hazardous substances

May 28, 2024

The July 1, 2024, deadline for the Toxics Release Inventory – TRI Reporting is fast approaching.

Authorized under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA), the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) tracks the management of certain toxic chemicals that may pose a threat to human health and the environment.

Manufacturers, including food and beverage, electric utilities, and mining facilities, may need extra time this year to comply with recent rule changes related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

TRI reporting is a two-step process, and covered facilities with at least ten full-time equivalent employees must complete the first step to evaluate whether a report is required each year. For each chemical that exceeds a reporting threshold, EPA requires the facility to calculate releases to the air, wastewater, and stormwater and the amount of the chemical recycled or treated on-site or sent off-site for treatment during the previous calendar year.

Watch New Rules and Tools for the 2023 Toxics Release Inventory now.

TRI Reporting Unscrambled and No-Strings Attached

SCS Engineers presents an on-demand educational video with complimentary articles and additional resources to get you started. Cheryl Moran, a senior project manager with decades of experience in regulatory compliance, sustainable practices, and chemical management, covers what you need to know to get started and what has changed that may require your facility or business to start reporting:

• Introduction to TRI
• Covered facilities
• Chemicals, activities, and thresholds
• Changes for the 2023 reporting year
• EPA guidance documents and tools
• Data quality control

June 6 – 27 – Please watch New Rules and Tools for the 2023 Toxics Release Inventory at your convenience.

Additional TRI Resources

• The compliance experts at SCS Engineers and Ms. Moran are available to answer client questions specific to facilities, chemicals, and PFAS. You may also request a copy of the video presentation with links to EPA resources. Contact SCS Engineers for any of these resources.
• Hazardous Waste Management
• Toxics Release Inventory The Community Right-to-Know Side of EPCRA

February 20, 2019

As a national environmental consulting and contracting firm specializing in managing hazardous substances, SCS Engineers is helping our clients now. Start by reading The Environmental Dangers of PFAS and Technologies for Removing Them, published in WasteAdvantage magazine for use in the solid waste industry and other industrial applications in support of EPA’s Action Plan.

On February 14, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced EPA’s Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Action Plan. The PFAS Action Plan is in response to public interest and input the EPA has received over the past year. EPA’s Action Plan identifies both short-term solutions for addressing these chemicals and long-term strategies for states, tribes, and local communities need to provide clean and safe drinking water to their residents and to address PFAS at the source. These actions include:

• Moving forward with the maximum contaminant level (MCL) process outlined in the Safe Drinking Water Act for PFOA and PFOS—two of the most well-known and prevalent PFAS chemicals. By the end of this 2019, EPA states the agency will propose a regulatory determination.
• EPA has already begun the regulatory development process for listing PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances and will issue interim groundwater cleanup recommendations for sites contaminated with PFOA and PFOS. The EPA feels this will provide additional tools to help states and communities address existing contamination and enhance the ability to hold responsible parties accountable.
• Enforcement: EPA will use available enforcement tools to address PFAS exposure in the environment and assist states in enforcement activities.
• EPA will propose to include PFAS in nationwide drinking water monitoring under the next Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Program. The agency will also consider PFAS chemicals for listing in the Toxics Release Inventory.
• Research: EPA will develop new analytical methods so that more PFAS chemicals can be detected in drinking water, in soil, and groundwater. EPA’s research efforts also include developing new technologies and treatment options to remove PFAS from drinking water at contaminated sites.
• Risk Communications: EPA will work across the agency—and the federal government—to develop a PFAS risk communication toolbox that includes materials that states, tribes, and local partners can use to communicate effectively with the public.

Contact a local SCS professional at or visit our website.