JANUARY 1993 ERA-ITS-N-93-001*' NEWS FOR, A$OUT, ANP BY
EPA EMPLOYEES
Transition Team Completes Report , /'u --'--'----' - —
Carol Browner Picked As EPA Administrator
On December 11, President-elect Bill
Clinton announced that he will nomi-
nate Carol M. Browner to head the
Environmental Protection Agency. Ms. Browner
is the first state environmental official to be
chosen for this position.
Formerly a Senate aide (legislative director) to
Vice President-elect Al Gore, Ms. Browner has been
Secretary of Environmental Regulation in Florida
since January 1991. Her Hill experience includes
counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources and senior legislative aide to then-
Senator Lawton Chiles (D-FL), now Governor of
Florida.
In the early 1980s, Ms. Browner was associate
Up Front
director of Citizen Action, a national grass-roots
organization. Following Clinton's announcement,
Ms. Browner said she was looking forward to the
time "when we will finally move away from the
trade-off and debate between jobs and the environ-
ment that we have focused on far too long."
Last month, members of the incoming transition
team met with EPA's assistant administrators and
senior managers. Following these meetings, the team
put together a paper for the Administrator-designate,
outlining key issues and decisions facing her when
she takes office.
The Senate confirmation hearing on Ms. Browner's
nomination could take place as early as the week of
January 11.
EXCERPTS FROM 1992 AWARDS CEREMONY REMARKS
Taking Stock by EPA Administrator William K Reilly
When President Bush asked me to become
PA Administrator about four years ago,
told him I wanted to help him make environ-
mental history. I think we did. Take a look at the
record:
• A Clean Air Act that ranks among the most ambitious
environmental
statutes ever. The
Navajo agreement
to improve visibil-
ity in the Grand
Canyon will allow
us to cut pollution
by more than 90
percent, at less cost
Inside
HEADS UP 2
IN BRIEF 3
ON THE HILL 3
AWARDS CEREMONY ...4/5
INTERNATIONAL NEWS .. 7
TQM 7
CALENDAR 8
To EPA employees, Hank Habicht and Bill Reilly say,
"Thanks for the memories!"
than we originally proposed....
• An accelerated phaseout of CFCs by the end of 1995. The health effects
of this phaseout are staggering—a million fewer cancer cases, 20,000 fewer
cancer deaths.... Continued on page 6
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed with Soy/Canola ink on paper that
contains at least 50% recycled fiber
-------
\-\eade Up
A QUICK LOOK AT EPA NEWS AROUND THE NATION
EPA LABORATORIES
• Environmental Research Laboratory, Ada, OK A
new research project is underway at the Robert S. Kerr
lab. Scientists are looking at the feasibility of using
autotrophic microorganisms, which oxidize sulfur
compounds, to treat nitrate-contaminated ground water.
The two-year study could result in a cost-effective treatment
technology for nitrate removal. Dr. Stephen Hutchins is
the project officer. (Contact: Joan Elliott, 405-332-8800.)
• Environmental Research Laboratory, Athens, GA
1992 was a banner year for this lab: its contributions to the
Combined Federal Campaign totaled almost $8,000. That's
more than 200% of the lab's goal. Also, nearly two-thirds
of the lab's employees contributed to CFC this year.
(Contact: Bob Ryans, 706-546-3306.)
• Environmental Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR
Dr. Allen Solomon, an internationally-recognized expert
on global environmental change, recently joined the lab's
staff. He fills one of the first science and technology
"supergrade" positions that have been established to attract
world-class scientists to ORD. Dr. Solomon is working on
modeling the response of vegetation to climate change.
(Contact: Nancy Terhaar, 503-754-4601.)
• Environmental Research Laboratory, Gulf Breeze,
FL In response to requests from Regions 4 and 6, ERL-
Gulf Breeze (Center for Marine and Estuarine Disease
Resea rch) recen tly co-sponsored wi th the Na ti onal Marin e
Fisheries Service a three-day symposium on dolphin
mortality. The symposium brought more than 30 experts
together from the United States and Canada to examine
the state of dolphin disease research and to propose
guidelines for future research. This symposium was the
first of its kind for the Agency. (Contact: Bill Fisher, 904-
934-9394.)
