The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new information on EPA and state enforcement of hazardous waste and air regulations. In addition, the EPA posted data that allows the public, for the first time, to compare toxic releases with compliance data from facilities. This is part of EPA's ongoing commitment to increase transparency and promote the public's right to know by improving access to available data.
EPA made available new summary reports and data from 2004 through 2008 on EPA and state enforcement program performance with Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requirements. The reports include online graphs, trend information on enforcement and compliance in each state, and comparative reports. Data such as compliance monitoring activity, violations discovered, enforcement actions taken, and penalties assessed are available.
The compliance data posted today tells only one part of the story and does not relate directly to overall hazardous waste management or air quality, which have improved in the United States over the past 30 years as the result of local, state, and federal implementation of environmental programs.
More information on RCRA data:
www.epa.gov/compliance/data/results/performance/rcra/index.html
More information on CAA data:
www.epa.gov/compliance/data/results/performance/caa/index.html
More information on ECHO:
www.epa-echo.gov/echo