CORPORATISM - LOOKING GLASS NEWS | |
TOP CORPORATE AIR POLLUTERS NAMED |
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from Political Economy Research Institute
Entered into the database on Wednesday, May 17th, 2006 @ 11:32:51 MST |
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Researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the
University of Massachusetts today released the Toxic 100, an updated list of
the top corporate air polluters. "The Toxic 100 informs consumers and shareholders which large corporations
release the most toxic pollutants into our air," says James K. Boyce, director
of PERI's environment program. "We measure not just how many pounds of
pollutants are released, but which are the most toxic and how many people are
at risk. People have a right to know about toxic hazards to which they are exposed.
Legislators need to understand the effects of pollution on their constituents." The Toxic 100 index is based on air releases of hundreds of chemicals from
industrial facilities across the United States. The rankings take into account
not only the quantity of releases, but the relative toxicity of chemicals, nearby
populations, and factors such as prevailing winds and height of smokestacks.
The Toxic 100 index identifies the top air polluters among corporations that
appear in the “Fortune 500,” “Forbes 500,” and “Standard
& Poor's 500” lists of the country's largest firms. The Toxic
100's top five companies are E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co., US Steel, ConocoPhillips,
GE, and Eastman Kodak. A new feature of the web-based list is that readers can see
the details behind each company, such as individual facilities owned by
the corporation, specific chemicals they emit, their toxicities, and their contributions
to the company's overall Toxic Score. The data on chemical releases come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). The TRI is widely cited in press accounts that
identify the top polluters in various localities. But reports based on these
data alone have three limitations: Raw TRI data are reported in total pounds of chemicals, without taking into
account differences in toxicity. Pound-for-pound, some chemicals are up to
ten million times more hazardous than others. TRI data do not calculate the numbers of people affected by toxic releases--for
example, the difference between facilities upwind from densely-populated urban
areas and those located far from population centers. TRI data are reported on a facility-by-facility basis, without combining
plants owned by one corporation to get a picture of overall corporate performance.
The Toxic 100 index tackles all three problems. It includes toxicity weights
and the number of people at risk using 2002 data—the most recent available
from the EPA's Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators project. PERI researchers
added up facility-by-facility data from the EPA to get corporate rankings. “In making this information available, we are building on the achievements
of the right-to-know movement,” Boyce explains. “Our goal is to
engender public participation in environmental decision-making, and to help
residents translate the right to know into the right to clean air.” THE TOXIC 100: Top Corporate Air Polluters in the United
States >>
For details on how this table was prepared, see Technical Notes. >>
Search detailed company reports. E.
I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co. Archer
Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) . . . . Constellation
Energy Group Inc. United
Technologies Corp. (UTC) Public
Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) Heartland
Industrial Partners LP Explanatory notes: Toxic score: Pounds of air releases reported in the US Environmental
Protection Agency's Toxics Release Inventory for the year 2002, weighted by
toxicity of chemicals and number of people impacted. Weights are from the EPA's
Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators project. For
details, see Technical Notes. Quantity of toxic air releases: Millions of pounds of toxic
chemicals released, without weighting for toxicity or population. Coverage: This table presents the highest toxic scores for
corporations that appear on the Fortune 500, Forbes 500, and/or Standard &
Poor's 500 lists in the year 2003. Individual facilities are assigned to corporate
parents on the basis of the most current information on the ownership structure.
For further information, contact Professor Michael
Ash at +1 (413) 545-6329 or visit PERI's Corporate
Toxics Information Project. |