EPA REGIONS
• Regionl EPA recently welcomed Byung-Chul Choi
as the Agency's first fellow under the Asia Fellows Program
(see page 7). Mr. Choi is the
Assistant Director of South
Korea's Ministry of the
Environment. During his
short-term fellowship with
Region 1, Mr. Choi focused on
waste management issues,
policies, and practices in the
United States. (Contact: Frank
Mclntyre, 617-565-9028.)
Byung-Chul Choi
Gwen Ruta
• Region 1 Gwen Ruta is the new Director of External
Programs. Formerly in charge of marine and estuarine
protection and NEPA compliance, Gwen has been with
EPA for eight years,
beginning as an engineer in
the Waste Management
Division. (Contact: Frank
Mclntyre, 617-565-9028.)
• Region 4 Deputy
Administrator Hank
Habicht recently announced
his selection of Don
Guinyard as the new Chair
of the EPA Human
Resources Council. Last
March, Don became Assis-
tant Regional Administrator
for Policy and Management,
after serving three years in
the Waste Management Division. (Contact: Norm Black,
404-347-3004.)
• Region 10 Last spring, Region 10 started a new
project in waste reduction: composting food waste with
the help of Eisenia foetida (redworms). The project's
purpose is to demonstrate how easy it is to convert
vegetable, fruit, and grain scraps into vermicompost, or
worm castings. Another purpose is to reduce the volume
of food waste in local landfills. (Contact: Inge Theisen,
206-553-8204.)
EPA HEADQUARTERS
• Office of Administration and Resources Management
To find out the status of your small purchase request
(under $25,000), call 202-260-2943. A customer service
representative is available to help you Monday through
Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM, excluding holidays. You may
also directly access the Small Purchase Automated
Management System for this information. (Contact: Jim
Thompson, OAM, 202-260-2355.)
Parkers Beware! If you have a parking space in the
Marina View Towers parking lot, and you fail to pay
your monthly fee by the 5th of the month, you may
find a $25 ticket on your car window. That's assuming
you still have a car. If not, don't panic. Just take a cab
to Northeast Washington to a dimly-lit lot behind a
warehouse. Then, simply hand over that $165 in
cash you always carry around with you. For more
information, call Kym Burke, 202-260-0336.
EPA InSight • JANUARY 1993
-------
In Brief
T
he new governmentwide ethics rules will go into
effect on Wednesday, February 3,1993.
Highlights of the new regulations are:
Outside Activities
— Under certain circumstances, employees may not
hold office in outside organizations. For example,
an EPA employee who writes hazardous waste
regulations may not serve as an officer in an envi-
ronmental organization that comments on such
regulations.
— Notwithstanding the outcome of the current litiga-
tion challenging the present statutory honorarium
ban, employees will still be generally barred from
receiving compensation for teaching, speaking, or
writing about matters that they deal with in their
jobs or that are related to their agency's mission.
— Also, in any teaching, speaking, or writing—
whether compensated or not—employees generally
may not use their official titles or positions.
— Employees are also restricted, generally, from using
On The Hill
WITH CRAIG ANNEAR.OGC
their titles or agency positions in connection with
fundraising or membership in outside
organizations.
— Similar to current EPA regulation, employees must
obtain, for most outside employment, advance
written approval of the Deputy Ethics Official in
their organization.
Gifts Between Employees
— The present rule against giving or receiving any gift
to an official superior (or an employee who is paid
more than the donor) has been modified. The new
rule permits, with certain limitations, occasional
voluntary gifts.
The new regulations cover other important matters,
so be sure to review the materials sent to all EPA
employees—with a cover memo from Gerald Yamada,
Deputy GC, dated November 9—on the new ethics
rules.
If you have any questions, please contact Don
Nantkes, 202-260-4550.
