The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing that electric utilities monitor and report the amount of toxic substances released into the air, water and land from power plants each year.

The proposal would be an expansion of the EPA's Toxic Release Inventory program, which now applies to other industries or activities, but not to electric utilities.

Vice President Al Gore and EPA Administrator Carol Browner announced the proposal to add electric utilities and six other industries or activities to the program at a White House news conference Wednesday (6/26). Gore called the Toxic Release Inventory "the single most effective common-sense tool" to promote environmental protection.

PP&L supports the goal of providing public access to information regarding power plant emissions, but wants to make sure additional reporting requirements provide useful information.

"The vice president's statement is a public commitment that EPA will move forward with this initiative," said Lynn Ratzell, manager of PP&L's Environmental Management Division. "We have been working with the EPA on this issue to determine what appropriate reporting requirements should be and we will continue to do that. Our primary concern is to assure that there is a clear benefit in monitoring and reporting toxics beyond what is required by the Clean Air Act."

PP&L has continuous emission monitors on all of its power plant smokestacks. Under the requirements of the Clean Air Act and state air emission laws, PP&L monitors and reports sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions and opacity to the environmental agencies.

"A large amount of data concerning emissions from power plants already is available through other means," Ratzell said. "At a time when PP&L is working hard to reduce operating costs and to keep electricity prices competitive, we want to ensure that any additional costs have a definite benefit."