Group: Toxic chemical releases going unreported
http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/eagle-ford-energy/article/Group-Toxic-chemical-releases-going-unreported-5190774.php
Group: Toxic chemical releases going unreported
By Jennifer Hiller : January 30, 2014 : Updated: January 30, 2014 11:27pm
SAN ANTONIO In the middle of a massive U.S. oil and gas boom, the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project says the release of thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals is going unreported in Texas and other states.
The organization, along with more than a dozen environmental and watchdog groups, is petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency to require sites such as gas plants, compressor stations and tank batteries report to the federal Toxic Release Inventory, which tracks the release or disposal of chemicals that can threaten health or the environment.
The exploration and production side of the oil and gas industry does not have to report to the TRI.
The Environmental Integrity Project looked at a handful of the busiest states for oil and gas production: Texas, Colorado, Louisiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Wyoming.
It found 395 oil and gas facilities that each emitted more than 10,000 pounds of at least one toxic chemical in a year the threshold at which many other industries must report to the Toxic Release Inventory. It used information from state agencies to determine emissions.