EPA Gives Public an Environmental Justice Mapping Tool: EJView

November 3, 2010–This new tool allows any user online to create custom study areas based on a wide range of variables: address, ZIP code, county, city, township, facility, watershed, or geographic coordinates. Other environmental data can then be mapped onto that study area.

Got TMDLs? Sneak Peek of New Pollutant Loading Tool Could Raise Ruckus

November 3, 2010–EPA in-house tool may be released to public within months. It will give reporters themselves the ability to estimate the cumulative impacts of pollution on water bodies.

MY-RTK Lets Users Probe Toxic Emissions from Their Smartphones

November 3, 2010–myRTK lets you thumb in an address or ZIP code and get back a map or list of Toxics Release Inventory facilities on your feature phone or smart phone.

TRI Offers New "Comparative Query" Tool

November 3, 2010–The beta tool allows anyone to compare TRI information from a facility to air pollution data from the same facility or a related one. For example, an investigator could find inconsistencies in the amount of pollution reported by a facility under the two separate laws.

Report: Nitrogen and Phosphorous Pollution Remains Serious Threat

September 29, 2010–The USGS study used data from thousands of locations to analyze trends from 1992 to 2004. You can probably find many local and regional stories as these pollutants contribute to various environmental and human health problems.

Fracking Associated with Well Water Toxics; Causation Not Yet Proven

September 15, 2010–EPA warns Pavillion, WY residents not to drink or cook with their well water, and that the presence of methane (the main ingredient in natural gas) is so high that they should ventilate any room in which a shower is operating, and to not ignite anything in a closed room in which water is running.

Study: Winter Road Safety Means More Environmental Toxicity

September 15, 2010–Salt and other substances used to make roads and other paved surfaces safer contaminate water ways with deadly toxicity levels that can even last till summer in some areas, according to a USGS study.

Pipelines Spill Millions of Toxic Gallons Each Year

August 18, 2010–A round-up of resources: from the recent Enbridge spill in Michigan to multiple spills over time by Houston-based Plains All American Pipeline; hearings of the US House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials; availability of pipeline maps; Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration info on safety standards, inspections, stakeholder communications; and much more. 

EPA Gets TRI Data Out Quickly This Year

August 11, 2010–The early release includes only about 80% of the total expected submissions. Updates should be available in August and September, and the agency will release its analysis later in 2010.

EPA Gets TRI Data Out Quickly This Year

August 4, 2010–Data for the 2009 Toxics Release Inventory, released July 28, 2010, includes only about 80% of the total expected submissions so it's not possible to look at category totals, trends, and other aspects that require 100% of the data until later this year. However, you can report immediately on many local emitters, including evaluations of their totals and trends.