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Letters From EPA Readers
Pesticides:
Controlling
Insects
Safely
Francis T. Mayo
Some very significant changes in pesticide use an;
beginning to take place;. Ultimately, these changes
could faffed thousands of individuals hen; in Region V.
Currently. EPA officials are working on major
provisions of the Federal Environmental Pesticides
Control Act which was passed by the United Stales
Congress and signed by the President last fall.
EPA is developing guidelines to implement
regulations pertaining to pesticide registration.
classification, use. certification of applicators, ex-
perimental use. registration of establishments and
books and records.
Within two years all pesticides, both intra- and inter-
state;, will be registered as either restricted use or
general use pesticides. Restricted use; pesticides will
only be available to applicators certified by state agen-
cies.
We; in Region V are anxious to solicit public com-
ment on these various topics, especially from farmers.
commercial applicators and interested citizens.
If you would like to have; a chance; te> ce)mme;nl on the;
direction of pe;stie:ide; regulation based e>n the; ne;w law,
write to EPA. Public Affairs. 1 Ne>rth Wae:ke:r Drive.
Chicago. 111. 60606 and ask for a "Peisticide: Kit." We'll
send you a e:e)py of the; ne;w law. with an im-
plementation schedule and a summary of the ne;w law.
The Public Report is published periodically by the
Public Affairs Office, Region V EPA, 1 N. Wacker Dr.,
Chicago, 60606.
Francis T. Mayo Region V Administrator
Frank Corrado Public Affairs Director
Sally W. Jones Public Report Editor
Ann Hooe Graphics Editor
Letters and comments on the report or other en-
vironmental issues may be sent to the address
above.
De;ar (EPA Administrator) Ruckelshaus:
I have just finisheel reading "Don't Leave It All to the
Experts."
This is sue:h an outstanding booklet that I must react.
It is extremely impre;ssive; that EPA we>uld go to the
trouble le> write such a well-theiught-out. care;ful ex-
planation e>f how citizens can be; me>re: e!ffe;e;tive. I was
especially pleased te> se;e the; atte;nlie>n give;n te> he;lping
e:itize;ns avoid bad public re:lalie>ns. by giving the;m in-
formation and insights whie;h meist e:ilize;ns simply
don't have;.
Our organization has be;e;n very concerned about
e:itize:n effectiveness. We have; also initiated and en-
e:e)urage;el olhe;r action cenmcils because we; feel so
stmngly that cooperation is vital to serving problems. I
can't te;ll yeni what a lift it gives us te) se;e; the; en-
couragement e)f the:se efforts by the; activities and in-
terest e>f the EPA.
Although we> realize that you are; in a very difficult
position, please know that many, many people are
behinel you in your efforts to do what is right.
Again, thank you for the publication e)f the; e;xce;lle;nt
EPA beioklel. We will bring it to the attention of our
me;mbers.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Willard E. Wolfe
Executive Director.
Environmental Action Council.
Grand Rapids. Mich.
Ed. Note:
"Don't Leave It All te> the: Experts" currently is on
order by the; Region V Office of the EPA. We expect it
will be; again available free e>f charge he;re in May.
Copies may be; obtained by writing Re;gie>n V EPA. 1 N.
Wae:ker Dr.. Chicago. 111. 60606. Office: of Public Af-
fairs.
Dear Mr. Mayo.
My seventh grade class immensely enjoyed at-
tending the Region V Open House: during Earth Week
April 9-13. The films and slide presentation were in-
formative:, and the class came away from your offices
with a e;e>mmunity "game plan" for environmental ac-
tion. We: also plan to take good advantage of the ex-
e:elle:nt literature obtained from ye>ur public affairs of-
fice.
We he>pe you'll e;ontinue the ope:n house each year.
se> that forthcoming classes also can gain benefits from
what EPA has to offer.
Sincerely.
A.C..
Chicago schoolteacher.
EPA will continue to publish letters relating to the
environment. We reserve the right to edit, however.
PAGE 2
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CITIZEN ACTION
'Fox' Joins Spring Greening
SPRINGTIME in Illinois brought the return of the
Fox, the anonymous pollution fighter who lives in Kane
County, west of Chicago.
He's the one who, since 1969, has conducted one-
man raids against companies he deems as polluters.
Among that list have been the U.S. Steel Corporation,
the Armour-Dial Company, and several companies
along Illinois' Fox River, from which he adopted his
name.
In March, the Fox struck against the All-Steel Equip-
ment Company, of Montgomery, Illinois, for allegedly
dumping paint wastes in Gillette Creek, a tributary of
the Fox River.
But this raid was a little different.
The company was concerned with its image, and
puzzled how the wastes got into the creek. Usually, a
company spokesman said, the wastes are stored in
drums until a scavenger disposes of them.
So, along with an Aurora Boy Scout troop upstream
from the plant, the company joined in a Saturday
project to clean the oily, sticky mess out of the river.
THE SCOUTS and company couldn't clean it all.
But, said the Fox, "It's a step in the right direc-
tion—I'm very happy about the whole thing."
The Fox had been laying low for a number of
months before his March raid.
He said, after the raid, that he now is involved
primarily in community action-education programs.
"It's the kids that I place my hopes in," he said.
LEGISLATORS, local government officials, com-
munity leaders, and businessmen will attend a
Michigan Conference May 4 to discuss the need for
further land use planning.
Sponsored by the Michigan United (statewide) Con-
servation Clubs, the conference will consist of 13
workshop sessions. Each of the workshops will be tied
into one of the 13 regional planning areas in Michigan.
The clubs are concerned because a lack of govern-
ment organization, inefficient tax laws, and lack of
county plans have caused environmental deterioration
both in urban and open space areas.
Paul Leach, executive director of the conservation
organization, said the Michigan governor and a senator
have been invited to deliver keynote addresses to the
conference.
A MICHIGAN citizens group has begun a campaign
to inform people in its area how best to use public
pressure for environmental change.
The West Michigan Environmental Action Council,
822 Cherry, S.E., Grand Rapids, 45906, has begun
distributing a packet of information on how to write
legislators, strategy for getting a bill passed, addresses
of Michigan legislators, tips on getting heard at public
meetings, a list of groups working in the environmental
areas, and suggestions on how to combat pollution in
the home.
