The EPA has updated the part of its website dedicated to the TSCA Inventory Update Rule (IUR) with a variety of tools and guidance to assist the regulated community in meeting its upcoming reporting obligation (see www.epa.gov/opptintr/iur/). Under the IUR, manufacturers and importers of certain chemical substances at or above the 25,000 pounds threshold on a facility basis must report prescribed data to the EPA periodically. The next reporting period is Aug. 25, 2006, to Dec. 23, 2006, for data from calendar year 2005.

Among the useful information and links on the EPA’s updated IUR website are the following:

• The EPA’s Instructions for Reporting for the 2006 Partial Updating of the TSCA Chemical Inventory Database, draft, June 2006;
• A revised draft version of a Questions and Answers Guidance Document, dated June 2006 (but only posted in August);
• A separate addendum to the revised draft Questions and Answers Guidance Document addressing IUR issues specifically for inorganic chemicals, dated June 2006;
• eIUR software that can be downloaded for electronic reporting, as well as a PDF version of Form U, for the 2006 IUR;
• Fact sheets about the new electronic IUR reporting tool and electronic submission of IUR data over the Internet through the EPA’s Central Data Exchange;
• Guidance on how to claim confidentiality for certain reported information, addressing among other things the new requirement of upfront substantiation for assertions of plant site confidentiality;
• Information about chemicals that may be partially exempt from reporting; and
• A summary of the regulatory changes between the 2002 and 2006 reporting cycles.

Additionally, according to the website, case studies will be made available through the website by Aug. 30, 2006.

Finally, on the website the EPA notes that there will be no additional training sessions before the 2006 reporting period, but a presentation given during the previously held workshops is posted.