UN accord on pollution registers to enter into force in October
By APFriday, July 17, 2009
UN: pollution accord enters into force in October
GENEVA — The United Nations says an international accord requiring governments to publicly identify sites of environmental pollution will come into force on Oct. 8.
The U.N. Economic Commission for Europe, or UNECE, says the Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers covers 86 potentially hazardous substances.
UNECE official Michael Stanley-Jones says 36 countries have signed the protocol, and France became the 18th country to ratify it on July 10.
Stanley-Jones said Friday that all signatories so far were European though it the protocol is open to any government.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency already has a similar register known as the Toxics Release Inventory Program.
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UNECE: www.unece.org
