Ruskin resists federal plans to reduce toxic emissions data Ruskin resists federal plans to reduce toxic emissions data (February 01, 2006)

** Assemblyman will speak Feb. 3 in Palo Alto.

By Renee Batti

Almanac News Editor

State Assemblyman Ira Ruskin, D-Redwood City, says he is firmly opposed to a federal plan to reduce the amount of toxic-emission information that industries must provide to the public and the government.

But in addition to urging the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to abandon its controversial plan, Mr. Ruskin will introduce legislation that would keep the current rules on reporting toxic emissions in effect in California, he announced last week.

The issue is likely to be among the topics he discusses at a local talk at 7 p.m. Saturday, February 3. The talk, an update on what's happening in Sacramento, will be in the Channing House auditorium, 850 Webster St. in Palo Alto. The event is open to the public.

Mr. Ruskin, who represents Assembly District 21, is expected to discuss the latest developments in the areas of the state budget, bipartisan collaboration, the environment and education.

The chair of the Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, Mr. Ruskin wrote a letter in mid-January to the head of the EPA opposing the plan to lower the emissions-reporting requirements. The information collected under the current reporting laws, he argued, "is crucial for making decisions to protect public health and the environment, and the proposed changes will greatly hamper efforts by citizens and policy makers ... to gather information on polluters."

Under the current law, that information is provided through a publicly available database. It includes data on toxic chemical releases and other waste management activities reported annually by specific industry groups and federal facilities, Mr. Ruskin said in a press release issued last week.

The requirements were established by two federal laws: the 1986 Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act and the 1990 Pollution Prevention Act, according to Mr. Ruskin. Chemicals covered by the rules include mercury, DDT and PCBs.

The EPA's proposed new law, called the "Burden Reduction Proposed Rule," would raise the baseline reporting threshold for chemicals released from the current 500 pounds to 5,000 pounds, he said. It would also require reports every two years rather than the currently required one year.

The law Mr. Ruskin plans to introduce in Sacramento would essentially maintain the current toxic-emission reporting rules in California.

INFORMATION

Assemblyman Ira Ruskin will present a "Sacramento Update" at 7 p.m. Friday, February 3, in the Channing House auditorium, 850 Webster St., between Homer and Channing avenues in Palo Alto.

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