MONTREAL, CANADA, will be the site of an in-
ternational conference on pollution control, sponsored
by the International Association for Pollution Control.
The conference, to be held June 5-7, will center on
pollution in the marine industries, in the Great Lakes,
Coastal States, and the Arctic.
Cooperating in the conference will be the Canadian
Environmental Protection Service, the Canadian
Ministry of Transport, and the U.S. EPA.
Further information on the conference may be ob-
tained by writing Melten Orer, IAPC Headquarters,
4733 Bethesda Ave., Washington. D.C., 20014.
MARCH IN Illinois brought six conservation and
planning groups together in a mass transportation
"Crisis Conference." At issue during the day-long
session in Chicago was whether the groups should
push for a mass transit system for the six-county
Chicago Metropolitan area.
All were in agreement such a system is needed.
The sponsors of the conference were the American
Institute of Planners, Chicago Lung Association, Clean
Air Coordinating Committee, Cook County Council of
Governments, Illinois Planning and Conservation
League, and the Illinois League of Women Voters.
Cincinnati Gets Study
The Cincinnati Institute announced in April that the
city has been selected as one of two project sites for a
Conservation Foundation study of solid waste
management. The program, designed to seek citizen
participation in management of solid wastes, is funded
by a grant from the EPA.
PAGE 3
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COVER STORY
For Seven Illinois 'Voyageurs,'
Ecology Is a Canoe Adventure
By SALLY W. JONES
SEVEN HARDY Illinois men will begin a 3,000-mile
journey this month to learn how man has affected the
Mississippi River environment since it was discovered
300 years ago.
Led by an Elgin school teacher from Chicago, the
men will reenact the Jolliet and Marquette voyage,
which began from St. Ignace, Mich., on May 17, 1673.
GREEN BAY
Fox River
BERLI
ARKANSAS
PAGE 4
The four-month journey will be the main event of the
Mississippi River Tricentennial celebration, which will
be held in all the states bordering the Mississippi this
year.
Towns all along the river and crew's route are plan-
ning Tricentennial events, but the hardy 20th-century
explorers already have captured the imagination of the
Midwest.
Reid Lewis and his crew probably won't see much
School, will play Louis Jolliet, the young Frenchman
who was commissioned by the New France governor to
find an inland link to the Atlantic Ocean.
Father Charles McEnery, of Chicago's Holy Family
Church, will play Jacques Marquette, the missionary.
The two will take a team of "voyageurs," who were the
trappers, traders, and communicators in and out of the
interior during the 17th Century.
THE VOYAGEURS will be played by Dean Camp-
bell, of the Illinois Department of Conservation in
Springfield; Bill Dwyer, a Rockford engineer; Lee
Broske, a Chicago ironworker; Ken Lewis, a playwrite
and actor; and Jim Phillips, an Aurora resident.
All of the men have a well-developed sensitivity for
the environment; and all are actively involved in
projects that communicate the environmental and
French heritage in the Midwest.
Three centuries ago, the French called the area of the
voyage the Illinois Country. And although they were
explorers, they also were acutely aware of the beauty
of the land.
Wrote Marquette in his journal, "We have seen
nothing like this river for the fertility of its land,
prairies, woods, wild cattle, (buffalo) stag, deer, ducks,
parrots, and even beaver."
"Reid Lewis and his crew probably won't see much
of that beauty, but they, too, will record daily what
they see and bring back a report on how their ob-
servations differ from Marquette's.
"We want to be at one with the environment where
we can," Lewis said. So the crew will use the same
kind of canoes (birchbark) the early explorers did,
sleep outdoors every night, wear the same costumes as
their forebearers, and adhere to the same paddling
schedule. They determined their schedule from in-
tensely studying Marquette's journal of the trip and his
later writings.
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The rest of the Tricentennial crew practices on the Des Plaines River. From left are Bill Dwyer, Father McEnery, Lee
Broske, and Jim Phillips.
In Iowa, they'll pick up Jeff LeClerc. 13. of Elgin. He
will portray the Indian scout "loaned" to the crew by
friendly Indians near Starved Rock.
THE CREW is looking forward to the grueling trip.
but their reasons for making it are different than
France's 300 years ago.
"I look at this trip as a huge, audio-visual aid for the
people in the Illinois Country," Lewis said. The crew
hopes to teach the people along the way that the
Mississippi Valley should be revered as a natural
resource.
It was the Jolliet-Marquette Voyage. Lewis said, that
allowed the settlement of the Midwest, now the richest
land in the nation.
Though the crew hasn't canoed the course yet. they
know they'll be unable to swim in rivers or catch fish
for food as their predecessors did. And they know that
many of the tall, stately trees along the bank will be
replaced with smokestacks and factories.
It is such progress, the crew believes, that has caused
modern man to lose sight of his natural and historical
heritage.
That's part of the reason the crew has insisted on
remaining authentic. Their costumes and mannerisms
will provide an immediate attention-getting device so
that people will listen to their message.
And the crew is well qualified to deliver the
message. Lewis is expert in French Midwest history.
Broske was born and raised in the Canadian wilder-
ness, and routinely sleeps outdoors several times
weekly in the winter. No stranger to the outdoors.
Broske is well-versed in wilderness survival.
PHILLIPS IS a biology teacher who will act as the
crew's naturalist. Campbell is a historical interpreter
for Illinois parks, and by studying French history has
helped restore many parks to what they looked like
centuries ago. Ken Lewis' acting abilities will come in
handy for the crew, for the men have been swamped
with requests all along the route to sing French
voyageur songs.
The Mississippi River Tricentennial Commission has
formulated a master schedule for other activities
thruout the Mississippi Valley. Located in the Chase
Park Plaza Hotel. Suite 311. 212 N. Kingshighway, St.
Louis. Mo., the commission can barely keep tabs of the
activities within the nine states.
And voyageur crew can barely keep track of all the
stops they're supposed to make.
From St. Ignace. they'll canoe across Lake Michigan
to Green Bay, the Wisconsin River to the Mississippi
River, and float downstream to the Arkansas River on
the Arkansas-Mississippi border. Then they'll start
north again, but with a different route.
