Fact Sheet On EPA'S 33/50 Program

United States
Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Pollution Prevention
Washington, DC 20460

EPA Pollution Prevention Fact Sheet

August 1991

Goals

EPA's 33/50 Program is a voluntary pollution prevention initiative announced early in 1991, that is intended to achieve real reductions in pollution in a relatively short time frame.

Under this program, EPA has identified 17 high priority toxic chemicals. EPA's Administrator has set a goal of reducing the total amount of these chemicals released into the environment and transferred off-site by 33 percent by the end of 1992 and by 50 percent by the end of 1995.

EPA is seeking reductions primarily through pollution prevention practices, going beyond regulatory requirements. EPA also will be encouraging industry to develop a preventive approach seeking continuous environmental improvement even beyond these reductions and these chemicals.

Expected Results

Success in the program will be measured by and allows participating

In numeric terms, the amount of releases and off-site transfers will be reduced from 1.4 billion pounds reported in 1988 down to 700 million pounds by 1995. EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) will be used to track these reductions using 1988 data as a baseline.

Selection of Chemicals

Each of the 17 chemicals was selected from TRI based on a number of factors, including: high production volume; high releases and off-site transfers of the chemical relative to total production; opportunities for pollution prevention; and potential for causing health and environmental effects.

The 17 target chemical groups:

• Benzene
  
• Cadmium and Cadmium Compounds Carbon Tetrachloride
  
• Chloroform (Trichloromethane)
  
• Chromium and Chromium Compounds
  
• Cyanide Compounds and Hydrogen Cyanide Lead and Lead Compounds
  
• Mercury and Mercury Compounds
  
• Methyl Ethyl Ketone
  
• Methyl Isobutyl Ketone
  
• Methylene Chloride (Dichloromethane)
  
• Nickel and Nickel Compounds
  
• Tetrachloroethylene (Perchloroethylene)
  
• Toluene
  
• 1,1,1-Trichloroethane (Methyl Chloroform)
  
• Trichloroethylene
  
• Xylene (all xylenes)

Implementation

EPA is contacting companies to provide them with information on the 33/50 Program and to solicit their participation. Companies are being asked to identify and implement cost-effective pollution prevention practices related to the 17 chemicals; and to develop written commitments to publicly state their reduction goals and how they plan to achieve them. Access to these written commitment statements will be made available at a public docket at EPA Headquarters.

Of the first round of 600 companies contacted in the spring of 1991, 236 companies had committed by June 1991 to achieve average reductions of 50% by 1995, for an overall reduction commitment of more than 200 million pounds.

Background

The 33/50 Program is part of EPA's overall Pollution Prevention Strategy and the first of the Agency's new pollution prevention initiatives. It is also a major component of the Office of Toxic Substances Existing Chemicals Revitalization Program.

All of the 33/50 Program chemicals are regulated under one or more existing environmental statutes, and the 33/50 Program is intended to complement, not replace, ongoing EPA programs. All 17 targeted chemicals will be subject to the "Maximum Achievable Control Technology" (MACT) standards of the new Clean Air Act (CAA). EPA believes that the incentive for early reductions offered by the MACT provisions will further the progress of the 33/50 Program.

For More Information

For copies of a brochure on the 33/50 Program or other information, fax your request to the TSCA Assistance Service at 202-554-5603. Or call the TSCA Hotline at 202-554-1404 from 8:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. EST.