blic Awareness (A-'
Washington DC 20460
e4
Number 5
May, 1978
r/EPA JOURNAL
.coking to the Future
-------
Youth and the
Environment
This issue of EPA Journal
reviews the career and
other opportunities for young-
sters in the environmental area
The rewards are still promis-
ing and the environmental cause
needs the continued support
and interest of the Nation's
young people. EPA's Deputy
Administrator Barbara Blum
predicts in the column "Envi-
ronmentally Speaking" that the
solution to pollution of our land
and water "will come from those
who are now young in years"
and those who will "always be
young in spirit."
This issue also carries a re-
port by Administrator Douglas
M Costle on a visit he made to
the massive tanker oil spill off
the coast of France and the con-
clusions he drew from this
accident
Also in the magazine is an
interview with Charles S.
Warren. Director of EPA's
Office of Legislation, about the
Agency's relationship with Con-
gress, and a report from the
Agency's Region 5 Office with
headquarters in Chicago, the
latest in a continuing series of
articles from EPA's Regional
Offices around the Nation [ ',
-------
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Public Awareness Volume 4
(A-107) Number5
Washington, DC , 20460 May, 1 978
vvEPA JOURNAL
Douglas M. Costle, Administrator
Joan Martin Nicholson, Director Office of Public Awareness
Charles D. Pierce, Editor
Truman Temple, Associate Editor
John Heritage, Chris Perham, Assistant Editors
L'Tanya White. Staff Support
Articles
EPA's Purposi
Many Ways
to See a Tree
Deputy Administrator Barbara
Blum writes about youth and
the environment.
Is the Bloom Off
Environmental
Careers?
A review of the employment
possibilities in the environmental
field by Odom Fanning.
Youth Opportunities
at EPA
A report by John Heritage on
recruiting and employment at
EPA
On the
Legislative Front
An interview with Charles S
Warren, Director, Office of
Legislation
Preventing
Tanker Oil Spills
Administrator Douglas M.'Costle
reports on his visit to the scene
of the world's largest tanker
oil spill.
Crayons
Against Pollution
A Boston poster display
Washington
as a Classroom
An article by Mattie
Montgomery on a program to
give students and teachers an
understanding of "living
government."
Seeing
Makes Believers
Field trips to help youngsters
grasp complex environmental
issues.
Pollution Detective
An enterprising Illinois student
receives a national award for
finding and reporting water
pollution
Learning
about Water
An article by Chris Perham tells
about Wisconsin students who
are discovering how to protect
waterways.
Veterans Aid
Youth
A black veterans group sponsors
programs to help involve young-
sters in conservation work.
Motorcycle Noise
Students Curb
Air Pollution
A group of Milwaukee young-
sters help reduce auto
emissions.
Environment
in the Year 2,000
A report by Truman Temple
on a project to anticipate the
state of the world environment
22 years from now.
Scouting and the
Environment
Boy and Girl Scouts help in the
quest for a cleaner world
Region 5 Report
Departments
Almanac
Nation
People
Update
News Briefs
Front cover: Toddler checks the Photo credits: Nick Karanikas,
Donald Emmerich', Dick
water at Lake Mead, Nev.
Inside cover: Young environ-
mentalists count the rings on a
tree during a trail hike near
Boulder, Colo.
The SPA Journal is published
monthly, with combined issues
July-August and November-
December, by the U S Environ-
mental Protection Agency. Use of
funds for printing this periodical has
been approved by the Director of
The Smithsonian Institution, The Rowan*, Boyd E Norton', John
West Bend (Wis.) News., Black
Star, Charles O'Rear", Bruce
McAllister', Al Stephenson",
Carlyle (Illinois) Union Banner,
Neubauer', Frank
Aleksandrowic?'. ENTHEOS',
•DOCUMERICA
Text printed on recycled paper.
the Office of Management and
Budget Views expressed by authors
do not necessarily reflect EPA policy
Contributions and inquiries should
be addressed to the Editor (A-107)
Waterside Mall, 401 M St., S.W .
Washington, O.C 20460 No per-
mission necessary to reproduce
contents except copyrighted photos
and other materials Subscription
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order to Superintendent of Docu-
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Office. Washington, D C 20402
-------
Environmentally Speaking
Many
Ways to See
alree
Ajroup of high school students came to the Visitor's
Center at EPA headquarters in Washington not long
ago for a briefing on the Agency As an opener to a dis-
cussion, they were asked: "How many ways do you see
a tree?" Slowly the hands began to go up with the follow-
ing answers:
• Board feet, lumber to build things with. . . .
• Something very nice to look at, nice to sit under on a
hot day. . . .
• A home for squirrels and birds. . . .
• A big plant whose roots hold the soil from washing
away. . . .
• A machine that puts oxygen into the air for us to
breathe... .
• An energy machine in which each leaf is a collector
plate that takes energy from the sun and stores it. ...
• Fuel for wood stoves and fireplaces. . . .
• Raw material for paper, charcoal, medicines, and
chemicals. . . .
• Superstructures to hold up a swing. . . .
• A natural "jungle gym" for climbing.
Probably you can think of other ways to see a tree,
but I think you will agree that these students' responses
covered a wide range and in some instances showed a
degree of environmental sophistication. They saw how
trees are vital parts of the natural world, connected to air,
water, soil, and sunlight. They saw how trees help sup-
port wildlife and human life. Their answers implied some
inkling of how people's use of trees can sometimes be
conservative and stable and at other times exploitive and
destructive.
These students' views demonstrate that young people
are still aware of environmental values. Youth's environ-
mental consciousness has been raised over the last
decade, and it is perhaps stronger now than ever. The
first Earth Day celebration eight years ago was largely
due to the energies and intuitive good sense of young
people, and I am happy to note that the latest Earth Day,
recently observed, has continued to arouse the interest
and participation of American youth.
The youth constituency, of course, is steadily changing,
joined each year by new cohorts of young men and wo-
men, to take the places of those who graduate to adult-
hood. Many of the young leaders of the first Earth Day
observance in 1 970 are now over 30!
Youth's concern for the environment certainly helped
a great deal in giving a strong educational aspect to near-
ly all phases of the environmental protection movement.
Congress authorized the creation of an Office of Environ-
mental Education in the Department of Health, Educa-
tion and Welfare and most States have established spe-
cial offices and staffs in their education departments to
work on environmental subjects.
All these factors have led to (and have resulted from —
it's a two-way street) the increased interest of students
in environmental matters. Teaching plans and courses of
study in environmental matters are available now for
the primary grades through the college graduate level.
New teaching materials have been developed, and older
courses have undergone shifts in emphasis.