South of Alton. 111., they'll take the Illinois River as
the 17th Century explorers did. They switched routes
because friendly Indians told them the Illinois was a
shortcut to the big lake (Michigan) to the north. When
they took that route, they were the first white men to
see what is now Chicago.
"We'll have fun." Lewis said, "but this trip will be
hard work." All the crew have taken leaves of absences
from their jobs, and probably will be paid little for
their efforts because the states along the route have
been loathe to contribute more than small sums for the
total Tricentennial celebration.
"All we want to do is reach the people." Lewis said.
PAGE 5
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GOVERNMENT
Snowmobiles,
Glass, People
In the News
MICHIGAN HAS BEGUN a study on whether to
regulate the use of snowmobile and all terrain vehicle
trails within state forests.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said
the state may have to begin setting speed limits on
snowmobile trails and limiting their use.
The department says that snowmobiling has an ad-
verse effect on wildlife during the winter stress period.
Research has shown that the vehicles effect the winter
ranges of wildlife such as rabbits and deer. Michigan
now has 1,136 miles of trails.
"We see the time coming when we will have to con-
fine snowmobiles to trails rather than allow them to
travel anywhere in the forest," said Charles B. Harris,
deputy director of the department.
Illinois
The Illinois Pollution Control Board completed
hearings in March on a proposal to ban the use of
disposable bottles and cans. The rule-making and
quasi-judicial agency will issue its findings early this
year.
Ohio
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency "met
the people" in March. In a two-hour "Meet the Ohio
EPA" symposium, state officials answered questions
from citizens and explained the state's goals.
During the symposium, Toledo residents learned of
the state EPA's recent actions, such as imposing sewer
bans on communities late in filing clean-up schedules;
prosecuting companies for pollution: and seeking ac-
tion against polluters in court.
Indiana
The glass-recycling trend is catching on in Indiana.
According to a report compiled by the Glass Con-
tainers Manufacturers Institute, more than $62,000 was
received by those who recycled glass in 1972. That was
an increase of 50 per cent over 1971.
Indianans turned in 12.4 million bottles and jars.
representing more than 6,000 tons of glass.
TRUCKS AREN'T CARS
A proposal has been made by the EPA to set new air
pollution emission standards for 1975 model light duty
trucks such as pickups and panel trucks.
The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on
February 10, 1973, ordered EPA to remove light duty
trucks from the light duty vehicle emissions category
under which their air pollution emissions are currently
regulated. The light duty category includes all
passenger cars and multi-purpose vehicles.
According to the new proposal, emission standards
for light duty trucks would be set separately from light
duty passenger vehicles, in compliance with the court
order.
Ohio Cows Help Grow Plants
A feed lot company in Ohio is using its cows as a
lesson in recycling. Ohio Feed Lot, Inc., fattens 12,000
head of cattle yearly on the Little Miami River, be-
tween Columbus and Dayton, Ohio.
The bedding for the animals is shredded tree bark
and sawdust. Every two weeks, it is collected and com-
posted at about 180 degrees for five days. The compost
then is sold to nurseries and farmers as a soil con-
ditioner.
The company's also experimenting with converting
the cattle wastes into cattle food, to be sold at $40 a ton.
Each animal produces about nine tons of compost
material each year.
Cities Get Grants
A number of Region V agencies have received
grants for pollution abatement facilities. Here are
some recent ones, funded by EPA:
* The Toledo (Ohio) Metropolitan Area Coun-
cil of Governments received a $50,000 grant
award April 9. The funds will be used for a solid
waste disposal project for Lucas, Wood, and Ot-
tawa Counties. The project cost is $149,402.
* Michigan State University, of East Lansing,
received a $25,000 grant in March for a
wastewater management training program.
*The Batelle Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio,
also received a March grant—for $50,000—for a
trouble-shooting study on industrial boilers.
* The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis,
received a $125,000 grant in March for an at-
mospheric aerosol sampling program.
*The University of Cincinnati, Ohio, received
a $30,326 grant in March for summer institute in
environmental education. The sessions will be for
junior and senior high school science teachers.
PAGE 6
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EDUCATION
Learning to count plankton in Chicago seminar.
Student 'Yolks'
Captures Show
STUDENTS thrunul Region V are getting more and
more involved in environmental projects, but a group
of youths from Chicago's Austin High School has
blended environmental action with horticulture
Austin's Green Thumb (Hub participated in the
World Flower and Garden Show during March and
April with a display that was unique.
' New ideas have sprouted and our enthusiasm has
increased immensely." said club members, as they
proudly showed what can be done creatively with
junked cars, old tires, and car attachments such as
tailpipes, mufflers, and other hardware.
The club took an old. unwanted Volkswagen and
made a "sunshine mobile".
They stripped the body, painted il bright yellow
enamel and colored flowers, and planted scores of
flowers in the hood and trunk
With the tires, they made large, round planters,
replete with daffodils. With the hubcaps, pipes, muf-
flers, and metal parts they made a modern, recycled
sculpture.
They called it "Pollution in Hloom." Thruoul the
show, children were scrambling in and out ot the
cleaned-oul. grassy car interior. The club at Austin is
sponsored by Walter Klimek The president is Larry
Woods.
Summer Studies
A number of universities thruoul the region are of-
fering summer short-courses relating to environmental
studies. Here are a few of them, but even more can be
found by checking local colleges and universities.
: Heginning June 18. Ohio Dominican College.
Columbus, will offer a tour-week course in en-
vironmental studies. The course will emphasize water
chemistry and water pollution and is open to all junior
high school teachers in Central and Southeastern Ohio.
Registration is limited to HO teachers, and all costs will
be covered under a grant from the National Science
Foundation.
* High school science teachers are eligible for an
KPA-sponsored short-course at the University of Cin-
cinnati (Ohio) College of Engineering and the HPA's
National Environmental Research Center. Cincinnati.
The two sessions run from (line 17 to |une 'M\ and from
|uly 8 to |uly 21.
* Also in Ohio, the Case Western Reserve Univer-
sity. Cleveland, will offer a one-week course in the
planning, management and operation of water resource
systems. The; course will be May 21 to May 25. A $200
fee covers materials needed in the class. Contact Yacov
II,limes. Professor of engineering, at Case. 4410H.