The 103rd Congress will be officially sworn
in on January 5, 1993. The U.S. House of
Representatives will have 258 Democrats,
176 Republicans, and one Independent. The U.S.
Senate will have 57 Democrats and 43 Republi-
cans. The number of Senate Democrats assumes
the following: that Tennessee's Governor will
appoint a Democrat to replace Vice President-
elect Al Gore, and that the Governor of Texas
will appoint a Democrat to replace Treasury
Secretary-designate Lloyd Bentsen.
Representative John Dingell (D-M1) will
remain Chairman of the House Energy and Com-
merce Committee. Representative Carlos
Moorhead (R-CA) will replace retiring Repre-
sentative Norm Lent (R-NY) as Ranking Repub-
lican on this committee. Other subcommittee
Ranking Members retiring include Representa-
tive Matthew Rinaldo (R-NJ) and defeated Rep-
resentatives William Dannemeyer (R-CA) and
Don Ritter (R-PA). Three additional active mem-
bers of the House Energy and Commerce Com-
mittee will also not be returning: Representatives
WITH ROBIN GROVE, OCLA
Gerry Sikorski (D-MN) and
Peter Kostmayer (D-PA),
who lost their elections, and
Representative Dennis
Eckart (D-OH), who retired.
With Lloyd Bentsen (D-
TX) leaving the Senate,
Senator Daniel Patrick
Moynihan (D-NY) is
expected to assume the
chairmanship of the Senate
Finance Committee. Should
this happen, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) is
likely to become Chairman of the Environment
and Public Works Committee; Senator John
Chafee (R-RI) will remain Ranking Republican.
Other senators from the 102nd Congress not
returning in 1993 include John Seymour (R-CA),
Alan Cranston (D-CA), Bob Kasten (R-WI),
Steve Symms (R-ID), Tim Wirth (D-CO), Terry
Sanford (D-NC), Alan Dixon (D-IL), Brock
Adams (D-WA), Jake Garn (R-UT), and Warren
Rudman (R-NH).
Robin Grove
EPA I/iSight • JANUARY 1993
-------
EPA Annual Awards...
On December 2, EPA held its Annual Awards Ceremony in Tysons
Corner, VA. Administrator Bill Reilly recognized the achievements
of 403 employees with a variety of awards (at last year's ceremony,
247 employees received awards). Here are this year's winners:
A. JAMES BARNES AWARD
John Skinner, ORD
FITZHUGH GREEN AWARD
Dan Esty, OPPE
F. HENRY HABICHT AWARD
• Al Morris, Region 3
• National Publications and Information
Center Team, OARM, OCEPA:
Bill Henderson, Bill Bailey, Earl Eastwood,
Deb McNealley, Cathy Cam, Shannon
McFarland, Charlie Osohn, Miles Allen,
Daiva Balkus, Bngid Rapp
GLENDA A. FARMER AWARD FOR
PROFESSIONALISM
Linda Hilwig, Office
of the Deputy
Administrator
Linda Hilwig
EPA SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Air Quality Award
Christian Lindhjem, OAR (Ann Arbor)
Chemistry Award
Leo Azarraga, ERL-Athens
Engineering Award
Erik Goethert, OAR
Health Sciences Award
Radiation Risk Assessment Team, OAR:
Jerome Puskin, Neal Nelson, Christopher
Nelson
Water Quality Award
Thomas Barnwell, Jr., ERL-Athens
ORD Scientific & Technological
Achievement Awards
• Eric D. Clegg, Headquarters
• Mahlon C. Barber, Ray R. Lassiter, Luis
A. Suarez, ERL-Athens
NATIONAL EEO AWARDS
Non-Supervisory Employee
Alice Walker, OW
Supervisory Employee
James Younger, Region 1
Program Manager
Willis Collins, Jr., NEIC
DISTINGUISHED CAREER AWARD
Charles W. Murray, NEIC
TRUDY A. SPECINER AWARD
