Call for 2015 Tribal Exchange Network Conference Abstracts

December 19, 2014

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) and Gila River Indian Community will host the 2015 Tribal Exchange Network Conference February 4-5, 2015, at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, in Chandler, Arizona.​ Presentation abstracts, Workshop Session proposals, and Poster requests are currently being accepted from Tribal and EPA representatives involved in the Exchange Network. Travel support may be available for Tribal presenters.
 
Abstracts are due by January 5, 2015.
 
For more information, visit .
 
Lydia Scheer
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals
P: 928.523.6887
E: lydia.scheer [at] nau.edu
 

ATTAINS Data Exchange Being Developed

December 12, 2014

EPA is pleased to announce the Assessment, TMDL Tracking And ImplementatioN System (ATTAINS) data exchange planning process is now underway. The ATTAINS flow will replace the OWIR data exchange in 2018. EPA plans to announce the formal release of ATTAINS v1.0 in the summer of 2015. An ATTAINS Integrated Project Team (IPT) will be formed in January 2015 to develop the new ATTAINS schema.

If you have any questions or would like to participate in the IPT, please contact EPA’s Dwane Young.

For the latest information, visit: https://www.exchangenetwork.net/data-exchange/attains.

Dwane Young
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.1214
E: young.dwane [at] epa.gov

Call for EN2015 Program Committee Members and EN2015 Presentation Proposals

December 11, 2014

Would you like to be involved in planning , the 2015 Exchange Network National Meeting? will be held September 29 – October 1, 2015, in Philadelphia. As a member of the Exchange Network Community, you are invited to contribute your ideas and expertise to your next National Meeting by joining the  Program Committee! Committee members can expect to participate in approximately one conference call per month, assist with recruiting and organizing moderators and presenters, and moderate one or more sessions. To join, please email Laura Spencer at lspencer [at] rossstrategic.com and help us make the best National Meeting yet!
 
Also, if you would like to deliver a presentation at , we would love to hear from you! The theme for the 2015 National Meeting is “Supporting the Business of Environmental Protection.” In addition to more traditional Exchange Network topics, E-Enterprise for the Environment and process improvement will be incorporated into the Program Agenda. If you are interested in presenting or organizing a session, please email a brief description of your proposed topic for the Program Committee’s consideration to Laura Spencer by January 31, 2015.
 
For all the latest information on , visit https://www.exchangenetwork.net/en2015.
 
Andrew Battin, Co-Chair
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.2140
E: battin.andrew [at] epa.gov
 
Matt Leopard, Co-Chair
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.1698
E: leopard.matthew [at] epa.gov
 
Victoria Phillips, Co-Chair
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
P: 617.292.5956
E: victoria.phillips [at] state.ma.us
 
Andrew Putnam, Co-Chair
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
P: 303.692.3579
E: andrew.putnam [at] state.co.us
 

2015 Tribal Exchange Network Conference Announced

December 4, 2014

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) and Gila River Indian Community announce that the 2015 Tribal Exchange Network Conference will be held February 4-5, 2015, at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, in Chandler, Arizona.​ The Tribal Exchange Network Conference provides Tribal professionals, and those working with Tribes, an opportunity to meet and learn about current initiatives, funding, and technical topics related to the Exchange Network.

For more information, visit .

Lydia Scheer
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals
P: 928.523.6887
E: lydia.scheer [at] nau.edu

TRI Version 6.0 Released

December 3, 2014

EPA is pleased to announce that version 6.0 of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Data Exchange.

This version includes the following RY2014 Information Collection Request and Reporting Forms and Instructions changes:

  • Add an optional extension to all phone numbers that would allow facilities to ensure that incoming calls are directed to the appropriate person.
  • Add an optional field to allow facilities to indicate the section of a water body that received the surface water discharge. Specifically, facilities could provide a reach code, which is a unique identifier for a linear, unbranched section of a water body.
  • Add check boxes to indicate whether a facility has provided a ‘‘Production Ratio’’ or an ‘‘Activity Ratio’’ (Part II: Sec. 8.9).
  • Add a new column where facilities can provide an optional percentage range indicating the estimated annual reduction in chemical waste generation associated with a given source reduction activity (Part II: Sec. 8.10).
  • Provide optional barrier codes that facilities can use in Section 8.11 to indicate why they could not implement any source reduction activities during the reporting year (Part II: Sec. 8.11).
  • Allow facilities to categorize optional free-text information entered in Sections 8.11 and 9.1 by selecting from a list of topics provided in TRI–MEweb.

All XML files uploaded to TRI-MEweb via Third-party Load as well as XML files forwarded to State partners of the TRI Data Exchange will adhere to v6.0 of the TRI XML schema beginning in calendar year 2015.

If you have any questions, please contact Shane Knipschild at knipschild.shane [at] epa.gov.

Shane Knipschild
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.2712
E: knipschild.shane [at] epa.gov