Petitioning EPA to Add New Chemicals to the Toxics Release Inventory
An Effective Practice
Description
Communities for a Better Environment in Oakland, California, joined a coalition of other community and environmental groups to form the Zero Dioxin Coalition. The coalition was concerned about dioxins, a group of highly toxic chemicals that are formed and released into the environment from certain industrial processes. In the 1980s and 1990s, dioxins were not in included on the list of chemicals reportable under the Toxics Release Inventory. Communities for a Better Environment identified this gap and, in coordination with the Zero Dioxin Coalition, petitioned EPA to include dioxins in the list of reportable chemicals.
Goal / Mission
The goal of the Coalition was to encourage the EPA to add dioxins as reportable chemicals unter the Toxics Release Inventory
Results / Accomplishments
EPA agreed that dioxins should be added to the reporting list and issued a new rule that required facilities producing more than 0.1 grams of dioxins to report annually on their releases. The new rule became effective on January 1, 2000. In May of 2002, the first of the dioxins data collected under the new rule was released to the public.
About this Promising Practice
Organization(s)
Communities for a Better Environment and Zero Dioxin Coalition
Primary Contact
Greg Karras
Communities for a Better Environment
1611 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 450
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 302-0430
gkarras@cbecal.org
http://www.cbecal.org/
Communities for a Better Environment
1611 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 450
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 302-0430
gkarras@cbecal.org
http://www.cbecal.org/
Topics
Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Community / Governance
Community / Governance
Organization(s)
Communities for a Better Environment and Zero Dioxin Coalition
Source
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9
Date of publication
2002
Geographic Type
Urban
Location
Oakland, CA
For more details