Articles
Longer-form pieces on EPA ECHO data, the Toxic Release Inventory, Clean Air Act enforcement, environmental justice, and how to research industrial facilities in your community.
How EPA's ECHO Database Is Updated and What Its Lag Time Means
EPA ECHO is updated regularly but not in real time. Here's what the data currency means for interpreting facility compliance records.
The Difference Between Air Toxics and Criteria Pollutants
The Clean Air Act regulates two distinct categories of air pollutants differently. Here's why the distinction matters for facility emissions data.
Superfund vs. RCRA: Two Different Cleanup Programs Explained
Superfund and RCRA both address hazardous waste cleanup, but they operate through fundamentally different mechanisms. Here's the key distinction.
Cancer Risk Near Industrial Facilities: What EPA Data Shows
Carcinogenic chemical releases from TRI facilities are publicly tracked. Here's how to interpret cancer risk data near industrial sites.
RCRA Hazardous Waste: Key Compliance Requirements for Facilities
RCRA governs the generation, transport, and disposal of hazardous waste. Here's what regulated facilities must do and how compliance data is tracked.
Clean Water Act Violations: How NPDES Permits Work
The NPDES permit system regulates industrial discharges to waterways. Here's how it works and what violations look like in EPA ECHO data.
How to Compare Facilities in the Same Industry
Benchmarking a facility against its industry peers is one of the most useful ways to use emissions and compliance data. Here's how to do it.
Lead Emissions from Manufacturing: Sources and Declining Trends
Lead is one of the most closely tracked TRI chemicals. Emissions have fallen dramatically since 1990, but industrial sources remain significant.
Methane Reporting Under EPA's GHGRP: What Gets Captured
EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program tracks industrial methane emissions. Here's how it works and how it relates to TRI data.
How to Look Up Any Industrial Facility's EPA Compliance History
EPA ECHO contains compliance and enforcement data on hundreds of thousands of regulated facilities. Here's how to use EmissionsLookup to navigate it.