EPA to free industry from hazardous-waste reports

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will no longer require companies to file an annual report on how they dispose of hazardous wastes, the New York Times reported. Instead, the agency plans an annual survey of 10 percent of the companies that generate hazardous waste, according to the Times.

Environmentalists charged the move will eliminate ''cradle-to-grave monitoring'' of wastes established by the 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The EPA says it will save paperwork and ease burdens on industry.