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Community-Specific Chemical Release Data Available for Connecticut - New England continues trend of lower releases to air, land and water

Release Date: 03/20/2009
Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – March 20, 2009) – EPA’s most recent Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data is now available for the reporting year of 2007. In Connecticut, the reporting data show that overall releases of pollutants to the environment have decreased since the previous reporting year (2006). TRI information is a key part of EPA’s efforts to provide greater access to environmental information and get information to the public as quickly as possible.

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 exceed thresholds for chemicals.

During 2007, the latest year for which data are available, approximately 26.7 million pounds of chemicals were released in the six New England states, a reduction of about 838,080 pounds. In Connecticut, 327 facilities reported in 2007 approximately 4.1 million pounds (a decrease of 770,637 pounds). Approximately 62 percent of releases in Connecticut were emitted to the air during 2007.

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.

Recently, TRI reporting changed with the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 11. The new law returns TRI to the more comprehensive reporting requirements that were in effect before December 21, 2006.

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.

Further, robust 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).

The top five chemicals released to the environment on- and off-site during 2007 in Connecticut were:

-Nitrate Compounds 2006 releases = 618,113 lbs. 2007 releases = 553,632 lbs.
-Ammonia 2006 releases = 428,067 lbs. 2007 releases = 401,808 lbs.
-Dichloromethane 2006 releases = 324,426 lbs. 2007 releases = 333,521 lbs.
-1-Chloro-1,1-Difluoroethane 2006 releases = 310,669 lbs. 2007 releases = 299,564 lbs.
-Toluene 2006 releases = 468,051 lbs. 2007 releases = 278,824 lbs.

The five facilities that reported the largest quantity of on- and off-site environmental releases in Connecticut under TRI for 2007 were:

Facility Pounds Environmental Releases

Cytec Industries Inc., Wallingford 328,693 lbs.
Dow N. A., Allyn’s Point Plant, Gales Ferry 328,233 lbs.
AES Thames LLC, Uncasville 298,189 lbs.
GBC Metals LLC, Waterbury 220,092 lbs.
Pfizer Inc. Groton Site, Groton 217,714 lbs.


TRI tracks the chemicals and industrial sectors specified by the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of 1986 and its amendments. The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) of 1990 also mandates that TRI reports must include data on toxic chemicals treated on-site, recycled, and burned for energy recovery. Together, these laws require facilities in certain industries to report annually on releases, disposal and other waste management activities related to these chemicals.

EPA continues to work closely with the regulated community to ensure that facilities understand and comply with their reporting requirements under TRI and other community right-to-know statutes. EPA will once again hold training workshops throughout the New England region during the Spring of 2009. Training sessions will be set up in each state. Further information will be available on our Web site.

More information:

- TRI in Connecticut Fact Sheet (epa.gov/triexplorer/statefactsheet.htm)

- Further analysis of TRI data for New England states and information on TRI training sessions (epa.gov/region1/tri)

- Fully searchable TRI database (epa.gov/triexplorer)

- Additional National information on TRI (epa.gov/tri/)

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