TRI-MEweb is a Web-based application that enables facilities to file a paperless TRI report, significantly reducing data errors and allowing instant receipt confirmation of submissions. TRI-MEweb requires no downloads or software installs, and is EPA's required method for reporting toxic chemical releases under the TRI Program.

Click on the steps below to learn how to use TRI-MEweb.

• Step 1: Create a CDX user account and add the TRI-MEweb application

  The TRI-MEweb application uses EPA's CDX network to transmit and certify electronic submissions to EPA for your facility. The use of this tool requires the creation of two user roles. The individuals who will use TRI-MEweb to prepare and transmit data to CDX ("preparers") and individuals who will access CDX to certify transmitted TRI forms ("certifying officials") must both have CDX user accounts and have added the TRI-MEweb application before preparing or certifying any TRI forms. TRI-MEweb allows the certifying official role to also prepare TRI forms (dual role). All newly designated certifying officials with CDX user accounts are required to sign an Electronic Signature Agreement (ESA) and get EPA approval before facilities can certify TRI forms that will be submitted to EPA and their state or tribe.

• Step 2: Add a facility account to TRI-MEweb if it is not listed

  Facility accounts are added to TRI-MEweb using a 5-6 digit alphanumeric access key. A facility account within TRI-MEweb may contain up to seven reporting years' (RY) worth of a facility's submitted data (RY 2005 - RY 2014). If you filed TRI forms in previous years and do not see your facility account on the "Welcome" page of the TRI-MEweb application or your facility is reporting to TRI for the first time, please follow the instructions below.

  Reported in prior years to TRI?

  If your facility has reported TRI data in previous years, a TRI facility identification designator number (TRIFID) should have been assigned to your facility's physical location. The TRIFID never changes, even if ownership of the facility changes. A six to seven digit code called an Access Key is assigned to each TRIFID in order to load previous years' TRI data into TRI-MEweb. Access codes are sent to preparers annually at the end of January after TRI-MEweb is released. You may also call the CDX Helpdesk to find out your access code. Instructions:

  1. Click the “Manage List” icon on the Welcome page, you will go to the “My Facilities” page, click the “Add” icon to add a new facility profile to your list. You have two options to add a prior reporting facility:
  2. Enter your technical contact information from last year in option 1, or
  3. Enter your access code in option 2. Access codes are sent via email by CDX to your technical contact no later than January of every year.

  Reporting for the first time to TRI?

  If your facility has never reported to TRI, TRI-MEweb can assign your facility a new TRIFID. Instructions:

  1. After opening TRI-ME web for the first time, new preparers with CDX accounts will be prompted to determine if they are a new reporting facility or to use their access key to load the account for a returning facility.
  2. Enter your facility location information if your facility has never reported to TRI before, verify that a TRIFID has never been assigned before to your facility location, and print the page where your new TRIFD and access key have been generated for your new reporting facility.
• Step 3: Start a chemical report in TRI-MEweb
  There are usually two scenarios for users to start a new RY 2014 TRI form.

  Returning Reporting Facility

  To begin a RY 2014 TRI Form R and/or A for a chemical that has been filed in previous years, you have two options:

  1. Loading your pre-loaded year chemical report – new method - Click on the (+) symbol next to each TRIFID in your TRI-MEweb "Welcome" page to view all chemical forms created in the past eight years for each facility in the Forms Summary table. Select the current reporting year (default is 2014). If your facility has not started any TRI forms, you will view two links. Click on an "Add Blank Form (for the selected reporting year)" link to begin a blank Form R or A, or to click on the "Import Data" button to import dynamically the most current data EPA has in our databases to pre-populate your TRI Form with the chemical release data submitted in the prior year.
  2. Creating a new chemical report – traditional prepare form method. Create a new chemical form submission by clicking on the "Prepare" tab; "Select Year" (i.e., 2014); "Select a Facility" (pick your facility) and click “Next”; Add an unlisted chemical by clicking on "+Add Form" button or click the "Import Data" button to load prior year chemical data into your current year forms, and click “Next”. Open the "Change Form Type" page and select TRI Form R or A; and click next to enter your chemical release data.

  New Reporting Facility

  Your facility will not have any prior year data preloaded in the TRI-MEweb database. To create a new chemical report you have two options:

