Right-To-Know-More and Pollution Prevention Act of 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Title I: Public Right to Know About Toxic Chemical Use

Title II: Community Right to Know and Pollution Prevention

Planning

Right-To-Know-More and Pollution Prevention Act of 1997 - Title I: Public Right to Know About Toxic Chemical Use - Amends the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish thresholds for toxic chemicals that may present significant risks to children's health or the environment. Includes lead, mercury, dioxin, cadmium, chromium and other specified bioaccumulative chemicals as substances subject to such thresholds.

Makes dioxin and specified bioaccumulative chemicals subject to toxic chemical release form reporting requirements under EPCRA.

Authorizes citizen suits against the Administrator for failures to establish thresholds under this Act.

Expands information to be included in toxic chemical release forms, including the number of employees and potential exposures at reporting facilities as well as materials accounting information.

Requires the Administrator to take certain actions to: (1) standardize data and obtain and integrate information regarding toxic chemicals; (2) consolidate all annual reporting requirements of Federal environmental laws for small businesses and entities subject to toxic chemical release reporting; and (3) provide the public a single point of contact for access to information gathered by the Administrator.

Requires disclosures on the uses of toxic chemicals by reporting facilities.

Permits the withholding of portions of materials accounting information reported by covered facilities for purposes of protecting trade secrets.

Title II: Community Right to Know and Pollution Prevention Planning - Removes a requirement that a facility be in a specified Standard Industrial Classification Code to be considered a "covered" facility subject to toxic chemical release reporting requirements, thus requiring all facilities with more than ten employees that exceed threshold amounts to report.

Deletes provisions authorizing the Administrator to apply reporting requirements to certain additional facilities.

Authorizes the Administrator to exempt a facility or category of facilities from such requirements if reporting is inconsistent with efficient operation of EPCRA.

Requires covered facilities to prepare pollution prevention plans, summaries, and progress reports. Requires summaries and reports to be submitted to States and the Administrator and makes such documents publicly available.

Authorizes technical assistance for pollution prevention planning. Establishes criteria for State programs to carry out pollution prevention requirements.

Requires the Administrator to establish a small business pollution prevention compliance and technical assistance program. Authorizes the Administrator to publish a pollution prevention opportunity assessment manual and checklist for any commercial sector and allows small businesses in the relevant sector to complete the checklist in lieu of submitting a plan.