And in Chicago. EPA. along with the City of Chicago
and (Cook County) Metropolitan Sanitary District, held
a one-day short-course in environmental laboratory
training. They used the city's modern water filtration
plant, and coached lab workers how to belter identify
and count /.ooplankton and photoplankton in water.
Specialists receiving the advanced training came from
six states. The x.ooplanklon and pholoplankton provide
a thermometer lor diagnosing the health of streams.
lakes, and drinking water.
Community leaders in Illinois' southern Cook
County got into the environmental education act in
March and April, also. Governor's Slate University,
along with the Will County Council of Governments.
sponsored eight workshops designed to educate com-
munity leaders in the problems of the environment.
The intent of the conferences was to communicate an
environmental sensitivity so that community and
governmental leaders can better deal with pollution
and act to prevent environmental degradation in the
future;.
PAGE 7
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EPA ACTION ... EPA ACTION...
EPA's solid waste program will be redirected to
provide regulatory assistance and guidance to State
and municipal officials. The new approach will enable
the officials to deal with serious environmental
problems such as industrial and hazardous waste
disposal.
In accordance with President Nixon's budget for FY
'74, there will be a reduction in expenditures from $26
million in the current fiscal year to $6 million in 1974
for the present Office of Solid Waste Management
programs and hazardous waste disposal activities.
HONDA, MAZDA CLEAN
Test results released by the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency show that an auto engine developed by
Honda Motor Company meets the federal emission
requirements for the 1975 model year without the use
of exhaust after-treatment devices such as catalytic
converters.
Federal air pollution emission requirements for the
1975 model year have also been met by prototype
vehicles equipped with the Mazda rotary engine,
produced by Toyo Kogyo of Japan.
POLLUTION SIMULATOR ON LINE
A unique $1 million environmental simulator has
been put into operation by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. It is expected to provide scientists
with a significant new tool for studying the movement,
fate and impact of pollution on rivers.
Known as "AEcoS," which is short for Aquatic
Ecosystem Simulator, the facility will bridge the gap
between laboratory experiments and uncontrolled field
studies.
AEcoS is the result of 10 years of research, design,
and construction by the National Pollutants Fate
Research Program at EPA's Southeast Environmental
Research Laboratory in Athens, Georgia, which will
operate the new facility.
VEHICLE LAWS OFFERED
Amendments to the Motor Vehicle Certification
Regulations have been proposed that would establish
vehicle-engine histories, strengthen the provisions for
in-plant inspections and selection of certification test
vehicles, and regulate the use of "by pass" devices
which can shut off an engine's emission control system.
Under the proposed revisions, each vehicle or engine
tested for certification would have to be accompanied
by a vehicle history. The history would be required to
start on the same day as work assembling the vehicle
or engine begins, and would be updated daily until
certification testing is complete.
EPA ENTERS RECYCLING CASE
The Environmental Protection Agency has in-
tervened in a Federal Maritime Commission hearing on
alleged discriminatory freight rates for waste paper
shipped from U.S. Pacific Ocean ports to Japan and
other Far Eastern countries for recycling.
In a hearing before the Commission, tentatively set
for June 5, 1973, the EPA intends to present evidence
that discriminatory transport rates, favoring wood pulp
over paper wastes, result in decreased consumption of
waste paper with subsequent adverse environmental
consequences in terms of depletion of natural resourc-
es and increased solid waste generation.
U.S., YUGOSLAVS MEET ON NOISE
The Environmental Protection Agency will sponsor
"The International Congress on Noise as a Public
Health Problem" in Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia May 13-18,
1973. The Congress is being conducted by the Yugoslav
Medical Association and the American Speech and
Hearing Association.
Approximately 75 of the world's leading authorities
on the effects of noise will review the state of
knowledge and describe new developments in such
fields as speech and communication interference,
auditory and non-auditory physiological effects, sleep
disturbance, and community annoyance.
Attendance at the Congress will be limited to 500.
Further information and applications to attend can be
obtained from the Office of Noise Abatement and Con-
trol, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Washington, D.C. 20460 (telephone: 202/254-7438).
PESTICIDE BANNED
The federal registration of the new pesticide Monitor
4 has been amended by EPA to prohibit its use on
head lettuce. The action followed detection of excessive
residues of the chemical on California lettuce and the
consequent seizure of some of the harvested vegetable
by federal and state authorities.
EPA is cooperating with the Food and Drug Ad-
ministration of the U.S. Department of Health,
Education, and Welfare and the California Department
of Agriculture in conducting a complete investigation
into the cause of the incident.
Monitor 4 is an organophosphate insecticide which
degrades rapidly after spray application under normal
conditions.
PAGE 8
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EPA ACTION... EPA ACTION...
WETLANDS PRESERVED
EPA policy has been established for the protection
and preservation of the nation's wetlands. Wetlands in-
clude marshes, swamps, bogs and other low-lying areas
which during some period of the year are covered in
part by natural non-flood waters.
These areas serve as habitats for important fur-
bearing mammals, many species of fish, and water-
fowl. They moderate extremes in water flow, aid in
natural purification of water, and maintain and
recharge ground water.
It will be the policy of EPA:
—To minimize alterations in the quantity or quality
of the natural flow of water that nourishes wetlands, to
protect wetlands from adverse practices, and to
prevent violation of applicable water quality standards.
—Not to grant federal funds for the construction of
municipal sewage facilities which may interfere with
the existing wetland ecosystem.
—To consult with the Department of the Interior in
determining the probable impact of the pollution
abatement program on fish and widlife in the
wetlands.
—To recommend a public hearing in the event of
projected significant adverse environmental impact on
wetlands.
CITIZENS MAY SUE
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed
regulations outlining the requirements for giving notice
before a water pollution suit is filed by an individual.
The federal Water Pollution Control Act Amend-
ments of 1972 authorize any citizen to start a civil ac-
tion against any person for violation of an effluent stan-
dard or against the EPA Administrator for failure to
perform a nondiscretionary duty.
The new water law requires that a citizen must
notify the EPA Administrator 60 days before he files a
suit. In a suit contemplated against an individual, cor-
poration or governmental agency, the plaintiff must
notify the EPA Administrator, the state in which the
violation occurred, and the alleged violator at least 60
days before any action is commenced.
