In 1986, Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA), which provided similar protections on a national level.

The Law Center quickly took advantage of the new law, filing six complaints in subsequent years against Philadelphia polluters who failed to comply with the new law’s requirements to file required information on the use and emission of hazardous chemicals. The companies often under-reported their chemical usage or failed to file any information at all. In clear violation of the law, the companies uniformly agreed to consent decrees or settlements after minimal litigation.