Issued: Mar 27, 2024 (12:34pm EDT)

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EPA Analysis shows 2022 increase of toxic chemical releases in Maine

Toxic chemical releases have declined 21% nationally in 10 years according to new Toxics Release Inventory data

Contact information: Vikram Lakshmanan, Lakshmanan.Vikram@epa.gov, 617-918-1064;  EPA Region 1 Press Office (R1_Press@epa.gov) 

BOSTON (MAR. 26, 2024) — Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its 2022 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) National Analysis showing that environmental releases of TRI chemicals from facilities covered by the program were 21% lower in 2022 compared to 2013. This includes a 26% decrease in air releases. During this 10-year period, releases from manufacturing facilities decreased by 9% while the value added to the U.S. economy from manufacturing increased by 14%. While overall releases increased by 1% from 2021 to 2022, there was a 6.5% increase in the number of pollution prevention activities reported under the TRI program compared to 2021.  

In Maine, the reporting data shows that over the last 10 years, air emissions from have decreased from 4.3 million pounds to 2.0 million pounds due to air emission reductions and reduced production from paper mills. Additionally, overall releases (including discharges to water and solid waste to landfills) decreased by 40% over the last ten years. However, from 2021 overall releases of pollutants to the environment (including discharges to water and solid waste to landfills) increased by 10% from the previous reporting year (2021) due to increases in waste sent to landfills.  

The 2022 TRI National Analysis summarizes environmental releases of TRI chemicals, and how facilities managed their waste. In 2022, facilities reported managing 88.5% of their TRI chemical waste through preferred practices such as recycling, energy recovery and treatment, while releasing 11.5% of their TRI chemical waste into the environment.  

"A big part of how we do our part of protecting the environment and serving our communities is the gathering and analysis of crucial scientific data, which we use to inform and guide our processes moving forward. TRI reporting is one of many ways we do this, and it provides more insight into where pollution may be harming communities and the environment," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "We know that that transparency is key, especially for those locations that have been overburdened by environmental issues and concerns. By releasing this information out to the public, we can empower our communities and give guidance on how to proceed with being equipped with this latest environmental data." 

EPA, states, and Tribes receive TRI data from facilities in sectors such as manufacturing, mining, hazardous waste management and electric utilities. More than 21,000 facilities submitted reports on 522 of the 827 chemicals and chemical categories for which TRI reporting is required. The remaining 305 chemicals either were not manufactured, processed, or used by facilities required to report to TRI or were not manufactured, processed, or used in amounts large enough to trigger reporting.   

The 2022 TRI National Analysis features visualizations and analytical tools to make data more useful and accessible to communities. Readers can view data by state, Tribe, metropolitan area, EPA region and watershed using the "Where You Live" mapping tool. This tool also allows readers to view facility locations overlayed with demographic data to identify potential exposure to TRI chemical releases in communities, including overburdened communities. Community groups, policymakers and other stakeholders can use this information, along with other environmental data, to better understand which communities may be experiencing a disproportionate pollution burden and take action at the local level. 

Additionally, the 2022 TRI National Analysis highlights trends and changes in waste management practices for specific sectors and chemicals in the Sector Profile and Chemical Profile sections. This year, the 2022 TRI National Analysis highlights the primary metals manufacturing sector alongside the standard profiles for electric utilities, chemical manufacturing and metal mining.  

EPA is holding a public webinar on Thursday, April 4, 2024, at 2 p.m. ET to provide an overview of the 2022 TRI National Analysis. Register for the webinar. 

Maine: Total On and offsite disposal and releases  
During 2022, 78 facilities reported that approximately 7.3 million pounds were released on and off site to the air, water and land (such as landfills), compared to 6.6 million pounds released in 2021 (an increase of 0.7 million pounds). In 2022, approximately 2.0 million pounds were released to the air and 2.2 million pounds were released to surface water. The major pollutants released to the air were methanol at 33% of total air releases and an additional 33% of air releases were ammonia. The major pollutant released to the water were nitrate compounds (at 85% of all releases to water) which can promote algal growth in surface waters. From 2013, on-site releases decreased from 9.1 million pounds in 2012 to 5.7 million pounds in 2022. 
 
