Section 6 Geography and Environment This section presents a variety of infor- for input into a national geographic and mation on the physical environment of cartographic database prepared by the the United States, starting with basic Census Bureau, called TIGER® database. area measurement data and ending with Since then, using a variety of sources, climatic data for selected weather the Census Bureau has updated these stations around the country. The subjects features and their related attributes covered between those points are mostly (names, descriptions, etc.) and inserted concerned with environmental trends but current information on the boundaries, include related subjects such as land use, names, and codes of legal and statistical water consumption, air pollutant emis- geographic entities. The 2008 area sions, toxic releases, oil spills, hazardous measures, land and water, including waste sites, municipal waste and their classifications, reflect base feature recycling, threatened and endangered updates made in the Master Address wildlife, and the environmental industry. File (MAF)/TIGER database through May 1, 2008. The boundaries of the states The information in this section is selected and equivalent areas are as of January from a wide range of federal agencies that 1, 2008. Maps prepared by the Census compile the data for various administra- Bureau using the TIGER® database show tive or regulatory purposes, such as the the names and boundaries of entities Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and are available on a current basis. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration An inventory of the nation’s land (NOAA), Natural Resources Conservation resources by type of use/cover was Service (NRCS), and National Atlas® of the conducted by the National Resources United States. New data on 11 coastline Inventory Conservation Services (NRCS) counties most frequently hit by hurricanes every 5 years beginning in 1977 through may be found in Table 362. 2003. The most recent survey results, which were published for the year 2003, Area—2008 Area measurements are the covered all nonfederal land for the latest available. These measurements contiguous 48 states. were calculated by computer based on the information contained in a single, Environment —The principal federal consistent geographic database, the Topo- agency responsible for pollution abate- logically Integrated Geographic Encoding ment and control activities is the & Referencing system (TIGER®) database. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The 2008 area measurements may be It is responsible for establishing and found in Table 358. monitoring national air quality standards, water quality activities, solid and hazard- Geography—The USGS conducts inves- ous waste disposal, and control of toxic tigations, surveys, and research in the substances. Many of these series now fields of geography, geology, topography, appear in the Envirofacts portion of the geographic information systems, mineral- EPA Web site at <http://www.epa.gov ogy, hydrology, and geothermal energy /enviro/>. resources as well as natural hazards. The USGS provides United States cartographic The Clean Air Act, which was last data through the Earth Sciences Informa- amended in 1990, requires the EPA to set tion Center, water resources data through National Ambient Air Quality Standards the Water Resources of the United States (NAAQS) (40 CFR part 50) for pollutants at <http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/>. In a considered harmful to public health and joint project with the U.S. Census Bureau, the environment. The Clean Air Act during the 1980s, the USGS provided the established two types of national air basic information on geographic features quality standards. Primary standards Geography and Environment 221 U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011 Contents Geography and set limits to protect public health, toxic chemical database be developed and Environment 221 including the health of ‘‘sensitive’’ maintained by EPA. This database, known populations such as asthmatics, as the TRI, contains information concern- children, and the elderly. Secondary ing waste management activities and the standards set limits to protect public release of toxic chemicals by facilities welfare, including protection against that manufacture, process, or otherwise decreased visibility, damage to animals, use said materials. Data on the release of crops vegetation, and buildings. See these chemicals are collected from about <http://www.epa.gov/air/criteria.html>. 