Douglas Sherwood, Region 10
ADMINISTRATOR'S AWARD FOR
EXCELLENCE
Individuals
Ernestine Christian, OGC
Mary Rohrer, NEIC
Lutithia Barbee, OPPE
Anna Seledkov, ERL-Corvallis
Connie Riley, OSWER
Linda Baylor, OAR (RTP)
Munsel Nickens, OW
Marva Richardson, Region 2
Carolyn Cross, Region 4
Carlene Ellison, Region 6
Mary Madison, Region 7
Barbara Legas, Region 10
Group
Federal Environmental Paralegal Team
Ann Gardner, Region 1; Catherine King,
Region 3, Janet Nation, Region 3; Michael
Kemp, OGC
SILVER MEDAL FOR SUPERIOR
SERVICE
Individuals
Connie M. Bosma, OW;
Thomas J Maslany, Region 3;
Dominique Lueckenhoff, Region 3;
Michelle L. Pirzadeh, Region 10;
E. Ramona Trovato, OW
Groups
Environmental Education Grants Team
OCEPA; OARM; OROS/LR, OPPTS;
Regions 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10: George
Walker, Michael Baker; John Showman;
Corinne Allison; Maria van der Werff; Terry
Ippolito, Bonnie Smith; Rich Nawyn,
Suzanne Kircos; Margaret McCue; Sandy
Sevier; Rowena Michaels; Cece Forget,
Ida Tolliver; Pat Bonner; Mary McCarthy-
O'Reilly; Michael O'Reilly; JeuliBartenstem;
Barbara Burke
International Enforcement
Training Team
OE; OPPE; Region 3' Cheryl Wasserman;
Thomas Maslany; Ann Delong; Pam Stirling,
Lynda Williams; Winston Haythe; Patricia
Miller
Environmental Awareness
Software Team
Region 5. Jon Grand; Michael Bland; Alfred
Krause; Peter Smith; Karen Holland; Glynis
Garland, Karen Reshkm; Marillyn Cifax
Standing Committee on
Contracts Management
AO; OARM; OSWER; OE; OGC, OW; OAR;
Region 2; Region 3, Region 4; Region 6;
Region 9; U.S. Department of Justice. John
BarKer; Leonard Shen; Mary Kay Lynch,
William Ross, John Alter; Jessica Barron;
Bruce Bellm, Paul Connor; Thomas Doherty;
Joseph Freedman; David Garrison; Lisa
Haage; Sam Jamison, Rebecca Nachtneb;
Thomas Manani, Jr.; Catherine Mitchell;
Don Morales; Justma Fugh; Tina Murphy;
Michael Northndge; Charles Openchowski;
Margaret Padgett; Pamela Phillips; Eugene
Pontillo; Roy Rathbun; Lisa Reaves, Ralph
Rizzo; Matthew Robbins, Joseph Salata;
KatherineSeikel; Thomas Sharpe; Raphael
Shaw; Michael Webb; Candice Wilkinson;
Gene Smith
Minority Academic Institutions Team
OARM, OPPE, OPPTS; OSWER; AO,
OAR; OCEPA; OE; ORD; Region 3; Region
4; Flegion 6: John Skinner; Clarice Gaylord,
Linda Smith; Suzanne Olive; Stanley
Laskowski, Michael Shapiro; Lewis
Crampton; Kenneth Dawsey; Douglas
Cooper, Marylouise Uhlig; Linda Parham;
Michael O'Reilly, Edgar Thornton, John
Wise; August Curley; Nathaniel Scurry;
Joseph Winkle; Vivian Jones; Ann Goode;
Rosa Morales; Ferial Bishop; Richard Bright;
Robert Knox; Curtis Ross
Cultural Diversity Leadership Team
OARM; OAR; AO; OPPTS; ORD; Region
2: Michael Shapiro; William Farland, Richard
Hardesty; Ann Goode; Hector Suarez;
Eduardo Rodela; Suzanne Olive; Thomas
Wyvill; Renee Goins, Tyrone Aikens; Loree
Murray; Clarence Hardy; Mel Kollander;
Joan Brennan McKee
EPA InSight • JANUARY 1993
-------
... The Winners
U.S./Mexico Border Team
OSWER; OW; OGC; OE; OIA; AO; Region
6; Region 9: John Wise; Joseph Winkle;
Ann Alonzo; David Van Hoogstraten,
Richard Kiy; Joan Fidler, Scott Fulton;
Michael Alushm; James Makris; Thomas
Super; Anne Rowley; Aron Golberg; Sylvia
Correa; John Lehman, Elva Hipolito; Edwin
Johnson, George Alexander, Jr.
