Environment

Many of the laws protecting our  environment require companies to report data. The reporting systems result in databases that contain a wealth of information. These databases are publicly available and usually searchable by facility names as well as various geographies (State, County/City and in some instances by Zip Code).

• Envirofacts - data from several major EPA databases such as (BRS, CERCLIS, TRI) with the ability to generate reports and maps corresponding to geographies down to the zip-code level. Read more about the databases and programs.

Quick Tips for Envirofacts:
From the Envirofacts homepage, go to the Queries Maps and Reports section and choose a database or program.
Spend sometime choosing the desired options from your query form. You don't have to fill in every field. Make certain to approve the default fields. From the resulting report, click on the facility to see a summary and then more detail report. There are opportunities for mapping from these reports.
(Note: Use the multiple query search form to search across all the databases at once. Multiquery report also provides opportunities for mapping the facilities - You may get more options if you use the specific query form as opposed to the multiquery form)

The databases in EPA and Envirofacts  site are highly integrated. Keep track of the databases searched so you won't keep searching the same databases.

• Environmental Protection Agency Try the following:
  • Clicking "Where You Live" leads to several interactive maps & tools that look at environmental conditions affecting a community at the Zip code level (Pollution, hazardous waste sites). After entering your zip code, "Search Your Community" leads to a report indicating which databases contain information for the facility. Choosing the facility will bring up the summary report, selecting additional information will bring up a more detailed report. The reports contain opportunities to map the facilities.
  • Click Programs, choose Programs by Topic. Select the area of interest. From this list, choose the program or database you wish to search . Explore and browse the programs on the list.

Related databases

• Score Card - Environmental Defense Fund access to TRI and other databases.
  Many ways to explore this site, the most straight forward approach seems to be by entering a zip code and then clicking on all the desirable links that show up on your scorecard. These links lead to data about the topic at the county level.
• Right To Know
  RTK NET was started in 1989 in support of the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA), which mandated public access to the Toxic Release Inventory. It is operated by two nonprofit organizations-- OMB Watch and the Center for Public Data Access--and funded by various government agencies and foundations. The site has grown to include several EPA databases that are singularly searched.
  • TRI
  • BRI
  • CERCLIS
  • ERNS (Emergency Response Notification System)
  • TSCATS (Toxic Substance Control Act Test Submissions)
  • RCRIS
  • ARIP ( Accidental Release Info Program)
  • PCS (Permit Compliance Systems