A group of states including New York is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [1] for weakening the mandatory disclosure of pollution, according to the New York Times [1].

Previously, Toxics Release Inventory Program [2] rules required polluters to submit detailed reports any time they used, stored or emitted more than 500 pounds or more of certain toxins. The Bush administration has raised this threshold to 5,000 pounds. TRI is one of the largest public notification programs in the world, and was created in the wake of industrial disasters.

New York's Attorney General Andrew Cuomo [3] said the lawsuit seeks to restore the public's right to information about chemical hazards. "The EPA's new regulations rob New Yorkers - and people across the country - of their right to know about toxic dangers in their own backyards."