Its chief purpose is to make all EPA information that is subject to the Freedom of Information Act, including regulatory, spatial and demographic data, accessible to federal, state and local regulators, citizens and private industry. Through site maps and text reports, the general public and EPA's 17,000 employees can use Envirofacts to track information such as hazardous waste, air and water emissions, and toxic releases. The site receives approximately 100,000 hits per month. The query generates a list of facilities that match the criteria. Users then select a facility to receive a detailed environmental profile with information such as the toxic chemicals the facility released over the last year and air emission estimates for pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act.
Users can also create queries by typing in a specific facility or company name.
Regulators can use this information to track non-compliant companies by regularly checking permit status to ensure compliance with permit limits, while the public can determine what discharges are being released in a community or by a company. Users can now create maps of their data, adding an extra dimension to their research. Articles appearing in the New Jersey Discharger may be reprinted provided source credit is given. Please contact Tom Cosmas regarding any comments on the New Jersey Discharger web pages.