In their earliest science courses children now learn of
the cycling of energy and materials through different
parts of the natural environment. There are cycles for
energy transfer: sunlight, burning and decay, falling
water, the winds. There are cycles for chemical elements
— nitrogen and carbon, for instance —and cycles for
water and other compounds.
The biological sciences, and especially ecology, are
central to environmental understanding. The fundament-
al concepts of the biosphere; the food chain; the mutual
dependence of predator and prey, host and parasite; all
these ideas can be learned at an early age.
The contents of social studies courses are also
changing to meet the increasing needs of young people
for environmental awareness. Sociology, the study of
human societies, can be understood fairly completely in
terms of people's relations to surroundings of land and
resources, in short, to their environment. Likewise such
traditional study subjects as history, economics, political
science, and psychology have large and important envi-
ronmental components.
Young people today face many challenges with their
new-found knowledge of the environment because there
are so many seemingly insurmountable problems. How
can we continue to consume our resources of metal and
other materials at our accustomed rates? What will we
use for fuel when present supplies dwindle away? Despite
our recent, perhaps belated, efforts at environmental
EPAJOURNAL
-------
protection, there are many places where clean water and
breathable air are becoming scarce. Our farms and fish-
eries may be reaching limits on what can be produced
without irreversible damage to those resources from
pesticides, single-cropping, overuse of fertilizer, etc.
That young people are worried is not news. A genera-
tion ago they worried about nuclear warfare. Today they
worry about toxic substances with subtle, long-delayed
effects, about environmentally-caused cancer, about
population growth, about endangered species.
A generation ago, when youth were growing up under
the shadow of the atom bomb, many adults thought that
under this burden of no-place-to-hide, young people
might lose their natural feistiness, lose all their will to be
creative, to tackle and solve problems.
This did not happen. Young people today are like
young people in the past, critical of the world their
parents have left them, but not deprived of their inspi-
ration. The doomsday psychology is still with us, and a
considerable portion of today's youth may face their
world's problems as pessimists
Youth pays a special price for bad environmental con-
ditions and so has a special stake in their improvement.
As.a group, young people are hard hit by pollution's
effects. They are more susceptible than adults to the
stresses of smog, which can damage the lungs. Many
schools in smog-prone areas make it a common practice
to call off athletic events and curtail outdoor play periods
when the air pollution index is high.
Children are the principal targets of lead poisoning,
which can come from breathing lead particles in air or in
dust scuffed up from streets and vacant lots. Urban,
inner-city youth are often deprived by the lack of clean
space for recreation and safe water for swimming. They
have to grow up in noisy, dull, and ugly surroundings.
Even boys and girls whose physical health is unaffected
may suffer subtler damage. I think a poor environment
may be a factor in a youngster's attitudes, mental health,
and even learning abilities.
From my background as a student of psychology and
later as a psychiatric social worker, I sense these special
hazards to youth.
Today's youth are aware of not one, but many
possible doomsdays but they are not daunted by them.
They see the enormity of our environmental problems,
the paradoxes, the hard choices, and they don't flinch.
They are confident, but not over-confident.
Young people still have enthusiasm, but mixed with it
is a lot of common sense that used to be ascribed only to
adults. I think young people see our environmental
dilemmas as opportunities. They are more accustomed
than preceding generations to cross the artificial lines
between specialized fields of knowledge and specialized
skills. They are ready to blend different disciplines in new,
creative ways. Whatever other limits may exist, there
are no limits to resourcefulness and creativity. Conse-
quently, I believe environmental problems will become
increasingly manageable and solvable, and the solutions
will come from those who are now young in years and
those who will always be young in spirit.
I am optimistic that youth's creative energies—which
are demonstrated to me daily by my four children—can
be tapped also in neighborhoods and local communities.
As Rene Dubos said in a recent interview in the EPA
Journal, "Think globally, but act locally "
That is why I, as EPA Deputy Administrator, would
welcome new ways to provide employment for young
people in environmentally beneficial work. In recent
meetings with leaders of minority groups I became con-
vinced there must be jobs for urban youth in the moni-
toring of air pollution and noise levels, in water testing,
and in the development and improvement of recreational
areas. State and National Parks have been places of
youth employment for many years. I see urban environ-
ments as the next frontiers for this very positive use of
young people's energies.
I am pleased that EPA gives recognition to young
people in the President's Environmental Youth Awards.
More than 300,000 persons have received these awards
for a great variety of projects in schools and summer
camps. Some have been for humble but important jobs
to remedy some local condition like a waste-strewn va-
Cont/nued to page 37
MAY 1978
-------
Is the Bloom
Off
Environmental
Careers?
By Odom Fanning
-------
Dear Mr Fanning: I am a senior in environ-
mental studies at University. I was
motivated to go into this field by Earth Day
in 1970 I am basically an idealist, and an
optimist. But I am becoming increasingly
concerned that the bloom is off of the
environment, and there may not be a job for
me after I graduate. What do you think are
my chances for a satisfying job and career?
Lesley
That is an excerpt from a letter I recently
received. Like a guest on "Meet the
Press," I have a few comments to make
before answering the question. As the
environment covers a lot of ground (no pun
intended), these comments are general.
Each reader must interpret them, just as
each person must make his or her own
decisions, Jncluding those involved in finding
a job. Books, articles, and advice from
counselors can provide assistance, but only
through an intensive, intelligent, personal
search can one usually find the right job
Later I shall return to answer the student's
letter.
Environmental
Enhancement
Following Earth Day in 1 970, many ob-
servers believed that environmentalism was
a youth-misguided fad, which soon would
go the way of the yo-yo (pet rocks were
yet to come —and go). Then, they predicted,
it would be business as usual for polluters
or destroyers of the environment and its
resources. Now, eight years later, public
support for environmental causes is strong-
er than ever; the bloom is not even fading.
Here are some items:
• Six out of ten persons queried in an
Opinion Research Corporation survey three
years ago called it important to pay what-
ever price is necessary to protect the envi-
ronment. Nine out of ten agreed that post-
poning environmental clean-up would cost
more money in the long run.
Odom Fanning is a free-lance science writer
whose work has been honored by the
National Association for Environmental
Education and other professional organiza-
tions. He has contributed to Audubon,
Columbia Journalism Review, Environment,
and Smithsonian, among other magazines.
He is author of a college textbook on en-
vironmental citizen action. Another of his
books. Opportunities in Environmental
Careers, is in a sixth printing and is avail-
able from the publisher. National Textbook
Company, 8259 Ni/es Center Road, Skokie,
Illinois 60076, at $6.50 hardcover or
$4 75 paperback and will be mailed
postpaid.
