TRI-ME Survey

R Y 2015 TRI-MEweb Application User Survey – Proposed questions

Toxic Release Inventory – Made Easy Web (TRI-Meweb)

Customer Survey Questions

Help Resources

• (1) The following resources are available for you to learn how to use TRI-MEweb. Please rank the usefulness of the following TRI-MEweb information resources:

TRI-MEweb Resource Webpage -link to resource

(Options: Very Satisfied, Somewhat Satisfied, Neutral, Somewhat Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied, I have not used this material.)

TRIAL (TRI Assistance Library in TRI-MEweb)

(Options: Very Satisfied, Somewhat Satisfied, Neutral, Somewhat Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied, I have not used this material.)

TRI-MEweb Tutorials- link to resource

(Options: Very Satisfied, Somewhat Satisfied, Neutral, Somewhat Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied, I have not used this material.)

TRI-MEweb User Guide 

(Options: Very Satisfied, Somewhat Satisfied, Neutral, Somewhat Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied, I have not used this material.)

On-page TRI-MEweb instructions 

(Options: Very Satisfied, Somewhat Satisfied, Neutral, Somewhat Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied, I have not used this material.)

Specific Reporting Regulatory Issues

• (2) What resources from within the TRI-MEweb application did you use for technical guidance for reporting to TRI? (Select all that apply)

  • Emission factors

  • Questions and Answers

  • Industry-Specific Guidance

  • Chemical-Specific Guidance

  • EPA Regional Coordinator

  • State TRI Coordinator

  • Central Data Exchange (CDX) Helpdesk- (888) 890-1995

  • TRI Information Center- (800) 424-9346

• (3) What guidance or technical information did you want information on but could not locate?

  • Emission Factors

  • Applicability of Exemptions

  • Industry-Specific Guidance

  • Chemical-Specific Guidance

  • What particular sections of the reporting form require

• (4) What challenges, if any, have you had in estimating your facility’s production or activity ratio (Form R, Part II, 8.9)?

  • I have no difficulties estimating my facility’s production or activity ratio.

  • I don’t know how to calculate the ratio.

    • Please provide more examples of calculating the ratio.

    • Explain this topic better in your guidance.

    • Explain this topic better in TRI-Meweb.

  • Other

Please provide other difficulties here.

• (5) Do you have a clear understanding of which types of releases to report under Part II, Section 8.8 Non-Production-Related-Waste on Form R?

  • Yes, I understand the types of non-production related wastes.

  • No, I do not know what releases are reported under Section 8.8 for Non-Production Related wastes. I would suggest that EPA (Select all that apply):

• Provide more examples of this topic.

• Explain this topic better in your guidance.

• Explain this topic better in TRI-MEweb.

• Other

Please list any suggestion(s) you may have.

• (6) When filling out a Form R, was it clear that you were only supposed to enter (1) “0” when reporting for a non-PBT chemical of <= 0.5 pounds, (2) “NA” when an element of the form is inapplicable to your facility, and (3) a blank when an element does not apply to your facility and is not an element you are required to complete?

  • Yes, it is clear when to use “0,” “NA,” or a blank.

  • No, it is unclear when to use “0,” “NA,” or a blank.

Data Quality Checks

• (7) Did the data quality alerts on the Detail of Errors page in TRI-MEweb (e.g., a large change in quantity of a release type from prior year report when compared with current year report) prompt you to review the information you provided on your reporting form?

  • NA, I have never triggered a data quality alert.

  • Yes.

Please provide additional information here.

• No. Please tell us why.

Please provide additional information here.

Filing and Submission Process:

• (8) If you have recently revised or withdrawn a submission, can you suggest any improvements to the process of revising or withdrawing?

  • Yes.

Please provide suggestions here.

• No. Please tell us why.

Please provide suggestions here.

• (9) Did you encounter any difficulties in preparing to file your first TRI-MEweb submission? (If so, please select all that apply):

  • Not applicable.

  • Creating a CDX account and adding TRI-MEweb.

  • Getting a certifying official’s Electronic Signature Agreement (ESA) created and approved.

  • Remembering the answers to my security challenge questions.

  • Finding and e-signing the Tri Facility Identification Number (TRIFID) Signature Agreement in TRI-MEweb.

  • Confirming that a certifying official could certify and submit my forms.

  • Confirming that EPA had received my form.

  • Other reasons.

Please provide other difficulties or add details to a difficulty you have already selected.

• (10) How would you rank your difficulty in preparing and certifying your TRI forms using TRI-MEweb? (Options: Easy, Occasionally difficult, Somewhat difficult, Regularly Difficult, Extremely difficult)

Please explain.

• (11) How intuitive do you find the process TRI-MEweb uses to prepare, validate, transmit, and certify and submit TRI reporting forms? Is it clear which step of the process you are on when you use TRI-MEweb? (Options: Easy, Occasionally difficult, Somewhat difficult, Regularly Difficult, Extremely difficult)

  • Yes, I know where I am in the validation, transmission, certification, and submission process in TRI-MEweb.

Please explain what helped your navigation through TRI-MEweb.

• No, I do not know where I am in the validation, transmission, certification, and submission process in TRI-MEweb.

Please explain what impaired your navigation through TRI-MEweb.

• (12) In Reporting Year (RY) 2015, TRI-MEweb is using a geo-mapping feature to help you locate your facility, discharges to water bodies, and locations of Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) transfer locations. Select which statement best reflects your experience with this feature.

  • Yes, I was satisfied with this feature to determine the location for my facility, and my facility’s discharge(s) points and/or transfer(s) locations.

  • Yes, use of this feature enabled me to correct the location of my facility or my facility’s discharge(s), and/or transfer(s).

  • I do not know if I used this feature.

  • Not satisfied, geo-mapping feature did not work on my computer.

  • Not satisfied, the feature worked but it was difficult to use.

  • Not satisfied, my reasons are entered below.

Please provide reasons why you aren’t satisfied here.

Miscellaneous

• (13) Did you use the Threshold Screening Tool to determine if you needed to report a TRI chemical to EPA?

  • Yes, I did use this tool before using TRI-MEweb to determine if I met the three reporting TRI thresholds.

  • Yes, I did use this tool but I did not find it useful.

  • No, I did not use this tool.

  • I was not aware there was a tool I could use to determine if my facility needed to report a TRI chemical to EPA.

  • Other.

Please provide other reasons here.

• (14) Do you have any other suggestions for new enhancements to the TRI-MEweb application or ways to otherwise improve the reporting process?

Please provide other reasons here.

7