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RMP "Worst Case Scenario" Essay and Links
Multiple Toxic Point Source Web Maps

(Brief Update 03/13/00: It has been nearly a year since we filed a FOIA for the CEP data. Subsequently the data was made available to the public upon request though no analysis, maps or the like were made available. We are waiting now to hear about the availability of the new CEP data that uses more recent data. We will keep you advised. RMP reports are available on the EPA website though they lack "worst case scenarios" (see our Chemical Accident Preparedness map project. Check the links below for articles and reports about the CEP and RMP data.)

Introduction:

Two new EPA data products have the potential of increasing dramatically our awareness of toxic chemicals in our communities. The Cumulative Exposure Project (CEP) models the concentration of 148 Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) for each of the nation's 60,000 plus Census Tracts. The Chemical Accident Prevention and Risk Management Planning (RMP) is a database of the worst-case-scenarios for accidental releases of toxic chemicals for over 60,000 facilities around the U.S. Combined these two data products will take us well beyond what we know about toxic chemicals in our communities, now available through the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI).

Sadly, EPA is witholding both products. CEP data in its raw form will not be available on its website. This is in response to some who say that the data is not current and does not reflect recent improvements in air quality. They want EPA to wait and rerun their model with more current 1996 data. This is actually a perfect reason to release the data NOW. Once EPA has rerun the data then a comparison can be made between the two sets of data and we can all determine where improvements have been made and, of course, where they have not. Industry in chorus with the FBI has convinced EPA that release of the RMP data on the internet will enable terrorists to target industrial facilities, increasing the risk to surrounding communities. Others disagree saying that the greatest threat to communities is NOT having this information freely available.

Our Right-To-Know about toxic chemicals in our communities, our free and complete access to data provided at public expense is threatened. Please email Daniel Axelrad at [email protected] and demand that the raw CEP data at the Census Tract level be made available NOW for download in its entirety on the CEP website. I hope that you will also contact your local representatives, senators, and anyone else you can think of and encourage them to help make this data widely available as soon as possible. (Update May 4, 1999: In February I filed a FOIA and received the CEP data CD from EPA. Though EPA still has not published the data on their website you can request if from Mr. Daniel Axelrad. Be certain to also ask for the CD with "concentrations by source". This latter CD was not sent to me as a result of my original FOIA. EPA assures me now that it is on its way.)

I will be updating the following list of links often to provide you current information about these two closely related issues. I also would appeciate your help in pointing me towards information that I may have missed.

Thanks,

Mike Meuser

EPA Will Not Distribute Chemical Accident Data Over the Internet
An essay and many links to information about RMP.

The following news and links related to CEP, RMP, chemical hazards, and other Right-To-Know issues are updated frequently. More current News and RTK Resources are available at our Home Page.

State of Minnesota puts CEP Maps on the internet
February 17, 2000: Update on EPA shutting down its Web site

November 26, 1999: Support Your Local Corporate Crime Police

November 18, 1999: ATSDR Report on Chemical Terrorism

November 17, 1999: Bush pushes secrecy for environmental audits

November 16, 1999: Bhopal Gas Disaster Victims File Class Action Suit Against Union Carbide

September 24, 1999: Senate Gags EPA and Enviro-groups

August 23, 1999: RTK NET puts Worst Case Scenarios online

August 16, 1999: Right-To-Know Thwarted: Freeholders yield on tours of hazardous plants

June 29, 1999: RMP Data Online

June 21, 1999: Chemical reports sparking a debate

June 21, 1999: Chemical Accidents, Uninformed Public May Be Greater Threats Than Terrorism

June 21, 1999: P&G must disclose plant's risks to public

June 14, 1999: 5 New RMP "backgrounders" available from National Safety Council

May 24, 1999: Bliley statement on Worst Case Scenarios

May 22, 1999: The Real Threat on the Internet? Terrorists or Environmentalists?

May 20, 1999: Good-bye Civil Liberties: Congress Hurries to Limit Public's Right to Know.

May 19, 1999: The power of full disclosure and environmental data: Governor Whitman (NJ) urged to be tougher on air quality.

May 19, 1999: Download the final version of the HPV chemical list. Also background links to EPA, EDF, and Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) agreement on HPVs. Download EDF's report, Toxic Ignorance.

May 18, 1999: Battle over worst-case EPA data online (excellent background to current Chemical Safety Information and Site Security Act discussion)

May 17, 1999: White House: Keep EPA (worst case scenario) reports off Net

May 17, 1999: Mapping the risks of pollution: New Jersey Takes CEP Seriously

May 17, 1999: More CEP in the News: Pollution study cites small firms, autos.

May 17, 1999: Court Voids EPA Air-Pollution Rules

May 6, 1999: NYPIRG's Community Mapping Assistance Project.

April 29, 1999: CMA, House Leaders Want Chemical Disaster Scenarios Off-Line.

April 29, 1999: DUPONT RELEASES "WORST CASE SCENARIO - THOUSANDS COULD DIE.

April 23, 1999: SVTC adds CEP and Multiple Point Source internet maps to their Eco-Map Family.

April 19, 1999: Use of CEP (Cumulative Exposure Data) in Philadelphia.

April 19, 1999: EDF's Scorecard adds CEP data.

April 3, 1999: Deadly Alliance: How Government and Industry Chose Weapons over Workers.

March 31, 1999: How a Brooklyn neighorhood uses GIS to map toxics.

