EPA Finalizes Rule to Simplify Toxics Release Inventory Reporting and Improve Data Transparency
Released on October 21, 2022
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule to codify the definition of “parent company” for Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting purposes. The rule clarifies reporting requirements and ensures that facilities transparently report their parent company.
TRI data are reported to EPA annually by facilities in certain industry sectors, including federal facilities, that manufacture, process, or otherwise use TRI-listed chemicals above certain quantities. The data include quantities of such chemicals that were released into the environment or otherwise managed as waste. Information collected through the TRI allows communities to learn how facilities in their area are managing listed chemicals.
Although facilities which report to TRI have been required to identify their U.S. parent company in annual reporting forms, there was no codified definition of “parent company” prior to this rulemaking.
This final rule clarifies existing regulations by requiring facilities to report the name of their highest-level parent company on their reporting form. This change will improve the agency’s data quality and simplify the reporting process for those facilities that report to EPA under multiple programs. The rule will also require TRI facilities with a foreign parent company to report the name of their highest-level foreign parent company.
In September 2021, EPA issued a proposed rule for public comment. The rule announced today was generally finalized as proposed, except for the timing of the foreign parent company reporting requirement. If the rule had been finalized as proposed, facilities would have been required to include foreign parent companies starting with Reporting Year 2022. In today’s final rule, such facilities will be required to report this information beginning in Reporting Year 2023 for forms due in 2024 to give EPA time to make additional changes to the TRI reporting software in order to include foreign parent companies on TRI reporting forms. The final rule also continues to require facilities to include their U.S.-based parent company on TRI reporting forms due July 2023 for Reporting Year 2022, in accordance with the now-codified definition.