How much pollution can industry release into the environment without telling local residents? The US Environmental Protection Agency relaxed the law last year, but looks likely to toughen it up again after a high-profile lawsuit was filed in protest last week.
Until recently, US companies had to declare emissions of 230 kilograms or more per year, but last December the EPA increased this threshold tenfold. Twelve US states are now suing the agency to contest the hike.
The EPA is facing opposition from other quarters too. Bills that would reverse its decision are being considered by Congress, and the Government Accountability Office argued in October that low-income and ethnic minority communities would be disproportionately affected by the increased threshold. The GAO also noted that the relaxed limit only saves industrial facilities an average of $900 each per year. The EPA looks likely to back down.
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The equivalent European law has tough thresholds for declaring polluting compounds, some as low as 1 kilogram per year, but its scope is more limited. The EPA monitors about 650 pollutants, while EU law covers fewer than 100.
