The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on November 25 it is asking the public for input on potentially adding certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the list of chemicals companies are required to report to the agency as part of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI).
The EPA’s TRI is an important tool that provides the public with information about the use of certain chemicals by tracking their management and associated activities. U.S. facilities in different industry sectors must report annually how much of each chemical is released to the environment or managed through recycling, energy recovery, and treatment. Currently, no PFAS are included on the list of chemicals required to report to TRI.
As the EPA considers whether to add these chemicals, the agency will use public comments and information received in response to the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) for two purposes. First, the public input will help the agency determine whether data and information are available to fulfill the TRI chemical listing criteria. Second, the EPA will use the input to help evaluate the extent and usefulness of the data that would be gathered under TRI.
All comments and information received in response to this ANPRM will be evaluated along with previously collected and assembled studies. If the EPA decides to move forward with adding PFAS to the TRI, the agency will publish a proposed rule and seek public comment on the proposal.
Click here to view the ANPRM. The comment period will open upon publication of the Federal Register Notice at www.regulations.gov.