March 23, 1999: University of Southern California: Air pollution linked to chronic health problems in children

March 23, 1999: EPA policy urges companies to test computers for Y2K problems

March 23, 1999: Study: California Smog Hurts Kids Lungs, Long-Term

March 23, 1999: Direct link between air pollution and childhood asthma

March 23, 1999: 1999 Report on Dioxins, Furans, and Hexachlorobenzene Released by Environment Canada

March 22, 1999: Deadline for risk-management plan ("worst case scenario") for chemicals draws close

March 21, 1999: Bay air 200 times dirtier than U.S. health goal (SF Examiner, March 19, 1999)

March 21, 1999: Air-Pollution Cancer Risk Reported High in Bay Area (SF Chronicle, March 19, 1999)

March 21, 1999: Recent Report: Exposure to Hazardous Air Pollutants in the San Francisco Bay Area - Exposure to carcinogens in air over 200 times safe limits.

March 19, 1999: NEW! Internet guide for finding chemical information on the internet and other global chemical RTK resources

March 17, 1999: Millennium bug could have toxic effects for chemical companies, experts say

March 17, 1999: OECD's Work on Chemical Accidents: Y2K Issues - An Electronic Information Clearing House on Chemical Emergencies

March 17, 1999: Third Meeting of the Intersessional Group Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety

March 17, 1999: INTERNATIONAL YEAR 2000 CHEMICAL SAFETY ADVISORY

March 17, 1999: Congressional hearing on EPA's Risk Management Program under section 112 (r) of the Clean Air Act

March 16, 1999: Y2K Threatens U.S. Chemical Plants - Report

March 16, 1999: Chemical Safety Board Presents Y2K Report to Senate Special Committee - dowload the full report

March 11, 1999: Full Disclosure Reports on Drinking Water Due this Year

March 4, 1999: How Clean Air Bit the Dust

March 2, 1999: More Articles About Waxman's LA Air Pollution Report

March 2, 1999: HIGH LEVELS OF TOXIC POLLUTANTS FOUND IN LOS ANGELES AIR: 426 Times Higher Than EPA Limits!

March 2, 1999: Y2K Testing: EPA states its intent to waive 100% of the civil penalties

March 1, 1999: EPA Alert: Y2K issue could threaten worker and community safety and health

February 27, 1999: A First Look At The 600K Report: Commercial Chemical Incidents In The United States, 1987 - 1996
"Why The 600K Report? Why, indeed? Why does the industrial equivalent of two 737 airplanes "crash" year after year, killing all passengers (256 people)? And why does no one seem to notice?"

February 25, 1999: MAKING THE CONNECTION: Y2K & "WORST CASE SCENARIO" - Testimony by Gerald V. Poje, Ph.D. U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board on Y2K and chemical plants - "85 million Americans live, work and play within a 5 mile radius of 66,000 facilities handling regulated amounts of high hazard chemicals"

February 25, 1999: Y2K increases potential for chemical plant problems yet EPA and congress work to limit chemical plant information

February 24, 1999: Cumulative Exposure (CEP) data in the news - several stories

February 22, 1999: Your right to know: Local plants reveal their worst cases, prevention efforts Friday under new federal law

February 22, 1999: EPA guidance for High Production Volume (HPV) program

February 21, 1999: RMP Chemical Accident "Worst Case Scenario" Maps already on the internet

February 19, 1999: CMA, EPA, EDF Unveil Voluntary Framework For Speeding Up Testing of HPV Chemicals

February 18, 1999: Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Chemicals - EPA Public Meeting March 5, 1999

February 13, 1999: Does the Web promote terrorism?

February 10, 1999: Testimony of Paul Orum Working Group on Community Right-to-Know

February 10, 1999: Letter from organizations committed to preserving the public's right to know

February 10, 1999: Lawmakers Weigh National Security Issues and the Net

February 10, 1999: Letter Defending Freedom of Information Act

February 5, 1999: Detailed articles on CEP data from the Star Tribune, Minneapolis-St. Paul

February 4, 1999: MULTIPLE TOXIC POINT SOURCE WEB MAPS ONLINE

February 4, 1999: "Risk of cancer linked to toxins in state's air", Sunday, January 17, 1999 By Jim Graham, Concord Monitor staff

February 4, 1999: Northeast States' Perspective to the Environmental Protection Agency's Cumulative Exposure Project

February 4, 1999: Air Toxics in New Hampshire

February 4, 1999: New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Announces New Efforts Targeting Toxic Air Pollution: New State and Federal Initiatives Include Measuring and Modeling Hazardous Contaminants in Air January 22, 1999 (PDF file)

February 4, 1999: NPR Living on Earth: "EPA Air Pollution Study Put On Hold"

February 4, 1999: "Few places left in U.S. to breathe clean air, EPA study finds Results show virtually every American inhales unsafe levels of toxic chemicals", The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, January 21, 1999

February 4, 1999: "U.S. EPA's Cumulitive Exposure Project", Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection

February 3, 1999: Toxic Chemicals Cover America, EPA Study Says - but Data Shelved

February 3, 1999: CEP Charts and Maps on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's website

February 3, 1999: More on "Carcinogens Everywhere"

Environmental News
EDN - Environmental Disclosure News and Links
RMP "Worst Case Scenario" Essay and Links
Multiple Toxic Point Source Web Maps - A Preview