TRI-ME is an interactive, intelligent, user-friendly software tool that guides facilities through the TRI reporting experience. By leading prospective reporters through a series of logically ordered questions, TRI-ME streamlines the user's analysis needed to determine if a facility must complete a Form R report or Form A certification statement for a particular chemical. For those facilities required to report, the software provides the user with guidance for each data element on the reporting forms. Additionally, this software has a one-stop guidance feature, the TRI Assistance Library that allows users to do keyword searches on the statutes, regulations, and many EPCRA section 313 guidance documents. For the more experienced reporter, TRI-ME allows for direct data entry onto electronic versions of the Form R and Form A certification statement. TRI-ME will check the data for common errors and then prepare the forms, on paper, or magnetic media format, or electronically over the Internet via the EPA's Central Data Exchange (CDX) for submission to EPA.
For reporting year 2000, TRI-ME was distributed as a pilot release to a limited number of facilities.
Beginning with reporting year 2001, and for each reporting year thereafter, TRI-ME has been distributed with the paper version of the TRI Reporting Forms and Instructions in the spring before the July 1 reporting deadline to all facilities who have filed TRI reports in the past 2 years.
The Agency is committed to making the completion of TRI reports easier for facilities, while at the same time improving the quality of the submitted data. TRI-ME is designed to play a big role in achieving these goals.
The software can be downloaded at http://www.epa.gov/triinter/report/trime/patches.htm
FAA PROPOSES $97,500 PENALTY FOR IMPROPER SHIPMENT OF OXIDIZER
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Southern Region, has proposed to assess a $97,500 civil penalty against PerkinElmer Instruments of Shelton, CT, for allegedly violating Department of Transportation hazardous materials regulations.The FAA alleges that on February 22, 2002, PerkinElmer improperly offered a fiberboard box containing 83 100-milliliter plastic containers of “atomic absorption modifier solution,” an oxidizer, to United Parcel Service (UPS) for transportation by air. Ground handling employees at the UPS sort facility in Louisville, KY, discovered the shipment.
PerkinElmer offered the hazardous materials for transportation when they were not packaged, marked, classed, described, documented, or in condition for shipment as required by regulations. PerkinElmer also did not make available at all times the required emergency response information.
PerkinElmer had 30 days from receipt of the FAA notice to submit a reply to the agency.
EPA ANNOUNCES ELECTRONICS RECYCLING DROP-OFF EVENT IN PHILADELPHIA AREA
Following up October's announcement of the results of the "eCycling" pilot project, the nation's first collaboration between multi-state government agencies and the electronics industry to offer citizens and small business opportunities to reuse and recycle old computer equipment, televisions and other electronic products, EPA is sponsoring an electronics drop-off collection event this Sat., March 22, in Lindenwold, N.J., (near Camden) from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. All citizens in the Philadelphia area are invited to bring in their privately-owned computers and other consumer electronics for recycling and reuse.The eCycling program helps prevent toxic chemicals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and chromium from possibly endangering public health and the environment, and it saves precious landfill space. Launched in October 2001 out of EPA's Mid-Atlantic regional office in Philadelphia, eCycling officials evaluate different methods of collecting end-of-life electronics, compile data about the costs of collecting, transporting and processing electronics and help define the roles and responsibilities of government, consumers, electronics manufacturers, retailers and recyclers in recycling. Using funds so far totaling at least half a million dollars from EPA, the Mid-Atlantic states, manufacturers and members of the Electronic Industries Alliance, eCycling held 45 drop-off events in 31 counties during the pilot project, collecting over 2700 tons of used electronics from Mid-Atlantic residents, and preventing over 22,000 cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in televisions from entering the region's landfills and incinerators. (CRTs are a source of the hazardous substance lead.) These collection events will continue to raise awareness of the need to recycle and reuse unwanted electronics, and will further enable government agencies to lead by example. All recyclers in the eCycling program using federal government money must certify that equipment is recycled safely and will not be dismantled or managed overseas. As part of these drop-off events, government and industry share the cost to collect, transport, and process the equipment, and electronics manufacturers Panasonic, Sharp and Sony pay to recycle their respective brands of electronics.
The Electronic Industries Alliance, headquartered in Arlington, Va., is a partnership
of electronic and high-tech associations and companies whose mission is promoting
the market development and competitiveness of the U.S. high-tech industry through
domestic and international policy efforts. For more information about these
special electronics collection events, see: http://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/eCycling.htm