More industry needs to reveal emissions

President Bill Clinton is increasing by 30 % the number of industrial firms that must publicly report on the toxic chemicals they emit. Clinton also said the nation must step up research on whether industrial pollution is contributing to catastrophic weather events. "We have to find the best scientific evidence we have and we have to keep searching for the answers to this," he said. "I think every American has noticed a substantial increase in the last few years of the kind of thing like what is going on in North Dakota."
The United States is negotiating with other industrialised countries to reduce pollution from burning fossil fuels that scientists say traps heat in the atmosphere and changes the world's climate.
Clinton's action to expand reporting on industries' emissions of toxic chemicals, which carries out a pledge announced by Vice President Al Gore last June, added seven new industry categories that must reveal their chemical releases. It added 6,100 facilities that must disclose emissions of dangerous chemicals under the Toxic Release Inventory programme and raised the total number that must report to 31,000.
The rule adds metal and coal mining, electric utilities, commercial hazardous waste treatment, petroleum bulk terminals, chemical wholesalers and solvent recovery services to the 20 other categories of industries that must report. In addition, 700 chemical manufacturing facilities that already must participate in the programme will have to provide more information on the pollution they produce.