  1. Creating a new chemical report - shortcut method. Click on the (+) next to each TRIFID in your TRI-MEweb "Welcome" page. This will open the Forms Summary table. On the bottom of the Forms Summary table, there is a link that will create a new RY 2014 chemical report for you.
  2. Creating a new chemical report - traditional prepare form method. Create a new chemical form submission by clicking on the "Prepare" tab; "Select Year" (i.e., 2014); "Select a Facility" (pick your facility) and click “Next”; Add an unlisted chemical by clicking on "+Add Form" button or click the "Import Data" button to load prior year chemical data into your current year forms, and click “Next”.
• Step 4: Verify that the designated certifying official has an approved ESA
  A preparer must verify that their designated certifying official has an EPA-approved Electronic Signature Agreement (ESA) for each facility. If the reporting facility has a new certifying official this year, they must create a new CDX user account and sign a new ESA for EPA approval. Approval of the ESA is needed before any TRI forms can be transmitted to CDX and certified to meet the reporting requirements under EPCRA Section 313. Contact the CDX Helpdesk at (888) 890-1995 or via email (helpdesk@epacdx.net) to inquire about the status of your ESA. More information on ESA process
• Step 5: Correct any errors detected by the built-in validation checks
  After completing data entry for each chemical form, the preparer is ready to correct any error detected by TRI-MEweb's built-in data validation checks. TRI-MEweb identifies three type of errors: critical errors that must be fixed before a TRI form can be transmitted to CDX and certified; possible errors that EPA believes are incorrect and need to be reviewed by the preparer; and data quality alerts that indicate a data point entered is inaccurate, significant, or may have exceeded the normal threshold for the chemical release that is being reported. Click the "Enter Validation Mode" button on the "Validation Summary Report: Detail of Errors" page to navigate through only those pages under the Prepare tab which contain either a critical or possible error.
• Step 6: Validate the data you entered before transmitting data to CDX
  TRI data must be entered correctly (i.e., no critical errors must be present in the TRI form) by the preparer before the data can be transmitted to CDX to be certified. The data validation error report contains links named "fix" that take the preparer to the specific TRI form section where any critical or potential validation errors were found. Once all critical and potential errors are addressed, the preparer can proceed to transmit the submission to CDX to be certified.
• Step 7: Transmit validated TRI forms to CDX to be certified
  When the preparer transmits the facility's TRI forms to CDX to be certified, the forms will not be processed; instead they will be held until the designated certifying official logs into their CDX account, opens TRI-MEweb, and completes the certification process. Upon successfully transmitting TRI forms to CDX, the preparer can check the status of the transmitted submission in the TRI-MEweb under the "Prepare" tab by first selecting the "Select Year" tab, choosing the appropriate facility from the "Select Facility" tab, and then selecting the chemical form to be verified from the "Select a Form" page. Next, the preparer must click the "Review" tab. The preparer will locate the submission from the Pending Submission Summary Table on the "Reporting Summary" page. A status column will indicate a -Pending Certification - status if submission has not been certified.
• Step 8: Check the status of the transmitted, uncertified submission
  Upon successfully transmitting TRI forms to CDX, the preparer can check the status of the transmitted submission in TRI-MEweb within the Pending Submission Summary Table by clicking on the "Review" tab and scrolling down to the first table.
• Step 9: Receive email notification that a pending submission is ready to be certified
  EPA sends a notification email to the designated certifying official(s) when an electronic TRI submission has been transmitted to CDX and is awaiting certification by the facility's certifying official.
• Step 10: Certifying official logs into CDX to certify the facility's pending TRI form submission

  The certification component can be accessed from within the TRI-MEweb application. The user with a certifying official role will log into their CDX account (or create a new CDX account, if necessary) and open the TRI-MEweb application. Only CDX account users with a certifying official role will view the "Certify" tab on the TRI-MEweb "Welcome" page. All new certifiers are required to have an approved Electronic Signature Agreement (ESA) and electronically sign a TRIFID Signature Agreement form before they can certify any pending submissions in CDX. The certifying official is the person designated to verify that transmitted data from their facility is correct and accurate before officially submitting it to EPA. TRI forms must be certified by the facility's certifying official to fulfill the TRI reporting requirements.

  Important! Uncertified electronic submissions created in TRI-MEweb will not be accepted as a submission meeting EPCRA section 313 reporting requirements. The absence of a certification will prevent the submission from being processed by EPA. Uncertified submissions may result in the issuance of a Notice of Noncompliance (NON).

• Step 11: Confirm that your facility's TRI forms have been processed by EPA

  After the certifying official certifies that a facility's TRI form submission is valid and submits the form to EPA, the preparer can view a receipt of their submitted data by clicking the "eFDP" tab in TRI-MEweb. The "eFDP Viewer" page contains the past 5 years’ worth of eFDP reports organized by facility name, reporting year and chemical name. The eFDP report reflects only the most current active record in EPA's database.

  An email notification is also sent to the preparer and certifying officials that notifies them that a TRI submission has been successfully processed by EPA's Data Processing Center (DPC). The eFDPs are made available by the DPC to a reporting facility in response to any submission the DPC receives and has processed successfully into TRI's database.

• Step 12: TRI forms are automatically submitted to the state in which your facility is located

  Facilities that reside in a state participating in the TRI Data Exchange will have their TRI forms sent simultaneously to EPA and their state TRI representative via the Environmental Information Exchange Network.

  Facilities that reside in states not on the TRI Data Exchange will be able to have TRI-MEweb generate disk/CD submissions for their state. However, please note that EPA will not accept submissions of such media types.

  Facilities that are located within Indian Country will need to find their Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) three digit code for their Indian Country name. Currently, there are no tribes on EPA's TRI Data Exchange. Therefore, a hard-copy of TRI forms must be mailed to their Indian Country TRI coordinator. Facilities using TRI-MEweb to fulfill their federal and tribal submission requirement under EPCRA Section 313 will be able to print a copy of the TRI form to be mailed to their tribal country TRI coordinator.