State nears lowest for
volume of toxic spills

CORRECTION Saturday, May 14, 2005 » In a Thursday story on Page A4 about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Toxics Release Inventory, it was incorrectly reported that the inventory ranked only the 50 states. The EPA ranked Hawaii 49th out of 56 localities, which included the 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. Also, the headline referred to "toxic spills," but the story referred to toxic chemical releases. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com.

Hawaii ranked 49th among the 50 states in the reported amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment from 2002 to 2003, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said yesterday.

Worst dumpers Hawaii's top 10 facilities for toxic chemical releases in 2003 were: 1 » Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc., Kahe Generating Station, 853,000 pounds 2 » U.S. Army, Schofield Barracks/ Wheeler Army Airfield, 445,000 pounds 3 » U.S. Navy Pearl Harbor Naval Complex, 369,000 pounds 4 » Hawaiian Electric Co. Waiau Generating Station, 269,000 pounds 5 » Chevron Hawaii Refinery, Kapolei, 208,000 pounds 6 » Hawaii Electric Light Co., Hill Generating Station, Hilo, 190,000 pounds 7 » Maui Electric Co., Kahului Generating Station, 170,000 pounds 8 » AES Hawaii Inc., Kapolei, 104,000 pounds 9 » Tesoro Hawaii Refinery, Kapolei, 102,000 pounds 10 » Hawaiian Electric Light Co., Puna Generating Station, 79,000 pounds Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Forty-one facilities in Hawaii reported 3.1 million pounds of toxic chemical releases, a 14 percent decrease from the previous year, according to the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, the agency's annual measure of toxic chemical releases, transfers and waste generated by facilities throughout the United States.

"TRI continues to be a useful tool for states, counties and communities to know what types and amounts of chemicals are present in their neighborhoods," said Wayne Nastri, the EPA's administrator for the Pacific Southwest region. "This is good news for the Aloha State, as releases to the air and water decreased."

Leading the decline in Hawaii was a 14 percent decrease, or nearly 346,000 pounds, in reported releases to the air, the EPA said.

Releases to the water decreased by 20 percent, or nearly 91,000 pounds, primarily due to the Pearl Harbor Naval Complex reporting fewer releases of nitrate compounds, the agency said.

By contrast, the Army's Pohakuloa Training Area Range Facility and several other federal training facilities in Hawaii reported an increase of lead and copper releases to the land of 9 percent, or nearly 21,000 pounds, the EPA said.

Hawaiian Electric Co.'s Kahe power plant on Oahu topped the list of toxic release sites in the state, followed by the Army's Schofield Barracks/Wheeler Army Air Field and Pearl Harbor, the agency said.