With the environment such a red-hot topic these days, the EPA's annual release of the Toxics Release Inventory is one of the most useful sources of solid local stories.

Some background from the EPA:

• What is the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and what do the data show for 2006?
• What materials are available for the Public Data Release?
• How can I obtain the full data set for my state?
• What about facility data errors?
• Are online tools available?
• What other information should I consider when using TRI data to assess releases in my neighborhood?

For tips on how to use the TRI and other pollution databases, I turn to the Society of Environmental Journalists:

• Envirofacts Warehouse: One-stop shopping (almost) for a wide collection of EPA pollution and permit databases for air, land, and water. A user-friendly query interface makes it fairly easy to punch in your ZIP code or county and get relevant results. Also gives results in map form.

• ECHO Database: The Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database is a specialized tool for tracking environmental evil-doers (and do-gooders, too). It offers detailed history on virtually every company or facility holding an EPA permit -- including inspections, compliance record, and any actions resulting from non-compliance.

• Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators: You have to order a CD to get this TRI-based model that yields very localized assessments of toxic risk to particular communities. Worth the trouble.

• A listing of other EPA databases and software easily accessible to reporters and public. Example: "Surf Your Watershed."

• Scorecard: A bit dated from its hey-day, but still relevant. A very user-friendly and localized tool for looking at a variety of EPA data on pollution and the risks it presents to communities.

And check out this Poynter article, "A Mortality Tale from the Scorecard Database," which cautions journalists to use these databases or they will go away.

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