HAZARD POLLUTANTS LAW
National emission standards have been set by the
EPA for three hazardous air pollutants: asbestos,
beryllium and mercury.
These pollutants are the first to be designated as
hazardous-to-health under the Clean Air Act amend-
ments of 1970.
The hazardous-to-health designation requires EPA to
set national emission standards for the affected air
pollutants.
WATER PLANS ASKED
Interim regulations outlining the continuing planning
process in water pollution control have been
established by the EPA.
Under the federal Water Control Act amendments of
1972, states are required to develop a continuing plan-
ning process through which they can make coordinated
water quality management decisions.
The planning process is comprised of four principal
parts which are:
—The annual State Strategy, which sets the state's
major objectives and priorities for preparing its water
basin plans and its annual program plan.
—Plans which establish specific targets for con-
trolling pollution in individual basins.
—The annual program plan, which establishes the
results expected and the resources committed for the
state program each year. This plan is developed from
the annual state strategy, and, when available, from the
specific targets developed in basin plans.
—Reports which measure program performance in
achieving results.
Prior to adoption of final regulations, comments in
writing will be considered if they are mailed to Chief,
Planning Standards Branch, Office of Air and Water
Programs, EPA, Washington, D.C. 20460 before May
10, 1973.
TRASH + COAL = FUEL
Electric utility executives, considering the possibility
of applying a new technique in their own generating
facilities, are studying the performance of the first
power plant to use shredded solid waste as an
auxiliary fuel with coal to generate electricity.
Operation of the process began in St. Louis nine
months ago. It is a cooperative resource recovery effort
between the City of St. Louis, the Union Electric Com-
pany, St. Louis, and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.
NIXON ASKS SAFE WATER
The Administration's proposed Safe Water Drinking
Act will provide an effective solution to the problem of
providing safe drinking water to the public.
Under the President's bill, the EPA Administrator
would establish new federal primary drinking water
standards protective of public health and secondary
standards for such matters as taste, odor and ap-
pearance.
PAGE 9
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RUCKELSHAUS ISSUES CAR RULING
EPA Administrator William ID. Ruckelshaus on April
11 granted U.S. automakers a one-year extension on
meeting federal aulo emission standards nationwide;.
In making the decision. Ruckelshaus ended a throe-
year battle between the aulo industry and EPA over
whether I he standards were attainable by 1975. the
deadline sel in the 1970 (Mean Air Amendments.
The decision to allow the one-year extension—but to
apply interim standards—pleased no one. and one
Kuckelshaus aide said "it must have been a good one."
Consumer-environmental advocate Ralph Nader
charged Ruckelshaus had sold out" to the White
House and to auto dealers.
General Motors, from [Detroit, said it was "disap-
pointed and dismayed" by the ruling, because the; in-
terim standards also will require untested control
devices.
Mriefly. here is what Ruckelshaus' decision provides:
Call f o r n i a . w h ic h is
exempted from the; extension.
will be used as a giant "lest
laboratory." and was given
stringent standards for 1975.
The standards. Ruckelshaus
said, will require the use of
catalytic converters in that
state Thus, he said, the; con-
sumer and aulo industry will
be assured the converters
work before they are put on
cars nationwide;.
California car emissions
were; sel at .9 grams per mile;
fe)r hydrocarbons and 9 grams
per mile for carbein mone>xiele.
Nationwide; in 1975. the
aulo industry must heilel
emissions lo 1.5 grams lor
hydrocarbons and 15 grams
for carbon mejnoxides.
Moth of these- nationwide levels are less than the ante)
industry asked during hearings in March. They had
proposed thai the; 1974 standards of three grams for
hydrocarbons and 28 grams fe>r carbon monoxide apply
until 197fi.
In 197(i. all cars will be limited to .41 grams
hydrocarbons anel 3.4 grams carbein rnonoxiele.
Ruckelshaus said he; allowed the erne-year extension
to avert ee:one>mie: elisruplion by the phase-in of con-
trols across all car models by 1975.
William Ruckelshaus
U.S. Steel Cited
Region V EPA took major enforcement action
April 18 against the United States Steel Corporation's
Gary Works.
In the first of a future continuing effort to clean up
Northwest Indiana air. EPA placed U.S. Steel on notice
to formulate an air pollution control schedule within 30
days. If the company fails to do so. EPA has the
authority to lake criminal or civil action in federal
court, or itself set a program for the; giant steelworks to
meet by 1975.
The action was announced by Francis T. Mayo.
Region V administrator. Valdas Adamkus. deputy
administrator, and James O. McDonald. Region V chief
of enforcement,
McDonald said in a press conference the action was
taken because U.S. Steel has failed to submit a
pollution control schedule as required by Indiana and
federal regulations.
Also put on notice was U.S. St(Mil's Universal Atlas
Cement Division, of Gary. The notices were directed at
21 pollution sources in the two facilities, which emit
70.000 tons of dust mailer yearly.
THE WHITEFISH May Lakeshore Erosion Com-
mittee and the Edison Saull Electric Company have;
charged thai partial damming of northern Lake
Superior to reduce the threat of spring flooding in the
lower Great Lakes is discriminatory and possibly un-
constitutional.
The committee is comprised of homeowners along a
50-mile stretch of shoreline of the; Lake Superior bay
and claim that higher waters in the lake; have been
responsible; for some residents losing as much as 90
feet of beach. The electric company claims that
reduced flow of water into the lower lakes is costing
them an extra $50.000 a month to buy power from
other utilities and to run emergency diesel generators.
The International Joint Commission decided to
reduce the flow of water into the lower lakes Feb. 1 by
closing one of two remaining gates at the IB-gate St.
Mary's Rapids dam.
PAGE 10
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Asked to Classify Discharge
By HAL BOHNER
In .1 Hireling ol public interest
groups and KPA effluent guidelines
division representatives March 2'A
in Washington, Allen Cywin.
division director, said thai the
benefits of pollution reduction
would not he specifically defined as
part of the development ol effluent
limitations.
Environmentalists Ironi the
national organizations, the Natural
Resources Defense Council and
Conservation Foundation, took
issue with Cywin's statement that
the benefits of pollutant reduction
will he considered equivalent to the
extent to which the pollutant is
removed from a waste. They point-
ed out that removing a certain
amount of mercury clearly is more
beneficial to the environment than
removal of an equal amount of salt
and that KI'A is required to con-
sider such differences in benefits
under the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act Amendments of 1972.
