EmissionsLookup

About EmissionsLookup

EPA facility data — emissions, violations, and enforcement history — in one searchable database.

700K+

Regulated Facilities

650+

TRI Chemicals Tracked

50

States + Territories

What is EmissionsLookup?

EmissionsLookup is a public database of EPA-regulated industrial facilities across the United States. We aggregate data from two federal programs — EPA ECHO and the Toxic Release Inventory — into one searchable tool. Homebuyers, journalists, researchers, attorneys, and concerned citizens use it to find out what's being released into the air, water, and land near them, and whether the facilities responsible are in compliance with federal environmental law.

Where does the data come from?

All data comes from two EPA programs:

  • —EPA ECHO (Enforcement and Compliance History Online) — facility profiles, permit status, inspection records, violation history, and enforcement penalties across the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and RCRA hazardous waste programs.
  • —EPA TRI (Toxic Release Inventory) — annual reports of toxic chemical releases to air, water, and land, submitted by facilities that manufacture or process significant quantities of listed chemicals. Available from 1987 to present.

We download these datasets in bulk, normalize them, and load them into a searchable database. We do not modify, estimate, or supplement the underlying figures — what you see is what the EPA published.

What does the data include?

For each facility, EmissionsLookup shows:

  • —Compliance status — quarters out of compliance across air, water, and hazardous waste programs over the last three years
  • —Toxic chemical releases — annual pounds of each TRI chemical released to air, water, and land
  • —Violation history — individual violation records with dates and program
  • —Enforcement actions — penalty amounts, case numbers, and settlement dates
  • —Facility details — address, operator, NAICS industry code, permit types

Who uses EmissionsLookup?

  • —Homebuyers and renters researching environmental history near a property they're considering
  • —Parents concerned about air or water quality near schools and neighborhoods
  • —Journalists covering environmental issues or investigating specific facilities
  • —Environmental attorneys assessing a facility's compliance and penalty history
  • —Policy researchers analyzing industry-level emissions trends

How current is the data?

ECHO data is updated quarterly by the EPA. TRI data is published annually, typically in the fall following the reporting year. EmissionsLookup is refreshed when new bulk data is released. The footer of every page shows when data was last updated.

Limitations

EmissionsLookup reflects what facilities have reported to the EPA and what the EPA has recorded in ECHO. It does not capture unreported releases, emissions below TRI reporting thresholds, or contamination from historical sites not tracked in these programs. Compliance data is based on quarterly self-reporting and EPA inspections — it is a regulatory snapshot, not a real-time environmental measurement. For health or legal decisions, always consult official EPA sources and qualified professionals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)?

The Toxic Release Inventory is an EPA program that requires industrial facilities to annually report the quantities of toxic chemicals they release to air, water, and land, or transfer off-site. It covers roughly 650 listed chemicals and has been collected since 1987, making it one of the longest-running industrial pollution datasets in the world.

What do CAA, CWA, and RCRA mean?

CAA is the Clean Air Act, which regulates air emissions from stationary industrial sources. CWA is the Clean Water Act (administered through the NPDES permit program), covering facilities that discharge pollutants into surface waters. RCRA is the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which governs hazardous waste generators, transporters, and disposal facilities.

What does it mean when a facility has a violation?

A violation means the EPA recorded the facility was out of compliance with its permit during a given quarter — for example, exceeding discharge limits, missing required reports, or failing an inspection. The compliance quarters metric shows how many of the last 12 quarters the facility was flagged. An open violation is unresolved as of the most recent ECHO data update.

What do the penalty amounts represent?

Penalty amounts are the formal figures assessed by the EPA or state agencies in enforcement actions, as reported in ECHO. These are penalties officially levied, not necessarily the amounts ultimately collected. We display them exactly as published by the EPA — we do not modify or estimate any figures.

Why might a facility not appear in results?

EmissionsLookup covers facilities tracked in the EPA ECHO database. Small businesses, agricultural operations, and facilities regulated only at the state level may not appear. Facilities below TRI reporting thresholds will show in ECHO if they hold federal permits but will not have TRI release data. For facilities not found here, check the EPA ECHO portal directly at echo.epa.gov.

Is EmissionsLookup affiliated with the EPA?

No. EmissionsLookup is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the EPA or any government agency. All data is sourced from public EPA datasets under the EPA open data policy. For official information or to correct underlying data, contact the EPA directly.

EmissionsLookup is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the EPA or any government agency. Data is used under the EPA open data policy.