The U.S. EPA and the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) are cosponsoring a meeting aimed at expanding state participation in the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Data Exchange.
This meeting will provide you the opportunity to interact with representatives from states that have successfully implemented the TRI State Data Exchange Pilot and hear first hand their experiences and lessons learned. We will also discuss how states can be active participants in future exchanges of TRI data and help address any questions you may have. In addition, the group will discuss future phases of the TRI State Data Exchange.
background
In September 2004, EPA, Michigan, South Carolina, Virginia and Indiana launched the TRI State Data Exchange Pilot. This pilot project was designed to utilize the infrastructure of the National Environmental Information Exchange Network (Exchange Network) to reduce the time and resources needed for facility owners and operators to submit TRI data to EPA and state programs. The pilot project gave states an opportunity to significantly reduce the resources required for their individual data collection systems and receive their data via the Exchange Network. The implementation of the TRI State Data Exchange also benefits industry in that they will no longer have to submit data to both EPA and states, thus synchronizing their reporting obligations.
Using EPA's TRI Made Easy (TRI-ME) Software for Reporting Year (RY) 2004, facility owners and operators submitted information simultaneously to EPA and the pilot states via the Internet and EPA's Central Data Exchange (CDX). The CDX electronically forwarded facility TRI submissions to the pilot state agencies’ Exchange Network Nodes, streamlining data acceptance and processing at both the federal and state levels. This simultaneous reporting also enhanced data quality and processing. This should enable EPA and states to share information with the public more quickly.
The TRI Program is the first EPA program to utilize the Environmental Information Exchange Network in this capacity. As more states come on board with functioning state nodes, this project will lead to extensive savings for the states participating due to the elimination of manual data processing. EPA will also see significant cost savings with the elimination of state data reconciliation that occurs annually to ensure EPA and states have the same set of TRI data.
meeting purpose
This meeting will help states gain a basic understanding of the activities needed to be part of the TRI State Data Exchange. EPA and the states will describe the data exchange and the steps each state needs to take to implement a successful data exchange. The lessons learned from the pilot exchange will also be shared. In addition, we will be formulating the next phase of the TRI State Data Exchange which includes data publishing through web services.
With the successful conclusion of this year’s pilot, we are requesting state participation in an effort to expand the use of the TRI State Data Exchange in RY2005. In particular, as an exchange partner, states will work with EPA to:
Identify comprehensive requirements for exchanging TRI data using CDX and the state nodes;
Test the schema that will allow states to simultaneously receive data via the CDX Node;
Identify/develop tools that will allow your state to use the TRI data within your IT environment; and
Analyze your state business practices and ensure that polices and procedures are in place to support the TRI State Data Exchange.
who should attend
The most appropriate attendees will be representatives from state or regional Toxics Release Inventory programs and technical staff responsible for administering or implementing Exchange Network Nodes.
registration
Please notify Phyllis Donahue or Molly O'Neill by August 12 if you intend to come to the meeting. You may respond by email or phone.
Phyllis Donahue
Toxics Release Inventory Division
Office of Environmental Information
U.S. EPA
(202) 566-0338
Molly O'Neill
Executive Project Manager
Environmental Council of the States
(202) 624-3507
If you will require lodging for the night of September 21, we have a block of rooms available at the Hilton Hotel in Silver Spring, MD at a rate of $164.00. Meeting attendees are responsible for making their own reservations and paying for the room. State representatives may submit for expense reimbursement from ECOS by following the directions in the Travel Expenses section below.
You may reserve your room by calling Hilton Reservations at (301) 589-5200 or 1-(800)-HILTONS (445-8667) or by visiting their website. When booking your reservation, be sure to mention or enter the group code for the meeting: ECS
You must make your reservations no later than Friday, August 26, 2005. Reservations requested after this date will only be accepted based upon availability.
The meeting will be held in room 233 at the Hall of the States located at:
444 North Capitol Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
The Hall of States is located three blocks from Union Station which is served by Amtrak and Metro's Red Line. Click here for printable directions to the Hall of the States.
travel expenses
ECOS will reimburse states for travel expenses for up to two employees--one technical staff member and one representative from the state's TRI program. States should make their own travel arrangements and submit an expense reimbursement form to ECOS following the meeting. Forms and receipts for all items over $25 should be mailed to Kurt Rakouskas at the address shown on the form. You do not need to include receipts for meals and incidental expenses covered by the $51 per diem for Washington, DC.