1 978 by Odom Fanning All rights reserved
• When Arco, the oil company, ran a Bi-
centennial poll asking citizens what they
want America to be like by the Tncentennial,
one of 23 statements offered for agree-
ment/disagreement was "I believe there
must be greater individual sacrifice to pro-
tect the environment." Eighty-five percent
of the thousands who responded voted
"Agree"—the highest concurrence on any
of the 23 issues listed
• On a recent visit to Washington, D.C.,
Jacques Cousteau, the French oceano-
grapher/writer/TV personality, told the
American Oceanic Organization: "You may
hear that the environmental movement is
over That is not so, and those who believe
it is are in for a rude awakening. The envi-
ronmental movement is a tidal wave, not
just in the United States but all over the
world."
The Field of Environmental
Management
Physicians, lawyers, teachers, librarians,
accountants, and many other professionals
pursue a common course in a professional
school or college, usually to a postgraduate
level, before they begin to specialize. But
not so with the environmental major. There
is no core curriculum which turns out
environmentalists. Environmentalism is
more a frame of mind than a discipline.
Very fundamental ethical and social values
are involved in environmentalism, which
helps to explain why the public is willing to
pay for environmental enhancement which
may not be visible for a generation or more
Just in this decade, as an aftermath of Earth
Day, there has emerged a new field of study
and professional practice called environ-
mental management (EM). The EM field
covers all of those activities, public and
private, which individuals and institutions
undertake to enhance the quality of the
human environment.
As shown in Table 1, environmental
management has about 50 job titles under
seven classifications. Most of these are
professions requiring at least four years of
college and frequently as much as four to
six years' education beyond the baccalau-
reate. "Categorical specialists" is one term
which may be unfamiliar. These are people
who usually have four years of college,
sometimes more, and who apply their inter-
disciplinary skills against a category of
problems, i.e., air or water pollution, pest
control, radiological threats, etc They may
be chemists, physicists, or even generalists;
their expertise may come mainly from
specialized training provided by their em-
ployers after they are on the job. "Para-
professionals" may be another unfamiliar
term. These are the helpers to the profes-
sionals. They may be aides requiring at least
one year, or technicians requiring at least
two years, at a technical institute or
community college. They are very important
members of the EM team. They operate our
>99
MAY 1978
-------
Environmental Management:
The Interdisciplinary Mix
How Young Scientists and Engineers
Got Their Jobs
Promotion
Personal
reference
Recruited
College
placement
Want ad
Employment
agency
Private
Public
Prof.
society
Other
Total %
18.5
27.8
147
76
54
5.2
2.8
19
16 1
100.0
Untl
1 00 0
23.4
18.8
16.3
203
6.2
5.2
1 5
82
100.1
Environmental Engineer
(Civil Engineer)
(Sanitary Engineer)
Environmental Health Scientist
Environmental Physician
(Public Health Officer)
Health Physicist
Industrial Hygtenist
Public Health Veterinarian
Sanitarian
Categorical Specialists
Paraprofessionals
Biologist
Ecologist
Agricultural Engineer
Agronomist
Fisheries Conservationist
Forester
Horticulturist
Range Manager
Recreationist
Soil Conservationist
Veterinarian
Wildlife Conservationist
Zoo and Aquarium Director
Paraprofessionals
Geologist
Geophysicist
Meteorologist
Oceanographer
at and
Conservation Engineer
Electrical Engineer
Heating, Ventilating, and
Air-Conditioning Engineer
Mining and Metallurgical
Engineer
Nuclear Engineer
Petroleum Engineer
Solar Scientist/Engineer
Use Plan
Architect
Civil Engineer
Geographer
Landscape Engineer
Urban Planner
Paraprofessionals
.vith
Administrator
Business Owner
Conservator
Consultant
Economist
Educator
Environmental Impact Assessor
Journalist
Lawyer
Legislator
Librarian
Sales and Marketing Executive
EPA JOURNAL
-------
water and wastewater treatment plants.
They are the forest rangers, park and re-
creation assistants, solar energy techni-
cians, and public health laboratory aides.
They are indispensable, they are in demand,
and their salaries and status are constantly
rising.
Some environmental management fields
have been around for centuries. (George
Washington was a civil engineer, remember?
And who do you think built the aqueducts
of Rome?) Around the time of Earth Day,
1 970, a fundamental change occurred in
environmental studies and professional
practice. Curricula and jobs which tradition-
ally had been narrowly focused on one
discipline became much broader. For one
thing, the problems of the environment and
society threatened to overwhelm us. For
another, the science and technology to
cope with such problems had become avail-
able. I coined the alliteration "the three I's"
to characterize environmental studies and
practice: integrated, interdisciplinary, and
involved. By "the three I's" I mean, first,
that the science, engineering, and tech-
nology are closely integrated, one with
another. Second, they have been joined by
other disciplines —business and public
administration, communications, computer
sciences, economics, the humanities, law,
sales and marketing, and others —in a truly
interdisciplinary, supportive fashion. And,
third, both the student and the practitioner
must be involved in the very fabric of
peoples' lives and environments. Disciplines
are still important, bui they no longer are
all-important. Most people in college
continue to major in a discipline, because
that is the way most colleges are organized.
But today, in life, we are seeing more people
crossing back and forth within, and even
between, the seven classifications in Table 1.
Matina Horner, president of Radcliffe
College, recently said: "I just don't think
people are going to have one-track careers
anymore. Society can't absorb it. There's
going to be much more career shifting,
second careers, third careers." After
quoting Horner, Columnist Ellen Goodman
asked: "What, after all, do college students
need to know if they are going to have three
careers? What is the best preparation for
five decades? My answer: Just what college
was supposed to teach people from the
beginning. How to think. About themselves
and their lives, and whatever work they
plunge into, sidle into, or fall into."
The Environmental Job Market
President Carter declared in his 1 977
environmental message lo Congress. "Pre-
vious environmental control laws have
generated many more jobs than they have
cost. And other environmental measures. .
like energy conservation, reclamation of
strip-mined lands, and rehabilitation of our
cities —will produce still more jobs, often
where they are needed most "
How many |obs, nobody knows. Much
depends on economic growth, yet unwritten
environmental laws, energy impacts,
relative stability in the world, and even how
accurately the analysts make their work-
force forecasts. Despite good efforts, the
forecasters disagree, as these examples
show
• Professor E. J Middlebrooks estimated in
1 974 that personnel employed in industrial
water pollution control would rise 300 to
400 percent from 1 974 to 1 979 He pre-
dicted that the greatest demand would be
for process control technicians and
operators. Later, Middlebrooks calculated
that approximately 960,000 people, or 6
percent of the entire U.S. manufacturing
workforce, would soon be involved in in-
dustrial water pollution control. He also
estimated that 3.5 million would be em-
ployed in all pollution control
• The most extensive analytical study of
staff needs of this kind was conducted by
the Committee for Study of Environmental
Manpower of the National Research Council
and published in 1 977 as a 500-page book
entitled Manpower for Environmental
Pollution Control. It estimated current
direct employment attributable to pollution
control activities at 700,000 people,
280,000 of them in the private sector. It
anticipated that national "expenditures
during the next 1 0 years will be several
times those of the U.S. space program."
