The state of New Jersey, which has more extensive toxic chemical reporting requirements, ranked among the best.
Oil refineries use and release toxic chemicals that can harm human health and the environment.
An average-sized refinery releases over 10,000 gallons of waste daily to air, water and land, not including accidents. The public should advocate for improvements in weaker facilities and states. Congress should strengthen, not undercut, minimum requirements for states to protect citizens from toxic releases, and not provide any special exemptions for the oil industry. If key protections are weakened, some states could become 'pollution havens,' not unlike certain developing countries. The study also lists the most and least polluting refineries using several measures of efficiency, as well as refineries that did not report to TRI in 1992.