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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 21, 2016

New Report, Interactive Map Show that People of Color and the Poor Are More Likely to Live Near Chemical Hazards

The Center for Effective Government released a new report and interactive map to coincide with ...

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Nov 13, 2015

One Year After Deadly Texas Chemical Leak, Has Safety Improved?

One year ago, a toxic chemical leak at a DuPont plant in La Porte, Texas killed four workers, including grandmother Crystle Wise. A massive leak of 23,000 pounds of methyl mercaptan e...

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Nov 6, 2015

In Major Victory, President Obama Rejects Keystone XL Pipeline

In a major victory for public health and the environment, President Obama took final action on the Keystone XL pipeline and rejected the risky project on Nov. 6. The move comes after pi...

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In a democracy, citizens have a right to know what their government does, how decisions are made, and how to make their voices heard. We advocate for proactive government disclosure of timely, useful public information that empowers citizen action and helps individuals and organizations effect positive change in their communities.

Resources & Research

Chemical Hazards in Your Backyard

Local communities in many areas of the country seem unaware and unprepared to deal with chemical emergencies. As the number of chemical facilities increases and population centers expand, as plants age and inspection ...

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Making the Grade: Access to Information Scorecard 2015

We conducted our second annual analysis of the performance of the 15 federal agencies that consistently receive the most Freedom of Information Act requests. Most agencies h...

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Kids in Danger Zones

One in every three schoolchildren in America today attends a school within the vulnerability zone of a hazardous chemical facility. We value our children and do everything we can to keep them safe. Yet, one area that has proved surprisingly...

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Making the Grade: Access to Information Scorecard 2014

A building block of American democracy is the idea that as citizens, we have a right to information about how our government works and what it does in our name. The Freedom ...

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