Finally, it said that, between 1 975 and 1 985,
Federal manpower demand (new jobs)
will remain stable or decrease slightly, while
State and local agencies will assume increas-
ing responsibility for pollution control pro-
grams. The greatest manpower demand
should arise from local activities involving
paraprofessionals. All personnel engaged
in local water quality operations and State-
local regulatory activities should increase
by about 50 percent.
• That same study incorporates Bureau of
Labor statistics analyses suggesting that
as many as 70,000 jobs are generated
directly and indirectly from each billion
dollars spent on pollution control. President
Carter has proposed that S4.5 billion in
Federal funds be appropriated this fiscal
year for pollution programs, towards an
overall commitment of S45 billion over
ten years. Thus, more than three million new
jobs (throughout the economy, not in envi-
ronmental management per se) could re-
sult from these pollution control expendi-
tures. Douglas Costle, administrator of
EPA, has said, "The unemployment rate in
1 977 was one-half percent lower than it
would have been without the pollution
control expenditures required by law."
• Passage of the Occupational Safety and
Health Act several years ago created a tre-
mendous demand for industrial hygienists.
There are about 4,000 members of this
profession in the United States and Canada,
and 1 2,000 new jobs are estimated to be
in prospect over the next decade. But de-
mand for industrial hygiene technicians will
be even greater. There are only 1,000
today, and between 25,000 and 40,000
will be needed
Look at the employment advertisements
in a ma|or newspaper such as the Sunday
New York Times, and you will find that
certain types of environmental management
professionals are in continuing demand.
This is particularly true for all the areas
under Environmental Protection and Public
Health and Energy Resources Development
and Applications, in Table 1. Among the
reasons: There are strong laws on the books.
Federal spending is rising, there is signifi-
cant private sector involvement, and society
continues to demand results. By contrast,
there are other areas just as necessary but
whose importance has yet to be fully recog-
nized by society. Fisheries and wildlife con-
servation, forestry, and recreation and
parks are examples of stable, slow-growing
fields. The industries involved do not want
a strong Federal presence The Federal
establishments lack strong, political support
for expansion. Jobs open up slowly in such
a conservative situation.
Two Booming Environmental
Professi
Nobody planned it; nobody even predicted
it. Yet two professions which are not in-
herently "environmental" disciplines have
become the pacesetters in opening up new
environmental job opportunities. They are
agriculture and veterinary medicine.
Continued to page 38
MAY 1978
-------
Youth
Opportunities
at EPA
By John Heritage
The bloom isn't off youth's
interest in the Environ-
mental Protection Agency, per-
sonnel officials with the Agency
say. The bloom isn't off EPA's
interest in youth either, they
add.
"They pound our door down
looking for jobs," says Bernie
Unger. chief of EPA's National
Employment Center. EPA has
4,000 applications for its sum-
mer youth programs alone
The Agency is getting 500
letters a week, mostly from
youth, asking about jobs
Youth's enthusiasm for EPA
work is a matter of values, says
Matt Simms, acting deputy dir-
ector of the Personnel Manage-
ment Division. "They're more
interested in protecting the
environment than in the military-
industrial complex " Work in the
life sciences is a favorite among
the letter writers
In return for the young
people's environmental spirit,
EPA has jobs, assistance pro-
grams and advice.
The Agency hires some 2.200
people a year nationwide Jo
fill jobs opened by normal turn
over, says Unger In addition,
EPA had 600 new jobs last year
and has 690 more in the Presi-
dent's FY 1979 budget.
The general entry salary for
professional and administra-
tive positions is 39,959 at the
Government Service-5 level,
and 812,336 at GS-7 Recent
law graduates start at S1 5,090
at GS 9. or at 318,258, GS-1 1
The engineering entry level is
S12,947atGS-5, or 314,802
at GS-7. higher starting pay
than other GS-5's and 7's be-
cause of a tight supply of
engineering graduates Clerk
typists are paid 37,930 at GS 3
John Heritage is an Assistant
Editor of EPA Journal
EPAJOURNAL
-------
and get SB,902 at GS-4.
Clerk typing can be a shortcut
to the professional environment-
al jobs for college graduates
"If they pass the civil service
typing test, we can hire them
and after 90 days' work they
are eligible to bid on profession-
al |obs," says Unger
EPA positions include
engineers, lexicologists, fishery
biologists, and ecologists; law-
yers,.environmental scientists,
chemists, and health scientists.
But competition for many of
the openings, such as life
sciences, is hot, with thousands
applying for some slots.
"The more technical the dis-
cipline, the better the chance,"
says Simms. The thrust in EPA
jobs is away from normal pollu-
tion abatement and toward
health effects, he adds. Toxic
substances is where most of the
new positions have gone recent-
ly, he explains
The need for engineers is
especially critical now, says
Unger The four key types are
environmental, sanitary, mech-
anical, and chemical. Engineers
will still be in demand 5-1 0 years
from now, he predicts, with col-
leges turning out fewer grad-
uates compared to other dis-
ciplines such as law
Unger's advice: Take engin-
eering or math, or one of the
physical sciences. Or learn to
type "There's always a typing
shortage in Washington," he
says, EPA has also been hiring
a lot of law students, normally
after the first year of law school,
says Amy Kearns, personnel
.
staffing specialist
Another big environmental
employment area is the opera-
tion of wastewater treatment
plants, largely stimulated by
Federal construction grants
from EPA. The job need, says
Simms, is for skilled, technically
trained, blue-collar persons at
the local level
Jobs at the plants totalled
45,000 in 1 974 They'll total
67,500, a 50 percent increase,
by 1 985, predicts a recent
National Academy of Sciences
report. Positions are profession-
als, operators, technicians, and
unskilled
Fueling the plant construction
program will be $24 5 billion
in EPA grants authorized over
the next five years, a 29 per-
cent jump from 1 972-1 977
levels. In addition to actual plant
operation jobs, each billion dol-
lars spent for construction pro-
duces 20,000 jobs on the con-
struction site, and 26,000 off-
site, according to EPA's Muni
cipal Construction Division
EPA funds and requirements
are also creating non-Federal
jobs elsewhere, in air quality,
radiation, and noise One air
quality district alone, in the
San Francisco area, expects a
staff of 200, compared to EPA's
1
Pay
S 6,219
7,035
7,930
8,902
9,959
11.101
12,336
13.662
15.090
staff of 350 there for the entire
region.