Cywin indicated that KI'A s
program to develop limitations on
toxic substances would not provide
information on the benefits to the
environment from the reduction of
toxic pollutants.
Cywin noted thai the effluent
limitations currently being
developed jointly by contractors
and KPA will essentially define
In",i practicable and best available
technologies for controlling water
pollution from 27 types of in-
dustries. However, he pointed out
that the limitations would not cover
all companies to whom discharge
permits will be issued under the
National Pollutant Discharge
Klirnination System unless funding
is authorized for additional studies
by (he. contractors.
The studies which have been
authorized are under way and draft
reports will be completed by July.
Progress reports on the effluent
limitations arc periodically
distributed to some regional offices
for review and Cywin invited com-
ments from public interest groups
on the drall reports. Represen-
Photo By Alan T Jones
Ecology (lag flies daily at Addison.
Illinois sewage treatment plant.
I a I i ves of two professional
engineering societies indicated that
they were prepared to analyze the
drall reports, but some en-
vironmentalists noted that citl/.en
groups will find it difficult to
muster the technical expertise to
review even one ol the 27 reports
The number of permits which
will be issued prior to completion
of the KPA s I u 11 le s and
promulgation of effluent limitations
is unclear Some permits will be
issued on the basis of water quality
stand,mis without the need lor ef-
fluent limitations defining best
practicable control technology
Such effluent limitations, upon
which more than 7000 permits will
be based, will not be sel until
sometime after October and
perhaps as late as January. 1974
Environmentalists urged that best
practicable control technology be
defined as soon as possible
stressing thai without effluent
limits based on KPA s definition of
the available methods of abating
pollution and their costs, control of
much of the pollution of the nation's
waters cannot begin.
Represented at the single meeting
were the American Society of Civil
Kngineers. American Society of
Mechanical Kngineers. Water
Pollution Control Federation.
Natural Resources Defense Council.
Hudson River Sloop Preservation.
Conservation Foundation. HIM
(Business and Professional People
for the Public Interest, a Chicago-
based organization) as well as the
KI'A
Mr. Bohne.r is a member of Busi-
ness and Professional People for (he
Public Interest. Chicago. The
opinions expressed in (his article
are his own. and not necessarily
EPA'a
PAGE 11
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SHORT SUBJECTS
Cemeteries as Parks
WITH THE CRUNCH for open space in urban areas,
cemeteries are playing an increasing role in providing
recreation for the living.
According to a Northeastern Illinois Planning Com-
mission newsletter, Chicago-area cemeteries have
begun in earnest to open their stoned-wall fortresses to
the public. They're building bike trails among land-
scaped paths, sponsoring free community concerts, and
some are even open for picnics.
Two Catholic Archdiocese cemeteries have also
opened their as-yet-unused land for golf courses.
Among cemeteries participating in recreation and open
space uses are the Mt. Emblem Cemetery, Elmhurst;
Memory Gardens, Arlington Heights; Fresh Meadows,
Hillside; Glenwoody, Glenwood.
The commission also reports that Skokie, a Chicago
suburb, is fining dog owners up to $200 if they fail to
clean up after their pets. The program recently won an
award from Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
PYROLYSIS is a new process that turns hard-to-
dispose-of solid waste into usable gases and molten
slag. In a project near Orchard Park, N.Y., auto body
parts, tires, tree parts, plastics, refrigerators, and
clothes dryers are heated to 2,000 degrees, Farenheit in
a near-vacuum. The organics burn, and the inorganic
remains are liquified.
FOR YEARS, canoeists and sportsmen have made
Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area a yearly
recreation favorite. To keep it that way, a U.S. District
Court has ordered that timber cutting in the million-
acre virgin country be limited to 600 acres, pending a
U.S. Forest Service report due in about five months.
The action resulted in a suit filed by the Minnesota
Public Interest Research Group.
MIDWEST environmental groups have joined
ecology and sportsmen's groups nationwide in a battle
of the west. In nearly all publications, these groups
have urged their memberships to support the EPA and
Interior Department ban on the use of persistent
poisons to control predators in the West. In an ap-
parent response to a sheep ranchers' effort to have the
ban lifted so as to eliminate coyotes, wolves, and bald
eagles, the groups nationwide have urged EPA and In-
terior to hold firm on the ban.
PAGE 12
THE TIME may come when Americans may be
eating old tires and using them to grow food. Rutgers
University and Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
just concluded a two-year study that suggests scrap
rubber can also be used to purify water. And mean-
while, the Deltona Corporation is building an artificial
reef out of old tires supplied by the Goodyear Tire and
Rubber Company. The reef has attracted large schools
of 33 fish species.
SOME government workers never rest. In Illinois,
Verdun Randolph, chief of that state's Bureau of En-
vironmental Health noticed some peeling paint while
waiting for a meeting in the state Capitol Building. He
tested it and found lead. It prompted his department to
warn legislators that "Nibbling paint chips from the
State House walls could be hazardous to your health."
FIVE Ohio companies have been billed for killing
fish by the state's Division of Wildlife. Cleveland Elec-
trical Illuminating Company was billed $13,820 for 2.9
million fish it allegedly killed in Lake Erie at the
Eastlake power plant. Diamond Shamrock Company,
Cleveland, was billed $17,491 for 374,000 fish allegedly
killed last June from a sodium hypochloride discharge
into the Grand River.
Others billed were the Routh Packing Company,
Sandusky, $11,048; Whirlpool Corporation, Findlay,
$2,312; and Schumacher Soil Service, Columbus Grove,
$21,748. The city of Norwalk was billed $1,694 for a kill
caused by its power plant; and Hershall Fannin, of
Ironton, for a $1,799 fish kill caused by dumping
chicken manure. The division sends bills every few
months to firms accused of killing fish or other wildlife.
BECAUSE of public demand, the Hamilton County
Park District, Cincinnati, Ohio, has published an an-
thology of articles written by Warren R. Wells, the
district's chief naturalist. Wells has written natural
history articles in the district's newsletters for 18 years.
The book, which costs $2.50, contains all his writings.