Maine: Total Production Related Waste 
During 2022, 78 facilities reported that approximately 50.5 million pounds of total production related waste was managed, compared to 79 facilities and 51.5 million pounds managed in 2021 (a decrease of 2.7 million pounds). During 2013, 90 facilities reported approximately 79 million pounds of total production related waste was managed. Total production related waste includes chemicals released directly to the environment, waste that is recycled offsite, waste that is sent offsite for treatment (such as to an incinerator or wastewater treatment system), and waste sent to landfills. 

Maine: Top Five Companies 
The companies in Maine with the greatest releases included four paper mills and one food processor. The food processor has remailed the same, one paper mill has left, and another has taken its place over the last ten years. The current 5 facilities produced 86% of the releases in the state of Maine.   
 
Each year, EPA makes publicly available TRI data reported by industries throughout the United States regarding chemical releases to air, water and land by power plants, manufacturers and other facilities which employ ten or more workers, and which exceed thresholds for chemicals. Reporting includes information on chemicals released at a company's facility, as well as those transported to disposal facilities off site. TRI data do not reflect the relative toxicity of the chemicals emitted or potential exposure to people living in a community with reported releases. 
 
Reporting under TRI does not indicate illegal discharges of pollutants to the environment. EPA works closely with states to provide regulatory oversight of facilities that generate pollution to the nation's air, land, and water. Effective review and permitting programs work to ensure that the public and the environment are not subjected to unhealthful levels of pollution, even as agencies work to further reduce emissions of chemicals to the environment. Enforcement efforts by EPA and states ensure that facilities that violate their environmental permits are subject to penalties and corrective action. Yearly releases by individual facilities can vary due to factors such as power outages, production variability, lulls in the business cycle, etc., that do not reflect a facility's pollution prevention program(s). 

View the 2022 TRI National Analysis, including local data from Maine.   

PFAS Reporting 

The TRI National Analysis includes reporting on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as required by the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). A provision of the NDAA outlines criteria for additional PFAS to be automatically added for TRI reporting. For reporting year 2022, four PFAS met the criteria and were added to the reporting requirements for a total of 180 PFAS tracked by the TRI program. During 2022, 50 facilities managed 1.2 million pounds of these chemicals as waste, which represents an 8% decrease compared to 2021.  

For reporting year 2024, TRI will no longer have a reporting exemption for facilities that use PFAS in small, or de minimis, concentrations as a result of EPA's recently published final rule. This rule will improve the quality and quantity of publicly available data on PFAS, as many materials used at facilities contain PFAS in low concentrations. Facilities that make or use these products will no longer be able to rely on the de minimis exemption to avoid their responsibility to disclose PFAS releases and other waste management of these chemicals. 

Pollution Prevention  

Facilities implemented 3,589 total pollution prevention activities in 2022 with the most common being process and equipment modifications, followed by changes to operating practices and training. Through both existing programs and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA offers grant opportunities to state and Tribal technical assistance providers to help prevent pollution. 

Industry professionals can view TRI reporting on pollution prevention to learn about best practices implemented at other facilities. 

Key Expansions to TRI Reporting  

Important expansions to TRI reporting went into effect for reporting year 2022. Some contract sterilization facilities, which are contracted to sterilize products or equipment for hospitals and other facilities, were required to report to TRI for the first time on their management of ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol as waste. These facilities managed 6.3 million pounds of ethylene oxide waste, nearly all of which was treated.  

Reporting year 2022 was also the first year of expanded reporting for the natural gas processing sector. The 305 facilities in this sector that reported to TRI managed 115 million pounds of TRI chemicals in waste and disposed of 81% of TRI chemicals in underground injection wells. 

 

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