EPA Releases Preliminary 2023 TRI Data
Released July 30, 2024
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published preliminary Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data about chemical releases, waste management and pollution prevention activities that took place during 2023 at more than 20,000 federal and industrial facilities across the country. For 2023, 21 chemicals were added to the TRI list, and facilities were required to report on these if the reporting thresholds for each were met. The chemicals included nine per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) added to the TRI chemical list per the requirements of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
General Information on the 2023 Preliminary Data
The 2023 preliminary data were reported by facilities in covered industries that manufactured, processed or otherwise used substances on the TRI chemical list above threshold quantities during 2023.
The public can use these data to:
- Identify how many TRI facilities operate in a certain geographic area (e.g., a ZIP code),
- Identify which chemicals are being managed by TRI facilities and in what quantities, and
- Find out if a particular facility initiated any pollution prevention activities in the most recent calendar year.
The dataset released today contains the data as submitted by facilities and does not include any summary or trend analysis. While the preliminary data have not yet been through the complete TRI data quality process, the reporting software that facilities used to submit these data (TRI-MEweb) includes many automated quality checks that help prevent common mistakes during data entry. EPA is conducting additional quality checks to identify suspected reporting errors and follow up with facilities if data quality issues are identified. For details about the TRI data quality process, see the TRI Data Quality webpage.
EPA plans to publish a revised version of the dataset this October, which will include late submissions and revisions submitted by facilities. EPA will use the October dataset to develop the 2023 TRI National Analysis, which is expected to be published in early 2025.
The preliminary data are accessible on EPA's Envirofacts website. They are also available for download from the TRI website with additional datasets expected to be available on August 7, 2024.
PFAS-Related Information from the 2023 Preliminary Data
This is the fourth year that TRI data include reporting on PFAS added to the TRI list of chemicals under requirements established by the 2020 NDAA. EPA has received 156 TRI reporting forms for 44 discrete PFAS from 56 facilities. The preliminary data indicate facilities managed over 1,548,142 pounds of production-related waste of PFAS during 2023. In October 2023, EPA finalized a rule to improve reporting on PFAS to the TRI by eliminating an exemption that allowed facilities to avoid reporting information on PFAS when those chemicals were used in small concentrations. EPA anticipates additional reporting on the quantities of PFAS released or otherwise managed as waste to begin with the 2024 TRI data.