Proceeds from the book will be used to purchase ad-
ditional parkland.
THE WABASH Valley Association, Mt. Carmel 111.,
recently celebrated its 16th birthday. The group has
been an environmental watchdog for that many years
and is looking forward to 20.
-------
and Birds on the 'Phone
YOU don't have to stop flushing to save water.
That's the conclusion of an increasing number of en-
vironmentalists and planners who are advocating a
brick in every toilet tank. Arguing that half of domestic
water used is flushed, the brick-advocates have figured
out that one brick saves a quart of water each time the
toilet tank empties. Other ways to save that quart—and
save money in the process—are to bend down the tank
control arm, use a plastic bag of gravel, or use an up-
turned quart jar. The brick and its equivalents, by the
way, don't sacrifice flushing efficiency.
DR. JANET Friedlander, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio,
has assembled more than 1,000 pieces of literature on
the pollution of Lake Erie. The comprehensive collec-
tion, which should serve as an invaluable resource
material for researchers studying Lake Erie, is
available at the Sears Library on the Case Western
Reserve University campus.
IT'S getting so that New York birds don't have much
privacy lately. That's because of a telephone service,
called Dial-A-Bird, which nature enthusiasts can use to
find out what birds have been sighted in the area
within the past week. The service, sponsored by the
National Audubon Society and Linnaean Society, can
be reached by dialing (212) 832-6523. The areas
covered are: Long Island, New York, and Westchester;
and Putnam, and Rockland Counties. The idea seems
custom-made for the Midwest, too, which lies in the
Mississippi Valley Flyway.
AND in Detroit, the Chamber of Commerce has
called for the creation of a six-county regional authority
to plan and organize a system of solid waste disposal.
In a two-year study that cost $234,000. the chamber
reported that unless new landfill sites can be found,
there won't be enough capacity for the amount of solid
wastes being discarded. The commerce recommends
that a seven-man agency should be empowered to plan,
license, and regulate the use of landfills.
THE NON-polIuting electric streetcar is making a
comeback in Dayton, Ohio; Boston, Mass.; and San
Francisco, Calif. Dayton is studying a transit system
with the cars, and the other two cities are soliciting
bids for 230 of them.
TWO Indiana environmental groups have gotten
together to publish a weekly "hot line" newsletter on
what's going on in their state legislature. The letter
flags issues that need immediate support or opposition,
and records legislators' votes on key environmental
bills. The letter is published by the Indiana Division of
the Izaak Walton League, 1802 Chapman Road,
Huntertown; and the Eco-Coalition, 5314 Boulevard
Place. Indianapolis.
CHICAGO'S public television station. WTTW, has
just completed a two-month showing of nine programs
dealing with the environment. Titled "Earthkeeping,"
the program received good reviews and dealt with
problems of city life, citizen participation, garbage.
farms, cars, and other environmental subjects. The
programs were shown on Sunday evenings. The series'
theme song, "Nothing Ever Goes Away," stressed that
earth is a closed system.
MAY 6 through May 12 will be Wisconsin Paper
Week in that state. During the week, papermakers will
open their doors to the public and show them the paper
companies' efforts in cutting pollution from their
plants. The week will begin informally in Green Bay
May 7.
A WYANDOTTE, Mich., company is using a huge
vacuum cleaner this summer to guard against its in-
coming materials becoming a hazard to the en-
vironment. Wyandotte Cement, Inc. spent $750,000 on
the dust abatement facility, which captures dust as
cement is unloaded at its Lake Michigan docks. The
vacuum cleaner is 360 feet long and 80 feet high. It was
developed by the company's engineers and the Wayne
County Health Department's Air Pollution Control
Division.
WAYNE COUNTY, Michigan, is proposing to give
unemployed young people and senior citizens a job
cleaning up the Rouge River. Richard Mannin, county
commissioner, said the program would cost about $2.5
million and is looking for federal or state grants to
begin.
PAGE 13
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BUSINESS
Clean Air for Columbus, Ind.
Businessmen down in Columbus. Indian,!, south of
Indianapolis, have organi/ed on their own to sec that
their community has cleaner air in the future.
Two years ago. the Columbus Chamber of Com-
merce formed an air pollution subcommittee under its
Environmental Council and named Willi He;nny. an
executive of the Cummins Engine- Company, chairman.
"We set out to reduce the air pollution in the greater
Columbus area to an acceptable level and to assure that
it remains so in the future." Henny said.
Henny points out that it has been the policy of the
16-member air pollution subcommittee to make its ac-
tions a community effort with the committee working
closely with citizens, citizen groups, government, in-
dustry and the Columbus Air Pollution Control Office.
The subcommittee tries to keep the public informed
about what's he-ing done to promote; meaningful efforts
to reduce; and control pollution to assure healthy air for
citizens and plant lift; in the Columbus area.
All publicity on the subcommittee's efforts is
processed through the chairman of the subcommittee
who then forwards it to the Chamber of Commerce's
Environmental Council lor final clearance and
publication.
Henny said the subcommittee tries to define the
problems and determine the method of evaluation and
control with the help of technically competent people.
"We try to originate, coordinate and execute the
plans to achieve the objectives that we've stated." he
noted. He said the group makes every effort to work
with the industry which may be polluting in order to
establish meaningful, realistic and acceptable goals and
schedules.
The organization provides technical advice to small
industry to help them find the; best and most
economical method to reduce pollution.
"We also feel that our efforts should include; the
education of the public regarding our plans, efforts.
needs and achievements in order to gain the public's
interest and participation." Henny added.
He said the subcommittee defines the; volunteer
work which can be done as self-contained projects, and
tries to find suitable volunteers and coordinate their ac-
tivities.
"Our group works closely with the Air Pollution
Control Office of Columbus and local government so
that we can be aware of legislative action in
preparation." Henny pointed out.
lie said the group feels that it is important to work
closely with local government in order to obtain its
support and counsel, to establish goals compatible with
present and future legislative requirements, and to
provide information to appropriate government agen-
cies to obtain compliance with legal standards.
It is also the goal of the subcommittee to form and
organize new permanent and temporary subgroups to
achieve a specific phase of the air pollution effort plan.
Henny said the subgroups report to the; sub-
committee and act under its direction. The groups in-
clude a technical committee to provide technical
guidance, an industrial committee to work with in-
dustry, and a sampling committee.