Acid Rain Rules Team
OAR; OE; OGC; Region 3; Region 5; Region
7. Eileen Claussen, Brian McLean; Dwight
Alpern; Sharon Saile; Larry Kertcher; Rachel
Hopp; Doris Price; Elliot Lieberman,
Margaret Sheppard; John Schakenbach,
Claudia O'Brien; Karen Kent; Donna
Deneen; Renee Rico; Kenon Smith, Linda
Cntchfield; Claire Schary; Joe Kruger; Paul
Horwitz; Penny Hansen; Andy Dupont; Sara
Terry; Larry Montgomery; Kathy Barylski,
Bryan Bloomer; Drew Wilhson; Patricia
Embrey; Jill Grant; Ken Harmon; John Rudd;
Dave Schulz; Patnc McCoy; Jon Knodel,
Robert Vallero; Tony Wayne, Tom Eagles
GOLD MEDAL FOR
EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE
Individuals
Steven Bayard, ORD
Robert Brobst, Region 8
Groups
Northern Spotted Owl Team
OGC, OPPE;OE; Region 10 Molly
Whitworth, Thomas Peterson,
John Michaud; Steven Wolfson;
Anne Norton Miller, David Powers,
James Serfis; Wayne Elson; Sally
Brough; Anthony Guadagno, Timothy
Backstrom; Thomas Marshall; Robert
Wolcott
Montgomery; Arthur Totten; David Van
Hoogstraten; Peter Lallas; Mark Joyce;
Irving Fuller, Jr., Angela Cracchiolo;Lourdes
Maria Bufill; Sylvia Correa; EdgarThornton,
Marlene Regleski; Jim Yarbourgh; Enrique
Manzanilla; Mary Lowe; Reed Benson;
Anya Schoolman; Douglas Turner; William
Jordan; Barbara Bassuener; Charlie Ries,
Brian Samuel; Daniel Brmza; Eliot Tucker;
Lawrence Sperling
Global Climate Change Team
OPPE; OAR; OIA; OGC: Dennis Tirpak;
John Fitzgerald; Kenneth Andrasko,
Michael Adler; Catherine Benham; Alex
Cristofaro; Dennis Eoff; John Hoffman;
Kathleen Hogan, Claudia Huntley; Jane
Leggett; Mark Kindall; Jamison Koehler;
Bruce Schillo; Michael Shelby; Catherine
Zoi
with
Steven Bayard (ORD)
wife, Judy and son, David
Environmental Equity Workgroup
AO; ORD; OGC; OARM; OCLA; OSWER;
OAR, OPPE; OE, OPPTS; Regions
1,2,3,5,6,8,9: Warren Banks; Rebecca
Calderon; David Cleverly; Rafael DeLeon,
ClariceGaylord; RobertaGordon; Robin Grove;
Robert Knox; Karen Levy; Debora Martin;
Craig McCormack, Sherry Milan; Lawrence
Molloy; DaveRejeski; Dominique Lueckenhoff,
Ken Sexton; Sherry Sterling; EdgarThornton;
Alex Varela; Will Wilson; James Younger;
Conrad Simon; Samara Swanston; Reina
Milligan; William Sanders; Don Jones; Elmer
Chenault; Alvin Chun; Robert Wolcott
Contract Management Audit Team
DIG; OGC: John Price; Lou Ella Hams;
Bennie Salem; Allen Grand, Mary O'Lone,
Truman Beeler; Mary Boyer
EMAP Near Coastal Team
ORD- John Paul; J. Kevin Summers,
Richard Latimer; John Macauley, Steven
Schimmel
NAFTA Environmental Review Team
OE; OGC; AO; OPPTS; OSWER; OIA;
OPPE; OW, OCLA; Region 6; Region 9;
Office of U S. Trade Representative: Joseph
International Recyclable Wastes Team
OSWER, State Department; Department
of Commerce' Michele Anders; David
Bussard; Brenda Marshall; Denise Wright;
Matthew Straus; Matthew Hale; James
Berlow; Breck Milroy; Kim Copperthite; Jim
O'Brien
Operating Permits Team
OAR; OGC; OE. Lydia Wegman, Michael
Trutna; Kirtley Cox, Raymond Vogel, Jr.,
Roger Powell; Arlene High; John Beale;
Timothy Williamson; Robin Brown, Stuart
Mumley; Alan Eckert; Adan Schwartz, Lorie
Schmidt; Kendra Sagoff; Michael Winer;
Elise Hoerath; Elliott Gilberg
Worker Protection Regulation Team
OPPTS; OGC; OPPE; Region 1; Region 9.
