The new ranking is based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's latest annual Toxics Release Inventory. The nationwide tally, released Wednesday, covers nearly 650 chemicals at 23,675 government and private facilities.

Nationally, toxic releases fell to 4.2 billion pounds from 4.4 billion pounds, a 4 percent decline between 2003 and 2004.

In Utah, businesses and government operations discharged 164 million pounds of these chemicals, compared with 240 million pounds in 2004. Utah companies, like those throughout the nation, have reduced their emissions dramatically since the inventory began under the Community Right-to-Know Act two decades ago.

"Today's report demonstrates that economic growth and effective environmental protection can go hand-in-hand," said Linda Travers, acting assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Environmental Information. "We are encouraged to see a continued reduction in the overall amount of toxic chemicals being released into the environment."

And 2004 was no exception, according to Paula Doughty, director of environmental affairs for Kennecott Utah Copper, which has three facilities at the top of Utah's list.

“We are always looking for ways to reduce releases into the air, releases to the water and releases to the land,” said Doughty, whose company is required to report waste material containing metals leftover in the 137 million tons of ore and waste rock it moved that year.

According to the State Division of Environmental Response and Remediation, the toxic releases reported by Kennecott account for more than 80 percent of all of the state's toxic releases.

So, when Kennecott reports lower toxics, there is a big impact on the state's ranking. At just one of three Kennecott facilities reporting in 2004, the Bingham Canyon mine and the Copperton concentrator, reportable toxics declined from 180 million tons to 110 million tons in 2004.

Ranked third in Utah was U.S. Magnesium, which processes the steel strengthening metal on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake. A big production year meant more toxic pollution from the plant in 2004, an increase from 4.4 million pounds in 2003 to 5.2 million pounds in 2004, said Tom Tripp, the company's technical services manager.

In the early years of the toxics inventory, the Utah magnesium plant often topped the list, with releases of 120 million pounds one year. Tens of millions of dollars updating the facility has resulted in less pollution.

U.S. Magnesium is working with the state Division of Air Quality to reduce chlorine even more, Tripp said.

Meanwhile, the company continued to be Utah's largest source of dioxins, releasing 4,303 grams during 2004. All other sources in Utah reported releasing just 4,362 grams, said Mike Zucker of the Utah Division of Environmental Response and Remediation.

On Wednesday, three East Coast senators called on the Government Accountability Office to investigate whether changes the EPA is proposing for the Toxics Release Inventory are in the public's best interests. One proposal is to require businesses to file the reports every other year.

fahys@sltrib.com