Willi Henny
THE DOW CHEMICAL Corporation is participating
in two research demonstration projects with the federal
EPA.
One of the projects is in Midland. Mich. The process
was installed to test methods of removing phenols from
sewage.
At a cost of SHOO.000. the Dow-Chemical unit treats
phenols in two. alternating activated carbon beds. The
project, which has been operating for three years, has
successfully treated contaminated wastewater con-
taining 100 to 1.000 parts per million of phenols. The;
process has resulted in an effluent of below one; part
per milliem.
One; of the twe) units is on-stre;am. The; other is being
used to re;e:ycle; the (phe;ne)l) waste;s fmm the first unit.
EPA is funeling 55 per ce-nt e>f the- project cost.
The; other project, also in Midland, is the use of an
ultraviolet reactor in a chemical plant. The reactor ac-
colerates the de:e;ompe)silie>n e>f organic chemical
pollutants with chlorine, re-suiting in the coversion of
organic compounds to harmless c;arbon dioxide.
If the- system proves successful on a large scale.
sewage- plant capacity could be; increased. EPA is fund-
ing 55 pe;r e:ent e)f the $400.000 pmject.
PAGE 14
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EPALOG
EPA Offers Books, Movies
New Films and Publications
"A Question of Values" records a debate among residents of a small Maine community in conflict between en-
vironmental preservation and economic development. 28 min., 16 mm color.
"A Man and A River"—Artist Thomas Hart Benton, in a call for preserving our free-flowing rivers, talks of the
Buffalo River. 4-1/2 min., 16 mm color.
Both films available on free loan from National Audiovisual Center, Washington, D.C. 20407.
"Allie, Allie In-Free"—Produced in Cleveland, the film depicts life in an inner-city environment. 30 Min., 16 mm
color. Available on free loan from Modern Talking Pictures, Inc., 160 E. Grand Ave., 60611.
"In Order to Change"—Produced in Chicago, this film tells the story of a community group that won en-
vironmental safeguards. 1 hour, 30 mins., 16 mm color. Also available on free loan from Modern Talking Pictures,
Inc.
"EPA Citizen's Bulletin, April, 1973." The latest issue of a monthly publication capsulizing EPA recent action.
"Aircraft Emissions; Impact on Air Quality and Feasibility of Control."—This EPA study tackles the con-
troversial issue of controlling aircraft emissions.
"Popeye and Environmental Careers."—Published by King Features, of New York, for the EPA, this comic book
is custom-made for kids. It is a compilation of Popeye the Sailor Man's confrontation with pollution.
All three publications listed above may be obtained from Region V EPA, Public Affairs, 1 N. Wacker Dr.,
Chicago, 111. 60606.
Rules and Regulations
Revion V has begun sending short-form waste discharge permit applications to Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois,
Ohio, Wisconsin, and Indiana. The first forms, which were due in mid-April, apply to small municipal,
agricultural, forestry, fishing, manufacturing, service, and commercial establishments.
Forms for plants not in operation prior to Oct. 18, 1972 are due from 60 to 180 days before waste discharge is
begun. Cities with populations of less than 10,000 should write the Permits Branch, EPA Region V, 1 N. Wacker
Dr., Chicago, 111., 60606.
The Federal Register
As a matter of public record, notices of EPA hearings, proposed rule makings, promulgations of regulations,
and other regulatory actions are published in the daily Federal Register. The register is available at most libraries
(including the Region V library) or by an annual subscription of $25 from the U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C. 20402.
February 28. State and local assistance; grants for construction of treatment works. Tolerances for pesticide
chemicals in or on raw agricultural commodities: cycloheximide, phosalone, and viable spores of microorganism
bacillus thuringiensis berliner.
- Amchem Products, Inc.; filing of petition regarding pesticide chemical. Ciba-Geigy Corp.; withdrawal of petitions
regarding pesticide chemical and food additive. Environmental impact statements; availability of agency com-
ments. Petrochemical Industry Advisory Committee meeting.
March 2. Advisory Committee on Revision and Application of Drinking Water Standards; public meeting.
March 6. - Tolerances for pesticide chemicals; certain inert ingredients in pesticide formulations applied
to animals; correction.
March 7. - Motor vehicle pollution control suspension request; public hearing and procedures; correction.
National Air Pollution Manpower Development Advisory Committee; meeting. Technical Advisory Group to
Municipal Wastewater Systems Division; meeting.
March 8. - Maintenance of national ambient air quality standards. Air programs; preparation, adoption and sub-
mittal of implementation plans.
(Continued on back page)
PAGE 15
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Epalog . . . .
March 9. Grants for construction of water treatment works; correction. Benomyl; extension of temporary
tolerance. PAX Co. Arsenic Advisory Commit lee meeting.
March 13. Hazardous Materials Advisory Committee; committee management determination and meetings (3
documents).
March 14. Administrative claims under Federal Tort Claim Act; procedures. Air pollution control; standards
and test procedures. Prior notice to citizen suits: procedures for giving notice of civil actions. Benzoyl chloride (2,4,
(i-lrichlorophenyl) hydrazone; reextension of temporary tolerance.
March 19. Environmental impact statements.
March 21. Availability of Environmental impact statements.
March 20. Amendments of state air quality implementation plan requirements. EPA establishes and exempts
tolerances for certain residues.
March 22. EPA adopts tolerances for residues on swectpotatoes, effective March 30, 1973. EPA notices of
tolerance proposals on soybeans and petition withdrawal by Velsicol Chemical Co., Chicago.
March 27. Interim regulations for state planning under 1972 Water Pollution Control Act. Comments accepted
thru May 11, 1973. EPA establishes tolerances for four pesticides, effective on date of publication.
March 28. Proposed interim regulations for pesticide tolerances on apples.
March 30. EPA sels temporary tolerances for herbicide residues on cottonseed and soybeans.
April 2. Proposed rules for negotiated architect-engineer contracts; procurement forms.
* U.S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1973 754 317/P.O NO 1
REGION V PUBLIC REPORT
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY POSTAGE AND FEES PAID
Office Of Public AffairS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
One North Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606 EPA-335
THIRD CLASS
PAGE 16
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