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In 1986, President Reagan signed into law the Emergency Preparedness and Community-Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). EPCRA's key component is the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). Each year since 1987 more than 23,000 companies have filed TRI reports on their total emissions of more than 600 different chemicals. TRI reports are filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For much of the '90s, manufacturers were the only companies required to file TRI reports. But in July 1999, electric utilities were required to submit TRI reports to EPA.
- What does the TRI list include?
- Why is your power plant releasing chemicals?
- What elements are in by-products?
- What is being done to protect my family and the environment?
- What is JEA's safety record?
- Who do I call if I have more questions?
Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) FAQ
What does the TRI list include?
A listed substance must be measured for a year and reported if the amount manufactured, processed or used exceeds specific threshold amounts. If this threshold is exceeded, the amount released to land, water and air must be reported. The definition of "released" in right-to-know legislation is very broad. It includes:
- All emissions that meet TRI levels must be reported, even if they are permitted by environmental agencies or other regulations or legislation;
- Substances collected and eliminated in pollution control and treatment processes within a facility, even if they are never released or transferred into the environment outside a facility;
- Substances present in by-products such as ash, gas and fine particles that are transported away from a facility for disposal, treatment, recycling, or energy recovery to another facility, even if they are not released into the environment; and
- Substances present in by-products that are collected for reuse, recycling or disposal within a facility. Even if a substance is collected and reused over and over again, it must be measured and reported each time it is "released" during the process.
Why is your power plant releasing chemicals?
Your electricity is generated by fossil fuels. JEA burns fuel to create heat, which generates steam that is used to power a turbine. The turbine powers a generator, which spins a coil of wire surrounded by a magnetic field to create electricity. The electricity is distributed to our customers' homes and businesses through power lines. Generating electricity by burning fuels naturally creates by-products.
What elements are in by-products?
By-products created by fossil fuels include ash, gases and fine particles. These by-products contain naturally occurring elements that are found in fossil fuels, as well as other compounds that are listed as reportable substances in the right-to-know legislation.
Substances that JEA may report include:
- Elements such as barium, copper, beryllium, lead, nickel, zinc, arsenic, chromium, cobalt, manganese and selenium. These naturally occurring elements are released in by-products such as ash and fine particles when fuel is burned. Some, such as copper and nickel, may also be released in cooling water;
- Hydrogen fluoride, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, which are created when fuel interacts with other compounds during combustion and are released as aerosols; and
- Compounds such as chlorine and ammonia that are "otherwise used" in a power plant to clean and maintain equipment. These compounds are also found in common household cleaning products.
Other by-products created during the generation of electricity, but not included in TRI reports, are:
- Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide. These compounds are also released when you drive your car or use a barbecue or fireplace. Florida's electric utilities have been monitoring, reporting and controlling these substances for 25 years under other federal and state legislation.
Mercury, which is present in coal and oil, is usually released as a gas during combustion. Mercury emissions by electric utilities are below TRI reporting requirements--our industry accounts for less than a third of all U.S. industrial mercury emissions--but Florida utilities are currently monitoring and reporting to the EPA under a different program.
What is being done to protect my family and the environment?
JEA's environmental performance meets or is better than all federal, state and local emission requirements. Additionally, JEA is constantly exploring alternative ways to improve the environment while maintaining reliable service and low rates for our customers. Also, in 1998 the EPA released a report on its assessment of risk associated with living near power plants. The report placed the risk very low (less than one in a million). It further stated that the risk assessment methods used were conservative and thus tend to overestimate risk.
What is JEA's safety record?
For more than 100 years, JEA has been operating at numerous locations within our community and has never had a chemical release large enough to harm any of our neighbors or customers. JEA is committed to continuing this excellent safety record.
Who do I call if I have more questions?
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