Your Right to Know about Toxic Releases

OMB Watch today launched a redesigned and expanded website for the Right-to-Know Network (RTK NET) at www.rtknet.org. The website serves as a source for information about environmental and public health threats and opportunities for public engagement with environmental policy, and it offers news, data, and analysis of environmental right-to-know issues.

Constantly evolving since its initial launch in 1989, RTK NET continues to provide free access to several government databases of environmental information. Users can identify sources of pollution in their communities, learn about the transport of hazardous waste, search reports of chemical spills and accidents, and much more.

RTK NET allows users to conduct countless types of data searches, including in the Toxics Release Inventory - a database containing information on toxic pollution from facilities across the nation. Visitors will also find interactive maps for comparing states and easy-to-understand graphs that clearly identify pollution trends.

In addition to offering access to extensive amounts of environmental data, the redesigned RTK NET presents information on how environmental data are being used to protect air and water quality, wildlife habitats, children's health, and more.

Visitors will also find news items dealing with government transparency, public access to information, and public participation in environmental decision making. Opportunities for grassroots action and citizen involvement are available, as well as tools for outreach and education.

By providing both the raw information and the context for how it can be used, RTK NET empowers citizens to make a difference in their communities and beyond.

RTK NET can be found at http://www.rtknet.org. Please take a look and let us know what you think.