during 2007.  Since 1988, the Toxic Release
Inventory (TRI) has been released by EPA every year to help the public know
more about the chemicals present in their local environment and track
environmental trends over time.  

  

"This annual report was created to provide American families with the
information they need to make informed decisions about environmental issues
affecting their neighborhoods," said Larry Starfield, EPA Region 6 Acting
Regional Administrator.  "The TRI report also serves as a strong incentive
for businesses to find innovative ways to reduce or prevent pollution." 

  

Louisiana facilities reported 130,440,759 pounds of toxic chemicals released
into the environment in 2007, with 94 percent, or 122,678,727 pounds,
released on site.  On-site releases include chemicals released to the air,
water and land at the facility.  Chemicals that are transferred to other
sites for disposal are not included in the on-site total. 

  

The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986, as well as
the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, required EPA to establish the TRI.
The TRI is an on-line, computerized database that contains toxic chemical
release and other waste management information covering more than 650
chemicals and chemical categories.  The information is collected from
reports submitted to EPA and the states by manufacturing companies, coal and
metal mines, electric utilities, hazardous waste treatment sites, chemical
distributors and Federal facilities.  

  

More than 22,000 facilities nationwide provide details on their releases of
chemicals into the environment.  Included in the report is a listing of
individual states and the amounts of toxic chemicals releases into the
environment within their borders.  Individual cities and zip codes can also
be selected from the TRI database and have releases within their confines
broken out by type of chemical and quantity releases.  The database provides
a comprehensive overview of toxic chemical releases in the United States. 

  

TRI 2007 Public Data Release:
http://www.epa.gov/tri/tridata/tri07/index.htm
<http://www.epa.gov/tri/tridata/tri07/index.htm>  

  

More information on TRI: http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/
<http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/>  and http://www.epa.gov/enviro/ 

  

State fact sheets are available at:
http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/statefactsheet.htm
<http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/statefactsheet.htm>  

  

More information about activities in EPA Region 6:
http://www.epa.gov/region6 <http://www.epa.gov/region6>  

  

The top ten facilities in Louisiana for total on-site and off-site release
of all chemicals (in pounds) are: 

  

Name of Facility
City                             Total Releases 

  

Monsanto - Luling
Luling                           16,390,040 

Cytec Industries, Inc. - Fortier Plant

Westwego                     11,241,817 

International Paper Co. - Mansfield Plant                                  
Mansfield                        7,860,707 

CF Industries, Inc.
Donaldsonville                  7,653,896 

Angus Chemical Co.
Sterlington                       6,293,253 

ExxonMobil Refining & Supply - Baton Rouge Refinery              
Baton Rouge                   5,673,836 

Rubicon LLC     
Geismer                          4,748,817 

Big Cajun 2       
New Roads                      4,357,140 

Dow Chemical Co. - Plaquemine
Plaquemine                     4,053,911 

Louisiana Pigment Co. LP

Westlake                         3,010,729 

  

###