Dive Brief:
- Data released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows toxic releases by the electric utility industry have been reduced by almost half in the last decade, Power Magazine reports.
- In its 2013 Toxics Release Inventory, EPA found that utilities decreased toxic releases 49% from 2003 to 2013. From 2013 to 2014, however the amount of toxic chemicals managed as waste by the nation's industrial facilities increased by 4%.
- Air releases from industrial facilities increased by 1% from 2012 to 2013, mainly due to increases from chemical manufacturing facilities and electric utilities that also experienced an increase in production.
Dive Insight:
The nation is dealing with increasing amounts of toxic waste, but the electric utility industry is handling it in an increasingly safe manner, according to the EPA. Power Magazine reports the EPA's 2013 TRI report reveals electric utilities have slashed releases by 49% since 2003, driven by a nearly 75% decline in on-site releases.
"We all have a right to know what toxic chemicals are being used and released into our environment, and what steps companies are taking to reduce their releases to the environment or, better yet, prevent waste from being generated in the first place,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “I'm pleased to see that TRI data show such a commitment to release reductions and pollution prevention on the part of many industrial facilities.”
EPA said that from 2012 to 2013, the amount of toxic chemicals managed as waste by the nation's industrial facilities increased by 4%, including the amount of chemicals recycled, treated, and burned for energy recovery, as well as the amount disposed of or otherwise released into the environment. In the report, a "release" generally refers to a chemical that is emitted to the air, water, or placed in some type of land disposal. Most of these releases are subject to a variety of regulatory requirements designed to limit human and environmental harm.
In the last decade, total disposal or other releases to the environment have decreased 7%, EPA said, despite a 15% increase from 2012 to 2013. The most recent increase was primarily due to increases in on-site land disposal from the metal mining sector.