EPA May Tighten Trade Secret Status - After Reviewing Clean Air/Water Acts

Oct 13, 2026

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The Environmental Protection Agency may tighten exemptions for trade secret status after determining that the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act restrict such secrecy. The dispute centers on how far companies can withhold toxic release information under trade secret rules. Environmental groups argue that the Emergency Planning and Community-Right-to-Know Act bars reporting exemptions when other federal environmental laws prohibit waivers, and that air and water releases cannot qualify as trade secrets.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Highlights

EPA leadership change and environmental updates

EPA May Tighten Trade Secret Status

Scope of trade secret exemptions

Arguments from environmental groups

Reporting exemptions and statutory conflicts

Example: Firestone petition

Page 399 November 28,1988 SLANTS &TRENDS HIGHLIGHTS LEE THOMAS WILLLEAVE the post of Environ-mentalProtection Agency administratoron Jan.20.,the agen-cy said last week.Before heading EPA,Thomas was assis-tant administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Responsefrom 1983-1985,and associate director of the FederalEmer-gency Management Agency from 1981-1983. Trade Secret Exemption May Change.………Page 400Indoor Air Study Surprises EPA… ………Page 401Outlook for Indoor Air Bills Rosy…………Page 401 have destroyed the mouth of a creek,was voted down by theEverett City Council. "MYYEARS AT EPA have been the most challengingand fulfilling in a government career spanning more than twodecades,"said Thomas in astatement."The agency deals withan incredible array of issues that are vital to the well-being ofevery American.I am proud of EPA's 15,000employees andour record of accomplishment during my tenure as Ad-ministrator.” RETURNING TO NATURE:Bacteria in an ex-perimental waste treatment pond near Idaho Springs,Colo.,are extracting heavy metals out of gold mine acids and return-ing them to their original form--ore."What they³re doing ismaking another ore deposit,"Tom Wildeman,ColoradoSchool ofMines chemist,told The Denver Post.“We're notsure why that happens.” NO WORD YET AS TO the administrator's futureplans,but John Kasper,acing/ditector of_EPA's.PressDivision,did not rule out the possibility that Thomas wouldremain in the public sector."Iguess anything's possible,"hetold A/WPR. THE UNIQUE TREATMENT takes place in a man-made bog of manure,rushes,peat moss and cattails.TheSchool of Mines is pumping contaminated water out of along-abandoned mine and into the bog before itpollutes near-by streams.The mini-ecosystem is proving to be far less ex-pensive than traditional treatment methods.The Environmen-tal Protection Agency,which is backing the experiment,hasgiven agrant of $168,000 and has commited itself to provid-ing another$300,000. “THE 700 CLUB”:A coalition of 22 environmentalgroups will release “700 tecommendations for changes,inU.S.environmental policy”this week,Terry Kilpatrick,as-sistant director of “Blueprint for the Environment,”toldA/WPR.The coalition was assembled last January to preparethe report and will disband next month."We had 22 groupsrepresentedonour steering committee,"says Kilpatrick,“andmore than 100 others participated along the way.” “JUST SAY NO TO CYANIDE”is an ad slogandreamed upby a tropicalfish salesman,which will be part ofa crusade to end the Philippine practice of pumping sodiumcyanide into reefs where tropical fish flourish.The poisondoesn't kill the fish,but it drives them to the surface andmakes them easier to net.Whatit does kill,however,is coral.Anestimated95%of the reefs around the7,100 islands in thePhilippines have been killed this way,and New Yorker Bar-net Shutman is one of many trying to bring attention to thepractice,which the Filipinos do for economic reasons. “ALLTHEAGENCIES,"explained Kilpatrick,“EPA,Energy,DOT,and on down the line,will get a specific set ofrecommendations for their environmental policies."So,too,will President-elect George Bush,whowill be called upon“tomake the environment a central focus of his foreign anddomestic policy.”A/WPR will publish a story on thecoalition's recommendationsin the Nov.5 issue. "MIRACLE ON PIGEON CREEK:"A fifth-graderwho was “patrolling”Pigeon Creek in Snonomish County,WELCOME ACCOLADE?Texas has always pridedWashington,discovered that salmon have returned to theitself on having the biggest of everything,but a report byurban stream and are spawning for the first time in 10 years.Renew America ranks the Lone Star State as the biggestThe youngster is one of many participating in the county'ssource of man-made carbon dioxide in the U.S.Texas,main-Adopt-a-Stream program.The children have,among otherthings,alerted authorities to a chlorine spill and testifiedly because of its petrochemical industry,emits twice as muchagainst a proposed

FAQs

What change is the EPA considering regarding trade secret status?

The EPA may tighten exemptions for companies seeking trade secret status when it finds that the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act prohibit such exemptions.

What is the core issue about toxic release information?

The issue is the extent to which companies may conceal toxic release information from the EPA under trade secret rules.

Why do environmental groups oppose trade secret reporting exemptions?

They argue that relevant laws—linked to the Emergency Planning and Community-Right-to-Know Act and air/water restrictions under the Clean Water Act and related statutes—prohibit reporting exemptions and disallow trade secrets status for releases to air and water.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by Kurz