21,000 facilities and facilities added in The EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and 1998 that have the equivalent of 10 or Standards (OAQPS) has set National more full time employees and meet the Ambient Air Quality Standards for six established thresholds for manufacturing, principal pollutants, which are called processing, or ‘‘other use’’ of listed chemi- ‘‘criteria’’ pollutants. These pollutants are: cals. Facilities must report their releases Carbon Monoxide, Lead, Nitrogen and other waste management quantities. Dioxide, Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and Since 1994 federal facilities have been 10), Ozone, and Sulfur Dioxide. NAAQS required to report their data regardless are periodically reviewed and revised to of industry classification. In May 1997, include any additional or new health or EPA added seven new industry sectors welfare data. Table 372 gives some of the that reported to the TRI for the first time health-related standards for the six air in July 1999 for the 1998 reporting year. pollutants having NAAQS. Data gathered More current information on this program from state networks are periodically can be found at <http://www.epa.gov submitted to EPA’s National Aerometric /tri>. Information Retrieval System (AIRS) for summarization in annual reports on the Climate—NOAA, through the National nationwide status and trends in air Weather Service and the National Environ- quality. For details, see ‘‘Air Trends’’ on mental Satellite, Data, and Information the EPA Web site at <http://www.epa.gov Service, is responsible for climate data. /airtrends/index .html>. NOAA maintains about 11,600 weather stations, of which over 3,000 produce The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), autographic precipitation records, about published by the EPA, is a valuable 600 take hourly readings of a series of source of information on approximately weather elements, and the remainder 650 chemicals that are being used, record data once a day. These data are manufactured, treated, transported, or reported monthly in the Climatological released into the environment. Sections Data and Storm Data, published monthly 313 of the Emergency Planning and and annually in the Local Climatological Community Right-to- Know Act (EPCRA) Data (published by location for major cit- and 6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act ies). Data can be found in tables 388 and (PPA), mandate that a publicly-accessible 391–396. 222 Geography and Environment U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011 Table 358. Land and Water Area of States and Other Entities: 2008 [One square mile = 2.59 square kilometers. The area measurements were derived from the Census Bureau’s Master Address File/ Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) geographic database. The boundaries of the states and equivalent areas are as of January 1, 2008. The land and water areas, including their classifications, reflect base feature updates made in the MAF/TIGER database through May 1, 2008. These updates show increases in total water area and decrease in land area for nearly every state. For more details, see <http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/tgrshp2008/tgrshp2008.html>] Water area Total area Land area State and other areas Total Great Territo- Inland Coastal Lakes rial Sq. mi. Sq. km. Sq. mi. Sq. km. Sq. mi. Sq. km. (sq. mi.) (sq. mi.) (sq. mi.) (sq. mi.) Total . 3,805,142 9,855,318 3,535,846 9,157,841 269,296 697,477 86,478 43,201 59,959 76,392 United States . 3,795,951 9,831,513 3,531,822 9,147,420 264,129 684,094 86,409 43,185 59,959 74,575 Alabama . 52,420 135,768 50,644 131,168 1,776 4,600 1,057 518 (X) 201 Alaska. 664,988 1,722,319 570,665 1,478,022 94,323 244,297 20,028 28,162 (X) 46,133 Arizona . 113,990 295,235 113,595 294,211 396 1,026 396 – (X) – Arkansas. 53,178 137,732 52,030 134,758 1,149 2,976 1,149 – (X) – California. 163,694 423,967 155,766 403,434 7,928 20,534 2,842 222 (X) 4,864 Colorado. 104,094 269,604 103,641 268,430 454 1,176 454 – (X) – Connecticut. 5,544 14,358 4,840 12,536 703 1,821 164 539 (X) – Delaware. 2,489 6,445 1,949 5,048 539 1,396 74 372 (X) 93 District of Columbia. 68 177 61 158 7 18 7 – (X) – Florida. 65,758 170,312 53,603 138,832 12,154 31,479 5,373 1,128 (X) 5,653 Georgia. 59,425 153,911 57,501 148,928 1,924 4,983 1,420 49 (X) 455 Hawaii. 10,926 28,300 6,428 16,649 4,499 11,652 40 – (X) 4,459 Idaho. 83,568 216,442 82,643 214,045 926 2,398 926 – (X) – Illinois. 57,916 150,002 55,518 143,792 2,398 6,211 836 – 1,562 – Indiana. 36,417 94,321 35,823 92,782 594 1,538 361 – 233 – Iowa. 56,273 145,746 55,858 144,672 415 1,075 415 – (X) – Kansas. 82,278 213,101 81,762 211,764 516 1,336 516 – (X) – Kentucky. 40,411 104,665 39,492 102,284 919 2,380 919 – (X) – Louisiana. 51,988 134,649 43,199 111,885 8,789 22,764 4,433 1,951 (X) 2,405 Maine. 35,384 91,644 30,841 79,878 4,543 11,766 2,282 613 (X) 1,647 Maryland.