Most of the environmental
job action at the State level is in
water and air, Unger adds "I
only hope that the guidance
offices in high schools and col-
leges are noting this as they
develop brochures and
booklets "
Beyond its day-to-day opera-
tions, EPA reaches to youth
with four special agencywide
programs They are:
The Summer Employment
Program, involving about 700
college undergraduates, gradu-
ates, and faculty during summer
vacations. It gives a chance for
on-the-job experience and first-
hand knowledge of EPA
Positions range from clerical
to professional, technical and
administrative, from GS 2
through GS-1 2 Included in the
EPA summer effort are the Fed-
eral Junior Fellowship Pro-
gram and the Summer Aid
Program
The Cooperative Education
Program, with alternate work
and study, involving about 388
students EPA provides the
work assignments and agrees
to carefully consider filling
existing permanent vacancies
with student graduates
The Student Assistant
Pay
$ 16,618
18,258
21.883
26,022
30,750
36.1 71
42.423
47.500
47,500
Program, involving about 1 23
college students a year
Positions are at GS-7 and below.
with non-clerical work helping
scientific, professional, or tech-
nical employees
The Stay-in-School Program, for
disadvantaged youth who need
earnings to remain in school
High school juniors and seniors
are involved, along with some
college students Work levels
are the equivalent of GS 1 4
The effort is part of the Presi-
dent's Back To School Program.
with 500 students at EPA
nationwide
Another special EPA job
training project is aimed at the
operators of wastewater treat-
ment plants It involves prepara-
tion of training manuals for com-
munity colleges working with
EPA in about 1 0 States and also
direct training where some new
technologies are involved EPA's
National Training and Operation-
al Technology Center carries
out the program
In an encouraging action, the
U S Civil Service Commission
recently established Ecology
GS-408. and Environmental
Protection Specialist. GS-028,
as separate job series In EPA,
it is anticipated that several
hundred jobs will eventually
be classified under these new
series. The pay will range from
GS-5toGS 15
Anyone interested in jobs with
EPA should wntf tn the N.ition.il
Employment Center. (PM-21 2}
EPA, Washington. D C 20460.
and ask for a copy of "Career
Opportunities in EPA " The free
pamphlet explains how to apply
for jobs and where For normal
beginning salaries in GS 118,
see the adjacent table Higher
rates are available in exception-
al cases, L
MAY 1978
-------
On the
Legislative
Front
An interview with
Charles S. Warren,
Director, Office of
Legislation.
fO 1111
I Ihmk that is basically right
We just finished last year's
major revisions of the Clean
Air Act, the Water Pollution
Control Act, Research and De-
velopment Act, and Safe Drink-
ing Water Act In 1976 we saw
enacted the Resource Conser-
vation and Recovery Act, anct
the Toxic Substances Act Re
vision of the pesticide law is
now being completed, I think
what you may see this year are
some revisions in the Noise
Control Act and the radiation
program statutes, but our major
legislative revisions have been
completed and I think it's going
to stay that way for a while
This is probably a good thing
since we need some time to
assimilate all the changes that
have been made and to imple
ment some very complicated
programs
between EPA and Con
• >n and
Yes, I think there are still unre-
solved issues We have new
mandates under the Clean Air
Act and the Water Pollution
Control Act, and we are now in
the process of going through
implementation of those Acts
in close consultation with the
Congress I think there are al-
ways issues that are not com-
pletely settled to the satisfaction
of one House or the other during
the legislative process. Then the
interpretation phase starts and
that is the point we have
reached now
environ
hange
w?
Congress is still fairly responsive
to environmental concerns
I don't think it's as responsive
as it was in the early 1 970's
when a lot of the major legisla-
tion was passed. I think we've
seen a change in the mood of
the Congress primarily because
of economic factors, and the
unemployment situation The
economy's been more stagnant
over the last several years I
think that places more pressure
on environmental concerns be-
cause industries see environ-
mental costs as non-productive
expenditures That's an issue
that is often raised in Congress
Another problem that we have
is that we're getting into some
more complicated regulations,
especially regulations dealing
with chemical cancer-causing
agents We're relying on
animal tests which are used to
predict what's going to happen
to humans in the future This
is the best system we have and
it must be used for regulatory
actions but it stirs up a large
segment of industry and they
come to the Congress. But,
generally, Congress still is
positive, I would say, about the
environment and even though
they might have specific
quarrels with us about things
that we're doing that deal with
our legislation, the membership
is generally positive
committees do we
:.il with now on the
Hill?
About 54 committees and sub-
committees Besides the Ap-
propriations committees in
both the House and Senate,
we have in the Senate the Budget
Committee, the Environment
and Public Works Committee,
the Commerce Committee, the
Energy and Natural Resources
Committee, the Agriculture
Committee, and the Govern-
mental Affairs Committee In the
House, we have the Budget
Committee, the Interstate and
Foreign Commerce Committee.
the Public Works Committee.
the Science and Technology
Committee, the Merchant
Marine Committee, the Agri-
culture Committee, the Govern-
ment Operations Committee, the
Post Office and Civil Service
Committee, and the Interior
Committee. Those are com
mittees that we have more than
minor involvement with and
then we have to deal with many
subcommittees.
Is there any way we can ease
that problem?
I don't see a practical way for us
to do much about it. That is es-
sentially an internal Con-
gressional matter. We do point
out to Congress how many com-
mittees we have to deal with
every chance we get.
Will '
pie,
a that per
haps Sen Muskie may retire
after his |;
Well, Sen. Muskie's term doesn't
end until 1 982, and there has
been talk that he will retire. He
has been a key member of Con-
gress in the environmental area
and to lose his leadership would
have some effect on our pro
grams. However, over the years
a number of other members of
the Senate have been very help-
ful to us and ! think they would
continue to be helpful
killings has now moved
be Sen. Muskie's Ad-
ministrative Assistant. He
used to play a major role in
the environmental area Who
has replaced him in that role?
Karl Braithwaite will be the Staff
Director of the Subcommittee
on Environment. Leon was of
course a major figure over the
last 1 0 years in environmental
legislation, and he was very im-
portant to us and very helpful
on most of the issues Karl
Braithwaite is an extremely com-
petent fellow and has an ex-
cellent staff. I'm expecting that
the subcommittee will be as sup-
portive and as helpful as they
have been in the past. You can't
replace someone like Leon
Billings to the full extent, but I
think that Karl Braithwaite and
his associates will do a fine job
Which EPA proposals or ac-
tivities are of most interest
tothe Hill?
