high-tech skills required by employees
in this industry. (See table 3.)


ANNUAL REVEW


Leisation and Government Programs
The North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) was signed into
law by the President on December 8,
1993 (Public Law 103-182).1" This act
was designed to liberalize agricultural
and industrial trade between Canada,
Mexico, and the United States owing to
a gradual phaseout of most tariff
barriers.
Section 313 of EPA's Emergency
Planning  and  Community   Right-to-
Know Act of the Superfund
Amendments and Reauthorization Act
(SARA) of 1986 (Public Law 99-499)
required EPA to establish a national
inventory of toxic chemical emissions
from certain facilities, called the Toxic
Release Inventory (TRI). EPA's 1992
TRI data released in April 199412
disclosed  that  organic  compounds
accounted for 31 of the top 50 TRI
chemicals releases, led by methanol,
toluene, acetone, 1,,1-trichloroethane,
and xylene. Organic compounds also
predominated the reported emissions of
suspected carcinogens, ozone-depleting
chemicals, and bioaccumulators. EPA
reported that about 17 million tons of
toxic chemical waste continued to be
generated by reporting facilities, about
80% of which was recycled, recovered,
or treated on-site. Industrial releases to
the environment were reported to have
declined 6.6% from the previous year,
and  offsite transfers  to treatment
facilities,  primarily  for  recycling,
increased nearly 17%. EPA planned to
double the list of TRI chemicals to
about 600 compounds in 1994,
including several pesticide materials.
The 1992 TRI indicated that for
about 300 chemicals surveyed, a total of
3.4 million tons was released to the
environment or transported to offsite
facilities, including publicly owned
treatment works (POTW's), of which
about 1.4 million tons (42%) was
released directly to the air, water, land,


or injected underground.  Based on
available information, about 50% by
weight of direct releases was
attributable to organic chemicals, while
organic compounds comprised about
30% of the 2 million tons transported
offsite. Approximately 65% of total
offsite transfers was recycled; 18%,
treated; 11%, recovered as energy; and
the remainder disposed of. (See table
4.)
TRI includes a voluntary industry
toxic chemicals control program known
as 33/50, implying an interim goal of
reducing emissions of 17 high-priority
toxic chemicals by 33% between 1988
and 1992, with an ultimate goal of 50%
reduction by 1995. One of the more
noteworthy findings revealed in the
1992 TRI was that emissions had
declined more than 40% between 1988
and   1992,   surpassing  program
objectives.  Twelve of the seventeen
high-priority toxic chemicals listed
under the 33/50 program were organics:
benzene,   carbon    tetrachloride,
chloroform, cyanides, dichloromethane,
methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl
ketone, tetrachloroethylene, toluene,
1,1, 1-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene,
and xylenes.
On August 3, 1993, the President
signed a new Executive order pledging
the Federal Government to protect the
environment by preventing pollution at
the source. This executive order applies
Federal Right-to-Know laws, including
TRI reporting requirements, to all
Federal facilities beginning in 1994.
On November 30, 1993, EPA
finalized the addition of more than 30
chemicals to the TRI list. EPA added
11 hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC's)
because of their potential to damage the
Earth's protective ozone layer, leading
to  adverse   human    health  and
environmental effects. EPA also added
21 chemicals and 2 chemical categories
that were listed under the Resource
Conservation  and   Recovery   Act
(RCRA). On January 12, 1994, EPA
proposed the addition of 313 toxic
chemicals to the TRI list, including
hazardous air pollutants, carcinogens,
ozone depleters, and pesticide active


ingredients.
The Energy Policy Act of 1992
(H.R. 776) was signed into law by the
President in  October 1992.    This
comprehensive energy bill contained 30
titles  covering  nonrenewable  and
renewable energy resources and was
underscored  by  environmental  and
energy  efficient mandates  for  the
implementation of new technology and
for long-range research and planning.
Under Title XIII-Coal-clean coal
technology, the Secretary of the Interior
was to provide consulting services to the
Secretary of Energy for research and
development of effective utilization of
coal wastes and for the administration of
mineral rights for coalbed methane
projects on Federal lands.
Title XVI-Global Climate
Change-included provisions for a 75%
increase in energy derived from
renewable resources over 1988 levels by
the year 2005 and a reduction in the
Nation's oil use from a level of
approximately 40% of total energy
consumption in 1990 to 35% by the
year 2005.
The Clean Air Act of 1990 (Public
Law 101-549) contains 11 titles that
target 3 major forms of pollution: acid
rain, smog, and toxic air pollutants.
The most important facets of the act
relative  to  nonrenewable,  nonfuel
organics deal with VOC emissions from
industrial  processing,  industrial
solvents, paints, and coatings, together
with emissions from coke ovens.
Effective November 1, 1992, EPA's
Oxygenated Fuel Program required
gasoline marketers to commence
supplying fuel oxygenates averaging
2.7% by weight oxygen during 4
inclusive winter months in 39 cities that
did not meet Federal air quality
standards for carbon monoxide. The
major fuel oxygenates are MTBE, a
nonrenewable organic material produced
from the natural gas derivative methanol
and  isobutylene;  and  ethanol,  a
renewable organic material produced
primarily through the fermentation of
corn starch.
EPA's year-round reformulated fuel
program will commence on January 1,


NONRENEWABLE ORGANIC MATERIALS-1993








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