EPA

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new rule on the addition of facilities in certain industry sectors, revised interpretation of otherwise use, toxic release inventory, and community right-to-know. GAO found that the: (1) rule would add seven industry groups subject to the reporting requirements of section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986, and section 6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, and in addition revises the interpretation of the phrase "otherwise use" which is undefined in the acts but is one of three activities requiring reporting; (2) information obtained from these reports would become part of the publicly available data base known as the Toxic Release Inventory or TRI; and (3) EPA complied with the applicable requirements in promulgating the rule.