Recipe: Environmental risk

Map a facility or company’s environmental risk: EPA enforcement actions, greenhouse-gas emissions, toxic releases, air quality, pending Federal Register rules.

Tools used: echo_facility_search, ghg_facility_emissions, tri_facility_releases, airnow_current, search_documents (Federal Register).

Calls: 4–5.

Sequence

1. EPA enforcement

echo_facility_search({ name: "Acme Refining" })

Returns matching facilities, open enforcement actions (formal vs informal), historical violations, NPDES / Clean Air permit status.

2. Greenhouse-gas emissions

ghg_facility_emissions({ facility_name: "Acme Refining", year: 2024 })

Returns reported scope-1 emissions in CO2e tonnes. Compare against industry peers in the same NAICS code for a tier (low/median/high emitter).

3. Toxic Release Inventory

tri_facility_releases({ name: "Acme Refining" })

Top reported chemicals by mass, plus the disposition (air, water, land, recycling). Spike years are a flag.

4. Local air quality

airnow_current({ zipcode: "77002" })

Or by lat/lon if you know the facility coordinates. Recent AQI helps frame whether the facility is in an already-stressed airshed.

5. Pending rules

search_documents({ query: "petroleum refining emissions" })

Use NAICS-relevant search terms, not the company name. Looking for proposed rules that affect the facility’s industry in the next 12–24 months.

Risk tier

Roll up to Low / Moderate / High / Severe:

  • Severe: open formal enforcement action, top-tier emitter, recent TRI spike, multiple pending rules
  • High: any open enforcement OR top-tier emissions OR recent TRI increase OR multiple pending rules
  • Moderate: historical violations resolved, mid-tier emissions, stable TRI, isolated pending rules
  • Low: clean enforcement record, low emitter, stable or declining TRI, no industry-relevant pending rules

Citation pattern

Acme Refining (Houston, 77002): no open EPA enforcement actions, but 3 informal violations in 2023 per ECHO. 2024 GHG emissions 425k tCO2e — top-quartile in NAICS 324110. TRI: top reported chemical is benzene, releases stable 2020–2024. Local AQI category “Moderate” (PM2.5). Tier: High. Pending rule of note: EPA’s proposed RFG benzene tightening (RIN 2060-AT82). Federal Register

Use the prompt

prompts/get({
  name: "environmental_risk",
  arguments: { subject: "Acme Refining" }
})

Caveats

  • Facility name disambiguation. Multi-site companies have separate EPA records per facility. The search returns all matches; pick the right one by address.
  • Self-reported emissions. GHG reporting is mandatory above thresholds, but TRI uses self-reported estimates. Year-over-year jumps may reflect methodology changes, not actual emissions.
  • AirNow is point-in-time. Useful as context, not as a permanent characterization of the airshed.
  • Pending rules are noisy. Use NAICS-aware search terms, then filter to rules at the comment-period or final-rule stage.

Last reviewed May 8, 2026