Joseph Reinert, LouisTrue; Joseph Hogue,
Ginah Mortensen; Cynthia Brown; Sally
McDonald, Linda Billings (posthumously);
Sara Segal; Bob Perils, Jerry Blondell; Carol
Parker; Chris Bashor, Patricia Breslm
National Toxics Rule Team
OW; OGC: William Diamond; David Sabock;
Richard Kent Ballentme; Nancy Sue Perry;
Karen Clark
Dexter Corp. Settlement Team
OE, OARM; Region 1: Tonia Bandrowicz;
Andrea Simpson; Peter Kenyon; Michael
Fedak; Elaine Stanley; Martha Monell; Mimi
Guernica; Mary Andrews, Deborah
McKie
Non-PRASA Initiative Team
Region 2: Richard Caspe; Walter
Andrews, Robert Williams; Victor
Trinidad; Susan Shaw; Jorge Martinez;
Doughlas McKenna
Administrative Support Careers Team
EPA Human Resources Council; Region 8,
Region 9- John Duff; Laura Loux, Vicki
Lane; Julie Bowen
Outer Continental Shelf Team
OAR; OGC; Region 9: Alison Bird, Kelly
Fortm; Ginger Vagenas, Bob Bergstrom;
Joanna Swanson; Jill Grant
Clean Air Act Enforcement Team
OE, OAR; Region 10: Christopher James;
Olga Loera: Armina Nolan; Ann Pontius,
Douglas Hardesty; Juliane Matthews, Julie
Vergeront; Margaret Silver; Steven Viggiani,
Scott Thro we
EBDC Special Review Team
OPPTS, OGC; OPPE; OW, ORD: Kathy
Martin; Beth Edwards; Paul Lewis; Susan
Hummel, Albm Kocialski; Julie Fairfax, Phil
Ross; Richard Dumas; Janet Auerbach;
Susan Lewis; Francis Suhre; Edward Zager;
Paul White; Ingrid Schulze; Michael
Branagan
EPA InSight "JANUARY 1993
-------
Taking Stock
Continued from page i
Record-breaking enforcement actions in every single
category....
Over 150 Superfund cleanups—and still counting. One a
week now. Also, three-fourths of the seven billion dollars
collected in private settlements were collected on our
watch....
Look what we did in Prince William Sound: we
launched an entire bioremediation industry, giving it a
practical opportunity to show what it could do....
I think of the progress we've made in the Great Lakes,
Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico....
We continue to make steady progress cleaning up Boston
Harbor and all the other contaminated harbors. We also
ended ocean dumping of sewage sludge....
Our position on Kingsley Dam in Nebraska is setting a
precedent in re-licensing hydro-power projects, assuring
that environmental concerns will be factored into those
decisions....
There are the "green" programs. The very idea that we
could tell industry how to save money struck me as
counterintuitive. I don't want to say I've been amazed,
but I think we've revolutionized energy and conservation
opportunities....
A climate change treaty, for which EPA did the really
seminal work, first of advocacy and then of analysis....