I'd say there are three major
areas. First, enforcement
because that's the kind of
activity that stirs up a lot of con-
troversy and brings constituents
screaming to their Represent-
ative or Senator. Second, air
and water pollution. They are
major programs and they're
having an impact on the States
The States have to do a lot of
things under both the air and
water laws and that generates
continuing contacts with the
Congress. Another one is the
pesticide program, I think that's
a very controversial program,
particularly in the South, the
Midwest and the West The
Agriculture Committee mem-
bers are the ones who are most
10
EPA JOURNAL
-------
involved They show a tremen-
dous amount of interest in our
pesticides activities. I would
say for a program which does
not involve the expenditure of
large amounts of resources of
the Agency, it draws a lot of
attention from the Hill.
Talking about the intei
the Hill in our programs, are
there any particular pr •
areas where the Hill is
happy with
I think there's been a general
unhappiness about what's hap-
pening with the pesticide pro-
grams. That's a continuing area
where the Hill watches us very
closely. The Agriculture Com-
mittee, on the one hand, and
then the committees that handle
health and science, on the
other hand. Members in both
groups think we're not doing
enough from their own point of
view, I think there's also been
some concern about the re-
search activity in the Agency
The Congress has concern that
either we're not doing enough
long-term research, or that
we're not doing enough re-
search to support our regulatory
programs.
I think there's also concern
with our water pollution pro-
gram with the House Public
Works Committee watching us
very closely
How would you characterize
EPA's relations with Con-
gress overall?
I would say that right now, they
are better than they have been.
We try very hard to be respon
sive to the legitimate concerns
of the Congress to make sure
through this Office that we serv-
ice the Congress in the best
possible way. We try to expedite
information from the Agency,
to arrange meetings, to solve
problems which members of
Congress bring to us. We also
try to work with them very
closely in the legislative area
so that they get the technical
advice they need and can be
responsive to some of our prob-
lems. Today I think our relations
are better than they have been
for a while, at least from my
perspective The only way I can
judge is by what I hear today as
opposed to what I heard when
I used to work in the Senate.
Do you an Additional
Oh. yes I anticipate a continuing
series of oversight hearings
later this year We're going to
testify on noise We have al-
ready testified on radiation and
I suspect we'll do more of that
I anticipate that we will be called
up again on the pesticide pro-
gram. We just have so many
committees that I think we're
always going to have quite a
number of oversight hearings
continuing throughout the year.
philosophy in dealing with
My basic philosophy is that you
have to be knowledgeable and
straightforward in dealing with
the Congress I believe in giving
both the good news and the bad
news when you have to. And I
think you have to make your
case as articulately as possible
You have to hold to your posi
tions if they are reasonable and
be prepared to change your
position if it's unreasonable.
But I don't think you have to al-
ways try and placate Congress
For example, if you think they
are wrong and you are right,
obviously that is a situation
where you have to try to see
that the Congress understands
the actions of the Agency We
try to discuss problems
thoroughly with staff and mem-
bers to avoid unnecessary mis-
understandings.
Do you regard your office as
vice agency or do you
think the office should help
shape policy for the Agency1
I believe very strongly that we
have a role in shaping the policy
of the Agency We cannot have
an effective functioning Office
of Legislation if the office is not
intimately involved in the policy-
making at the Agency. The only
way that I can be effective in
dealing with members of Con-
gress is if they know that I am
involved in policy, that if they
talk to me I can have something
to say about changing a partic-
ular policy or shaping a policy.
and that I am not just carrying
messages back and forth. When
you get into the message carrier
situation, you just don't have
effectiveness on the Hill That's
what I saw clearly from my per-
spective as a legislative assistant
working in the Senate. I see
that even more clearly now that
I'm at EPA
Do you anticipate .my
environmental legislation in
the next y
I would say in 1 978 we're not
going to see too much more
in the way of major environ-
mental legislation I indicated
before we might see refine-
ments in some of our acts and
we need to enact pesticides
amendments but I don't see any
major legislation right now.
With your perspective do
you think the environmental
movement has made sub
stantial progress?
I think the environmental move-
ment has made substantial pro-
gress up to this point I think
there's a greater public aware-
ness of environmental problems
all over this country and this
has happened in a relatively
short time —less than 1 0 years
I do think that the environmental
movement faces difficult chal-
lenges now as we go into the
future This is primarily because
we're faced with complex prob-
lems, dealing as I said before.
with cancer-causing agents,
long-term effects of environ-
mental pollution, issues that are
more difficult to explain to the
public We're also dealing with
the public attitude, which while
still favorable is a little bit less
enthusiastic about environmen
tal issues because people have
heard so much about them
While I think the environmen-
tal movement is going to con-
tinue to be strong, it's going to
have to meet some serious chal-
lenges I see industry today
mounting furious attacks on
environmental regulations in
general
What can we , pond
to the att.:
I think that it's very important
for an Agency like EPA to co-
operate with agencies such as
Food and Drug Administration,
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, and the Con-
sumer Product Safety Commis-
sion to provide as much infor-
mation to the pubfic as possible
and get it out there in a credible,
sensible way An excellent start
has been made on this coopera-
tive effort with the Interagency
Regulatory Liaison Group which
features the active participation
of the four agency heads I be-
lieve the Administrator of E PA
has a key role to play and it's a
leadership role in trying to edu-
cate the public on some of the
more sophisticated problems
that exist today The entire
Government has to play a major
role in this Public interest
groups can do some things but
they're small and underfunded
and they need a lot of help from
the Government at all levels.
I just think the public has to
know a lot more about these
matters It's a difficult job, but
it's primarily one of education
and one that has to be done
MAY 1978
11
-------
Costle was attending a
meeting in Geneva, Switzer-
PreventingW VI I land, when the Amoco
Tanker ^^^^^^l^l Cadiz went aground in
March off the coast of
France resulting in the
worst ecological disaster
in history involving an oil
spill. He called in U. S. ex-
perts and vis/ted the site of
By Douglas M. Costle the disaster. The following
Administrator /s an account of his visit and
Environmental the conclusions he reached.
Protection Agency
he beaches were
I black with oil. For
more than 70 miles along
the French coast in the
middle of March, thousands
of tons of a mixture of
Arabian crude and Iranian
oil from the supertanker
spill covered the beaches,
waterfowl, harbors and
shipyards.
Not since the Torrey
Canyon tanker went
aground 1 1 years ago in
March 1967, and dis-
charged 117,000 tons
of oil off the
coast of England has the
world's attention focused
so meaningfully on the oil
spill problem. As the last
holding tanks in the Amoco
Cadiz broke up, nearly a
week after the ship first
ran aground, the seeming
helplessness of all parties
involved to mitigate the
disaster became clear. The
final barrels of a total
230,000 tons of oil washed
into the sea during the week
of March 19. Other at-
tempts at destruction and
cleanup of the oil atso failed.
