A 1986 federal law required certain types of manufacturing
and processing facilities to submit to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency an annual report on their releases of certain chemicals. The reports, known as as the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), report the volume of chemicals released. EPA noted that the reporting of these chemicals does not mean that they pose a risk to people or the environment.

In July 1999 the reporting requirement was extended for the first time to include utilities with power plants that burn coal or oil, a process that results in the emission of some of the reportable chemicals. Of the nearly 650 chemicals included under TRI reporting, Constellation reports approximately 20.

Coal and oil contain trace amounts of many substances that naturally occur in soils and rocks. When these fuels are burned, some of the substances are released. Many are collected in emission control equipment. Chemicals not captured are what we report to the EPA.

In fact, most of the emissions we report are the natural by-products of the combustion process, and many of these TRI substances are removed before emissions even leave the stacks. However, releases from power generation companies are typically large because they are directly driven by how much electricity is produced from fossil fuels to meet customer needs.

Constellation Energy supports the Communities' Right to Know and works closely with the local community as well as all local, state, and federal authorities to share information.