Other international accomplishments include our contri-
butions on forest conservation. I also think of the Enter-
prise for the Americas initiative, and its
"debt-for-nature" component, and the Regional Environ-
mental Center in Eastern Europe. Those ideas came from
you—and they all stand out as major contributions on
the international environment
Our folks in emergency response, who've handled
tanker spills off the coast of Morocco and cyanide leaks
in Latvia, are the finest team in the world....
Mark Your Calendar
EPA Schedules Acid Rain Conferences
EPA will hold four regional conferences on the Acid Rain Program
between January and March 1993. The conferences will also cover the
final core rules (on reducing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emis-
sions), which Administrator Bill Reilly announced last October. The
schedule for the conferences is:
• January 5-6 in Washington, D.C.
• January 25-26 in Chicago, IL
• February 9-10 in Atlanta, GA
• March 16-17 in Albuquerque, NM
The conferences are open to the public. For more information, please
call 703-339-2464.
• Our work on NAFTA and the Mexican border plan is
unprecedented for an environmental agency....
• We've made real progress here at EPA in improving
economic analysis and in building up a world-class
scientific institution—both of which will substantially
strengthen our credibility at home. Our geographic
information system, EMAP, as well as reports on reduc-
ing risk and the future of science at EPA all stand out as
seminal contributions....
• I think we've begun a cultural transformation at EPA.
We've instituted strategic planning and budgeting that's
based on risk....
• We've strengthened relationships with tribal govern-
ments, earning praise as the federal agency that is mak-
ing the greatest strides on issues concerning Mative
Americans....
• With respect to environmental equity, I think about the
tremendous things you've done, particularly in the past
year, to respond to the legitimate concerns that have been
raised for our Agency. ••
• Environmental education has taken its place, along with
regulation and enforcement, as the third great pillar on
which our programs rest....
• Pollution prevention is becoming a way of thinking, a
way of doing business, something that companies take
great pride in listing in their annual reports....
We did have our share of disappointments. I regret that
we didn't have more opportunity to recraft some of the key
environmental statutes, as we did with Clean Air. We also
didn't get food safety legislation as I'd hoped we would
have, and I still think we very much need. We could have
made a tremendous contribution to clean water reauthoriza-
tion. We did hold the line on wetlands, however. I think
EPA has earned a place in the Cabinet—we came so close. I
wish in hindsight we'd paid a lot more attention early on
and throughout the Agency to contracts management....
So a new administration is coming, with new ideas, new
priorities, new energy. I hope and trust you will not lose
sight of the revolution we've launched here.
Without the support of EPA's leadership team
and career staff, none of it would have been
possible—
We have so many unsung heroes at
EPA...the secretaries and clerks, the mail
deliverers, the computer experts, the person-
nel and contracts managers, the staff who
process grievances, the facilities managers,
the budget analysts, the congressional liai-
sons, the drivers, the correspondence people,
the communications team. These are the
people who make the Agency function and
succeed day after day after day, rain or
shine....
Hank and I consider you—all of you—to be
the very finest people in the service of the
citizens of the United States. Thank you. Keep
up the greal work!
EPA InSight • JANUARY 1993
-------
International Newe
U.S.-Asia Partnership^
Sharing Solutions to
Environmental Problems
by Martin Dieu, 01A
A year ago in Singapore, an important partnership
emerged: the United States-Asia Environmental
Partnership (US-AEP). The US-AEP consists of
experts from the private sector, non-profit organizations,
and about 30 U.S. departments and agencies (e.g., EPA, State
Department, Peace Corps, Small Business Administration).
Vfliy was this alliance fanned? To address the serious environ-
mental problems in Asia, which continue to have a devastating
effect on human health and the continent's natural resources.
These problems range from municipal waste to energy produc-
tion to wetland degradation. The function of US-AEP is to to
match the best available information, products, and services to
meet Asia's environmental problems.
Wlmt is EPA's role in the Partnership? While other agencies
are promoting trade, EPA is stressing the "E" in US-AEP. A major breakthrough for EPA occurred last September,
when the Agency secured $2 million over two years through an interagency agreement with the Agency for Interna-
tional Development. This money
will fund EPA's Partnership activi-
ties, including the new Asia Fellows
Program. Through short-term fel-
lowships, EPA plans to place about
100 senior Asian environmental
managers in EPA regional offices
and laboratories. Region 1 hosted the
first Fellow last November (see page
2); six additional Fellows are sched-
uled to arrive this month.
