United States May 1987
Environmental Protection Agenc 1 .’ OPA-87 008
Washington DC 20460
Research and Development -
6EPA Senior
Environmental
Employment
Program
Description
-------
The Senior Environmental Employment
(SEE) Program, administered by the
Environmental Protection Agency, utilizes
the wealth of talent, experience, and skills
possessed by retired and unemployed older
Americans. The work being done by EPA’s
many SEE employees demonstrates the
effectiveness of older Americans in helping
to prevent, abate, and control
environmental pollution.
Purpose
The program has two major benefits:
o To give older workers an opportunity to
remain active and to use their mature skills
in meaningful tasks.
o To supplement EPA staff in
administering projects necessary for
support of environmental programs.
Badkgnowtd
The SEE program was established in 1976,
by the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the Administration on Aging.
The ability of the program to recruit
qualified persons 55 years of age and over
provided the Agency with the ability to
respond more rapidly to emergency
situations or short-term projects. In 1984,
the Environmental Programs Assistance Act
(PL 98-313) was signed into law by
President Reagan. This law authorized the
establishment of a program of grants
administered by EPA for the purpose of
aiding state and local programs of pollution
abatement and control.
-------
Currently, several hundred SEE enrollees
are working in various areas at EPA. There
are full-lime and part-time SEE workers;
hours are determined by the utilizing
office.
Vacation leave and sick leave are earned
by enrollees according to the grantee’s
policies. Paid holidays are generally the
same as those observed by the federal
government.
Concept
EPA awards cooperative agreements to
qualified private, non-profit organizations
designated by the Secretary of Labor to
recruit, hire, and pay salaries to the older
workers for work at EPA.
SEE workers are not federal employees,
but employees of the non-profit
organization that recruited and hired them.
After being hired by one of six
organizations, workers are subject to its
personnel policies and procedures.
Although workers are not EPA
employees, they are associated with the
Agency and must avoid any actions which
would reflect adversely on the Agency. It is
an ongoing responsibility to act with
decorum in all actions connected with EPA.
1987—716—O1u/70506
-------
Gmn e O anizafions
Presently, there are six organizations
receiving funds from EPA for the Sen;cr
Environmental Employment program, i: . v
are:
American Association of Retired Perso ts
1909 K Street, NW.
Washington, DC 20049
National Association of Hispanic E1d2r’y
2727 West Sixth Street, Suite 270
Los Angeles, CA 90057
National Caucus and Center
on Black Aged, Inc.
1424 K Street, NW., Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
National Council of Senior Citizens
925 15th Street, NW.
Washington, DC 20005
National Council on the Aging, Inc.
600 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
West Wing 100
Washington, DC 20024
National Urban League, Inc.
500 East 62nd Street
New York, NY 10021
Application may be made with any of the
organizations listed.
The SEE program is administered by:
Patricia F. Powers, Director
Senior Environmental Employm nL
Program
National Workforce Development Staff
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Exploratory Research (RD-675)
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 382-2574
-------
"7 1m territ/y sorry ^ but
you might have to t
The Christian Science Monitor
Reprinted with permission of the publisher
------- |