12 States Oppose Bush Pollution Plan to allow less reporting by polluters - Toxin Release Inventory (TRI) - !!!

[Guest guest]

I awaken each morning to autism lists wherein parents are healing

children from toxin-induced injuries, including but not limited to

thimerosal. I read several environmental-news sources and sense that

many individuals want a lessening of toxins, want policies to reflect

greater respect for the environment and its inhabitants (including

humans). Yet a counter-theme permeates the news each day as individuals

within so-called " regulatory " agencies seek ways to allow toxins to

continue into the environment, to have their release or adverse effects

continued. FDA's response to Graham's Vioxx-death's data was to attempt

to silence him. The EPA wants to allow substantial toxin releases to

become unreported. The more toxin-related symptoms, the more meds will

be needed - and perhaps those sales are the primary purpose for allowing

thimerosal to remain in flu shots, for seeking to allow toxins without

reporting their release. The EPA's proposal is an attack on families and

individuals, a cluster bombing with toxins. Recently, a researcher

shared a peer-reviewed paper documenting that a wide range of toxins

interfere with GSH and with methionine synthase. If a family is seeing

some success via GSH and/or mB12, those parents are addressing pathways

injured by toxins. The EPA is seeking to further injure children.

Why? How can they be stopped?

* * * *

" This EPA move appears to be yet another poorly considered notion to

appease a few polluting constituents at the expense of a valuable

program, " New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said.

" The public has a fundamental right to know what hazardous materials

their children and families are being exposed to, " said Wisconsin

Attorney General Peggy Lautenschlager.

Toxic Release Inventory Program: http://www.epa.gov/tri

*

*12 States Oppose Bush Pollution Plan*

By MICHAEL GORMLEY

The Associated Press

Friday, January 13, 2006; 8:16 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/13/AR2006011301010.\

html

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Attorneys general in 12 states said Friday that the Bush

administration's plan to ease rules on reporting legal toxin releases

would compromise the public's right to know about possible health risks

in their neighborhoods.

In a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the state

officials say the proposals, which include raising some reporting

thresholds and moving from annual to biennial reports, would have the

greatest harm in low-income neighborhoods where polluting facilities are

often located.

The Bush administration proposed the changes in September as a way to

reduce the regulatory burden on companies by allowing some to use a

short form when they report their pollution to the EPA's Toxic Release

Inventory Program.

" This EPA move appears to be yet another poorly considered notion to

appease a few polluting constituents at the expense of a valuable

program, " New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said.

Also signing the letter were the attorneys general of California,

Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, land, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont and Wisconsin. All are Democrats except

Republican Ayotte of New Hampshire.

" The public has a fundamental right to know what hazardous materials

their children and families are being exposed to, " said Wisconsin

Attorney General Peggy Lautenschlager.

The proposed changes, which require congressional approval, would exempt

companies from disclosing their toxic pollution if they claim to release

fewer than 5,000 pounds of a specific chemical _ the current limit is

500 pounds _ or if they store it onsite but claim to release " zero "

amounts of the worst pollutants.

The chemicals involved include mercury, DDT, PCBs and other chemicals

that persist in the environment and work up the food chain. Companies

must report any storage of dioxin or dioxin-like compounds, even if none

are released.

The inventory program began under a 1986 community right-to-know law. If

Congress agrees, the first year the changes could be possible would be 2008.

EPA officials say communities will still know about the types of toxic

releases, but not some details about how each chemical was managed or

released.

Eryn Witcher, an EPA spokeswoman, said the proposal means companies that

" significantly reduce pollution going into the environment from their

facilities...can reduce red tape and paperwork by using a more

streamlined reporting form. "

A three-part series by The Associated Press in December that analyzed

EPA air pollution data for neighborhoods nationwide underscored the need

for full and frequent disclosure, said Judith Enck, an environmental

specialist in the New York Attorney General's Office.

___

On the Net:

Toxic Release Inventory Program: http://www.epa.gov/tri

© 2006 The Associated Press

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