What's on the horizon? EPA is
Marianne Bailey and Pat Koshel, OIA
forming Environmental Action
Teams to address specific environ-
mental problems in Asia. The teams
will be made up of national environ-
mental experts from EPA and other
organizations. The first team is
scheduled for Thailand, where
pollution from a lignite power plant
is reportedly causing widespread
illness and death. Other countries
requesting teams include Malaysia,
Singapore, Indonesia, and the
Philippines.
For more information, please con-
tact Pat Koshel, Developing Countries
Branch Chief, OIA, or Marianne
Bailey, Asia Program Manager, OIA,
202-260-5237.
Customer Satisfaction—
A Top EPA Priority
by Robin Grove, OCLA
u
nder the leadership of Deputy Adminis-
trator Hank Habicht, the EPA Deputies
Leadership Team recently completed the
first round of groundbreaking, one-on-one interviews with 35 of EPA's key
customers. The purpose of the interviews was to assess the Agency's suc-
cesses and failures in addressing the needs of its customers.
"The response to this initiative has been overwhelmingly positive, and
the interview process has been an invaluable learning experience for the
Agency," said Stan Laskowski, Region 3's Acting Regional Administrator,
who directed the effort. Stan added, "The message to us has been frank,
loud, and clear: while we do some good work at EPA, we must dramatically
increase and improve our communications with our customers. We must
also continue to involve EPA's senior managers directly in this effort."
Among those interviewed were representatives from the White House,
Congress, states, federal agencies, private industry, public utility companies,
environmental groups, and other non-governmental organizations. The
second round of interviews is expected to be completed next month.
Chaired by the Agency's Deputy Administrator, the Deputies
Leadership Team is comprised of the ten Deputy Regional
Administrators and the 13 Deputy Assistant and Associate
Administrators. A primary responsibility of the team is to help
institutionalize quality principles throughout the Agency.
EPA InSight • JANUARY 1993
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Calendar
1993—Happy New Year!
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r- ur^j ,T^ T * nT-,1( * ^r- ., , Linda Thompson, Region 6
Field Editor (Dec-Jan), RTPAREAL „ ... f , „ ° „
' ' Rowena Michaels, Region 7
Shelley Levitt Lmda Adams, Region 8
Assistant Editor (Dcc-]an), OS WER/ j0hn Duff ReglOn 9
CEPPO
Jean Baker, Region 10
Headquarters
EDITORIAL BOARD Betty Wonkovich, AO
Labs/Field Offices Karen Smith, OAR
Rhoda Ritzenberg, RTP/OSORD Craig Hooks, OARM
Randy Brady, RTP/OARM Robin Grove, OCLA
Brenda Thompson, RTP/HERL Sandie Friedland, OCR
Gloria Koch, RTP/AREAL Bill Frank, OE
Pat Sharpe, RTP/AEERL Wanda Ford, OEX
Bob Ryans, Athens Craign Annear, OGC
Carroll Wills, NEIC Dale Medeans, OIA
Nancy Terhaar, Corvalhs Tom Maloney, OIG
Mike Gr
ipnrpln. Fni«*nri Pam Hprman OPPF
Tom Osberg, Env Photo Tom Kean, OPPTS
Terry Grady, LV/EMSL Fred Blosser, ORD
Pah Cooke, Cmci/OSORD Lou Kerestesy, OROS/LR
Sandy Bowman, Cinci / OARM Scott McMurray , OSWER
Charlotte Cottrill, Cinci/ECAO Vicky Green, OW
Linda Ransick, Cinci/EMSL
Debbie Ober, Cmci/RREL DESIGN SERVICES
Trudy Oliver, Stennis Steve Delaney, OCEPA
Enigma Concepts Inc.
EPA InSight • JANUARY 1993
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