Reporting for TRI Facilities
Each year, certain industrial facilities submit Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data to EPA. The data are due by July 1 and cover waste management activities that occurred during the previous calendar year. EPA makes these data publicly available.
- Is your facility required to report to the TRI Program?
- How is TRI reporting related to Tier II reporting?
- Overview of the TRI reporting process
- Reporting changes for RY 2023
- How will EPA and others use your facility's data?
- TRI training and guidance materials
Is Your Facility Required to Report to the TRI Program?
- A facility is required to report if it meets chemical activity thresholds and
- is either in a covered industry sector and exceeds the employee threshold, or
- is specifically required to report based a determination by the Administrator under EPCRA 313(b)(2).
- The TRI Threshold Screening Tool can help you determine if your facility is required to report.
- Browse the TRI Reporting Forms and Instructions (RFI) for more details.
How is TRI Reporting Related to Tier II Reporting?
TRI reporting is required under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Tier II reporting is required under Section 312 of EPCRA. TRI reporting requirements are separate and distinct from Tier II reporting requirements. Submitting TRI reporting forms does not fulfill a facility's Tier II reporting requirements, or vice versa. For more about what EPCRA requires, see the EPCRA factsheet or quick guide.
Overview of the TRI Reporting Process
The image below summarizes the TRI reporting process. For more detailed information about each step, refer to the TRI Reporting Forms and Instructions.
Reporting Changes for RY 2023
The changes below apply to RY 2023 TRI forms, which are due to EPA by July 1, 2024.
Misc. Changes
- TRI facilities must report their foreign parent company, if applicable, in the following data elements:
- Part I, Section 5.3: Foreign parent company
- Part I, Section 5.4: Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) number of foreign parent company
- The de minimis levels for four chemicals have been changed from 1.0% to 0.1% since these chemicals are classified as carcinogens due to assessments by the International Agency for Research on Cancer:
- C.I. Direct Blue 218 (28407-37-6)
- 1,1,1-Trichloroethane (71-55-6)
- Diphenylamine (122-39-4)
- N-Methylolacrylamide (924-42-5)
Chemical List Changes
- For the first time, facilities must report on 9 per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) and 12 other chemicals.
- Note that for RY 2024 (reporting forms due July 1, 2025), a diisononyl phthalate (DINP) category and 7 PFAS were added to the TRI list. Read more about these requirements on the TRI Laws and Regulatory Activities webpage.
How Will EPA and Others Use Your Facility's Data?
The TRI data your facility submits are critically important and widely used—not only by EPA, but by public health and policy researchers, educators, local emergency planners, state technical assistance providers, community groups, prospective home buyers, and others.
EPA uses TRI data in many ways and for many purposes. These include:
- assessing trends in chemical waste management,
- evaluating industry progress in improving environmental performance,
- informing pollution prevention technical assistance,
- supporting chemical assessments under the Toxic Substances Control Act, and
- supplementing data in the National Emissions Inventory.
The timely submission of accurate data by your facility enables all of these important uses, and more. To see examples of how TRI data submitted by facilities like yours are being used, visit the TRI Data Uses Catalog.
TRI Training and Guidance Materials
GuideME
Information accessible via GuideME includes reporting instructions, the TRI chemical list, chemical- and industry-specific guidance, policy directives, training materials, questions and answers, and more.
Emissions Factors Guidance
EPA publishes emissions factors that apply to multiple chemicals and processes. Facilities that are subject to TRI reporting requirements may find these emission factors useful for estimating reportable quantities of TRI chemicals.