The many public interest groups that oppose EPA's recent proposals to gut the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) are now working in concert to produce materials and resources that support the environmental right-to-know program. OMB Watch is hosting an Online Resource Center, developed with participating organizations to act as a clearinghouse for concerned groups and individuals to learn about the program and to take action to defend it. The anti-right-to-know proposals have caused wide-spread concern among state officials, labor unions, firefighters, and members of Congress. Officially announced on Sept. 21, the proposals would allow polluting facilities to withhold critical details about their toxic emissions and, notably, releases of persistent bio-accumulative toxins (PBTs), like lead and mercury. A second proposal, which was announced as a rulemaking one year from now, would cut TRI reporting in half, requiring facilities to report every other year, instead of annually, as is currently the case. Critics of the proposals are creating the Resource Center to inform parents, teachers, community leaders and other concerned citizens that their right to know about pollution is in jeopardy if these proposals move forward. The Resource Center is a repository for:

• Background materials and supporting data on the TRI from EPA and public interest groups;
• Full text of EPA's anti-right-to-know proposals;
• Numerous press stories and editorials critical of the proposals;
• Success stories of community groups, companies, enforcement officers, and others that have used the TRI to reduce pollution in their neighborhoods; and
• Action alerts that enable concerned citizens to call on EPA and Congress directly to preserve the public's right-to-know about toxic pollution.

In a related development, Sens. Jim Jeffords (I-VT), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Barack Obama (D-IL), and John McCain (R-AZ), recently sent a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson to express concern about EPA's proposal to weaken the TRI program. Several groups also joined in a request that EPA extend the deadline for public comments on the proposed rulemaking by 60 days. The deadline is currently Dec. 5. These groups believe the extra time is necessary to allow groups to fully educate themselves on the EPA proposals and their impacts. Several environmental organizations have expressed the need for extra time to produce community-specific analysis that will reveal the amount of pollution information that will disappear at the community level were the proposals to be adopted. EPA has yet to respond to the request. Individuals and groups are encouraged to visit the new Online Resource Center, learn more and take action to save this essential resource.