I saw the wreck and the
miles and miles of oil slick
around it. I hope I never
see another one. It turned
out to be the worst spill
in history, befouling miles
of French beaches and large
areas of fishing grounds.
Reports were that all
fishing in the area stopped,
and all the prime oyster
crop and France's produc-
tion of seaweed for the
chemical industry were
damaged or threatened.
Over 400 families in the
area of Roscoff, France
depend on seaweed for a
livelihood. Large numbers
of birds were killed. The
tourist business this year
has been wrecked. There
was so much oil —300
square miles of it and poss-
ibly more—that clean up
operations will take many
months. The worst of it is
that much of the damage
will be long lasting.
The lesson from Amoco
Cadiz is clear. Such acci-
dents must be prevented.
Some 624 supertankers,
of over 200,000 deadweight
tons each, sail the oceans
today, and by one estimate,
now carry one-half of the
oil shipped by ocean. Every
day of the year at least one
of these off-loads oil near
the U.S. coastline, usually
into smaller ships about
50 to 75 mites from shore.
And even these smaller
vessels, which are more
EPAJOURNAL
-------
f
'.
manageable in negotiating
our harbors and ports, pose
a significant risk. In 1976
and 1977, 20 tankers of
this variety were totally
lost each year.
So far the supertankers
have had no major accident
or oil spill in U.S. waters.
But these mammoth ships
are of fairly recent con-
struction. Tankers tend to
be involved in more acci-
dents as their hulls and
equipment age with the
years. One could break up
off our coast, although it
is not an inevitable event.
Most tanker accidents
result from human error.
It is entirely possible to pre-
vent a marine disaster such
as the grounding and found-
ering of the supertanker
Amoco Cadiz in the middle
of March off the Brittany
coast of France.
There are two principal
factors involved in prevent-
ing future tragedies of this
kind: (1) the construction
of the ship itself, and (2)
the navigation of the ship
and operation of its equip-
ment by the officers and
crew.
The United States and
the other tanker fleet
nations have begun to take
action. President Carter,
a year ago,proposed a
number of tanker safety
initiatives. In February most
of his initiatives regarding
ship design were adopted
in a new agreement by the
International Conference
on Tanker Safety and Pol-
lution Prevention in London.
Under the agreement,
large new tankers would
be required, among other
things, to use segregated
tanks for ballast, to be fill-
ed only with seawater for
the added stability the ship
needs. The segregated
tanks would provide pro-
tection from accidental
spills by being built along
the sides or bottom so that
they, not the oil tanks,
would be punctured in an
accident. Existing tankers
would be required to re-
duce operational discharges
into international waters.
The supertanker Amoco
Cadiz, which foundered off
France, did not have segre-
gated ballast tanks. These
would not have prevented
the accident. However, the
Amoco Cadiz went aground
after a steering failure. The
international agreement
calls for improved emer-
gency steering design
standards, and these might
have prevented the disaster.
The improved design
requirements for the con-
struction of new tankers
and the modifications of
existing ones in the inter-
national agreement are
now being incorporated
into new regulations being
drafted by the Coast Guard.
Those regulations will apply
to every tanker, foreign or
domestic, bringing oil to
the United States.
A great deal more needs
to be done about the
second major cause of
tanker oil spills—namely,
the upgrading of seaman-
ship and equipment opera-
tion standards aboard these
tankers. In June of this
year, an additional inter-
national conference has
been scheduled under the
auspices of the Inter-
Government Maritime Con-
sultative Organization to
take up this problem.
I hope the Amoco Cadiz
accident will provide the
impetus to obtain agree-
ment on this other aspect
of preventing tanker oil
spills. It is to be hoped as
well that the new agree-
ment on safe tanker design
will be quickly ratified by
the U.S. Senate and other
nations that were a party
to it. D
MAY 1978
-------
The posters displayed on this page are just a
few of the almost 7,000 entries submitted
annually to EPA's Region 1 office in Boston
for its Elementary Education Ecology
Poem and Poster Program. Teachers all
over New England hold classroom discus-
sions based on films or pamphlets provided
by EPA. Their students create posters based
on the discussions and the teachers pick
the best ones for submission to the Regional
Office. A citizen's panel made up of educa-
tional, civic, and environmental leaders
chooses the contest winners Those who
submit the 90 best entries
receive a plaque and 210 runners-up are
awarded framed certificates. Awards cere-
monies are held in each State with a U.S.
Senator usually participating. Says Region
1 Administrator William R Adams, "One
tiling that has amazed me is the degree of
sophistication of many of the entries. It
convinces me that the children are informed
and interested about the problems of
pollution."
EPAJOURNAL
-------
AVE OUR
MAR
GIST
YOUR
HEAD
OUT
OF
nns
SAND
KEEP THIS WORLD III IS
WAY GOD PLANNED!
A tanker accident that could
damage the environment was a
concern of Marc Criscio of New
Haven, Conn.
Kris Lund of Riverside, R.I. drew
a nosegay of flowers in honor
of the environment.
A swampfrog was the subject
of Elizabeth Bertsch's poster
She is from Waterville, Me.
Blair Fleming of West Hartford,
Conn, submitted this ostrich
as a warning to those who
neglect their environment.
MAY 1978
15
-------
By Mattie Montgomery
Washington
asa
Classroom
Energy and Environment: Issues
and Interdependence is the topic
of 1 6 weekly seminars being
held at EPA in conjunction with
the Close Up Foundation's pro-
gram for high school students.
The Close Up Foundation
is a non-profit organization
created eight years ago to give
students and teachers a first-
hand look at "living govern-
ment/' Established by Stephen
A. Janger, its current president,
the organization is supported
by contributions from founda-
tions, corporations, and indi-
viduals and also by an annual
Congressional appropriation,
the Senator Allen J. Ellender
Fellowship Program, a memor-
ial to the late Senator who sup-
ported the Foundation at its
inception.
The Foundation conducts a
large government studies pro-
gram and has a current budget
of about $5.5 million, including
$750,000 from Congress. It
works with both public and pri-
vate secondary schools around
the Nation, which select repre-
sentatives for one-week intensive
study sessions in the Nation's
Capital, Visits are generally
financed jointly by the schools
and students, with room, meals,
and instruction materials furn-
ished by the Foundation. How-
ever, numerous fellowships
also are awarded by the organ-
ization to students and teachers
covering tuition and transporta-
tion. This year's seminars extend
through May 23.
