New EPA standards to relax reporting of toxic pollution

In 2004, a Seattle company that builds ship propellers puffed 250 pounds of potentially toxic chromium into the air, according to state reports.

But soon, such information won't be available. Following a change earlier this week in federal pollution regulations, a number of Washington companies won't have to report the level of toxic chemicals they discharge into the ground, water or air. The Environmental Protection Agency eased requirements, effective January 2007, that factories report the amount of toxic chemicals they release. The EPA says the changes should encourage companies to cut releases of toxic chemicals because it would spare them paperwork if they do.

"The idea here is to create incentives to business to improve their processes to reduce the discharge of these chemicals," said Tim Hamlin, of the EPA's Region 10 office, which covers Washington.

But Jay Manning, head of Washington's Department of Ecology, said the public and his agency will know less about the toxic chemicals that some industries emit. "To weaken these regulations is a step backwards and a disservice to the public and increases the risk toxic chemicals pose to human and environmental health," he said in a statement issued Friday.

In Washington, the changes mean an end to details about roughly 1.5 million pounds of toxic chemicals released by businesses, according to Ecology.

Some businesses won't have to say how much of any chemical came from their plant, even if a company's plant is rated among the highest toxic risk in the state, the agency said. Under the new rules, the factories — within certain rules — will just have to provide a list of what they discharge. Currently businesses must file a report every year detailing the amounts of toxic chemicals they released into the environment. That report spells out how many pounds of each chemical were involved and whether they were spilled into the water, ground or air.

Under the new rules, a plant that releases less than 2,000 pounds per chemical will just submit a list of the chemicals involved. For toxic chemicals that don't break down, however, the shorter list applies only if a factory uses less than 500 pounds and all of it is either recycled or sent to a landfill. Otherwise, a more detailed report is still required.

The changes aren't as dramatic as the EPA originally wanted. Earlier, the agency recommended businesses file reports once every two years and allow the shorter form when up to 5,000 pounds of a chemical was released.

Still, several key Democrats have vowed to work to reverse the new EPA decision when Democrats take control of Congress in January.

Warren Cornwall: 206-464-2311 or wcornwall@seattletimes.com