Close Up has brought stu-
dents and teachers to the center
of American government and
poiitical activity. Through a first-
hand examination of govern-
ment in Washington, partici-
pants in this program are given
an opportunity to achieve better
understanding about their
government and about how they
can participate in it.
Close Up keeps its curriculum
free from any single ideological
slant so that students can exam-
ine the realities of American
government and then be free to
formulate their own political
convictions.
Each Tuesday afternoon, a
group of 35 or 40 high school
Mattie Montgomery is a
member of the EPA
Headquarters staff of (he Office
of Public A wareness.
E PA JOURNAL
-------
students representing
25 communities across the
country meet in the EPA Head-
quarters Visitors Center to dis-
cuss the causes and effects of
major problems such as air and
water pollution, land use policy
development, energy alloca-
tion and consumption, the
economic factors related to the
quality of life, and to propose
both political and social solu-
tions to these problems
Close Up II —Return, React,
Respond — is an issue-focused
political participation skills pro-
gram for those high school stu-
dents who are returning for a
second year. Close Up II focuses
on student investigation of is-
sues and problems in American
life as well as student participa-
tion in the political processes.
Daily activities for Close Up II
students focus on the following
issues:
Urban and Community Affairs
— Discussions of such issues as
transportation, housing, crime,
neighborhood studies, and com-
munity involvement.
Law-related and Justice Issues
— Examination of such topics
as Search and Seizure, Juvenile
Justice and the role of the Fed-
eral Bureau of Investigation.
International Affairs —An exam-
ination of foreign policy issues
as they relate to global citizen-
ship.
Congressional Studies
— Students are exposed to a
comparative analysis of such
issues on Capitol Hill as com-
mittee structure, lobbying, dis-
closure, and American political
behavior patterns.
Economics, Business, and Labor
— Discussions of employment,
free market enterprise, budget,
etc.
Energy. Environment, Science,
and Space Exploration
— Discussions of energy con-
sumption and development.
environmental problems, and
how they are inter-related.
The EPA seminars are in the
form of panel presentations in
which selected members of the
EPA staff and energy and envi-
ronmental organizations pro-
vide contrasting viewpoints
followed by a question and
answer session. Topics being
discussed are.
• The New Department of
Energy
• The Energy Act
• The energy shortage, possi-
bilities for developing alter-
native energy sources, and
their cost effectiveness
• How to evaluate the effects of
the changes we choose on the
ecological system
• How population growth affects
energy demands and the eco-
logical system
• How the scarcity of natural
resources will affect life styles
in the future
• What kind of conservation is
necessary in order to survive
with the best possible standard
of living
• How can a sense of community
be developed which will ensure
our survival.
Close Up is an opportunity for
students, teachers, and govern-
ment officials alike to share per-
spectives on "living govern-
ment." Instead of tours, sou-
venir hunts, or a few moments
as witnesses to routine busi-
ness in the Senate, Close Up
uses the unique facilities of
Washington as a classroom.
For one week students are in-
volved in discussions with mem-
bers of the House and Senate,
committee staffers, administra-
tion figures, judges, lobbyists,
reporters, politicians, ambas-
sadors, and just ordinary con-
cerned citizens who contribute
to government. Through these
conversations and seminars.
they gain an understanding of
how government changes con-
stantly to meet new needs and
how it adjusts to new situations
and pressures
The Close Up concept goes
far beyond the rigidly struc-
tured curriculum of American
government textbooks Rather
than utilizing the formal ap-
proach, a participant focuses
on the informal aspects of
government — the cooperation,
conflict, and compromise that
take place, for example, con-
cerning health effects of
pollutants.
By the end of the week, stu-
dents are intellectually invigor-
ated. Their opinions are their
own. but they are grounded in
facts and experiences that re-
flect a basic understanding
of the realities of government in
Washington
By the end of their EPA visit,
students are certainly more
aware of environmental prob-
lems, as well as EPA's efforts to
solve them. They have been able
to communicate their concerns
for their own community to
someone at the Federal level re-
sponsible for the environmental
problems they encounter. These
students are extremely bright
and highly motivated and are
most receptive to the idea that
as leaders of tomorrow, they
must begin considering their
responsibilities today. L
MAY 1978
' '
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EPA JOURNAL
-------
Seeing
Makes
Believers
Seeing is understanding
As many teachers and
students have found, the eyes
are necessary partners to the
brain in grasping complex en-
vironmental issues
The chances to look, see, feel,
and hear are readily available
everywhere, though It only
takes the local park, or waste
water treatment plant, or mu-
seum, or water filtration plant
Once, some of these facilities
were seen as mundane, unre-
lated. Now, they are recognized
as keys to knowing the com
munity and the environment
Many public facilities with
ecological lessons to offer are
responding to youth's need for
real life experience They have
set up special programs in
pollution sampling, ecology
tours, watershed control dem-
onstrations, pollution cleanup
exhibits.
It seems to be a way of saying
to the student, "You need our
special environmental knowl-
edge. We need your support
as environmentally-aware
citizens,"
As students explore the work
ings of their environment the
interaction, the problems, the
cleanup tools - they will see
the big things that are happen-
ing—a lot of technology, con-
struction, research, debate, and
caring. The whole community
will become their environmental
education bookstore, with
volumes on history, the future,
the present's problemsand prog-
ress, the science and poetry
of the issue.
As the following examples
show, the Nation's capital is
rich with environmental facilities
and programs, from trails to
solid waste processing. The
examples can help Washington
area youth in what to see.
The capital area facilities listed
here can also be a guide as stu-
dents and teachers elsewhere
make their own plans suited to
their own community.
Here are some Washington
facilities (for a more detailed
Washington list, write Jeff
Meetre (A-1 04), Office of
Federal Activities, Environ-
mental Protection Agency,
Washington, D.C., 20460):
• Alexandria Health Depart-
ment, Environmental Health.
Air Pollution Division, 51 7
North St. Asaph Street.
Alexandria, Virginia, 22314
Phone: (703) 750-6254 or
-6698.
Students visiting the Air
Pollution Division can see air
monitoring instrumentation and
discuss local pollution sources
Slides and pamphlets supple-
ment the discussion. Also, Air
Pollution Division members
often take the program to
schools. Division hours 9:00
a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday
Saturday classes can be ar-
ranged. No admission fee.
Groups of up to 40 are allowed
• The Lightship Chesapeake.
National Park Service, U.S
Department of the Interior,
1 200 Ohio Drive S.W., Wash
ington. D.C., 20242. Phone:
(202)426-6896.
This 1 30-foot-long vessel is
moored in the Washington
Channel near Hains Point, in
southwest Washington, DC
Small craft and water sampling
equipment are available to study
the Anacostia and Potomac
rivers Pollution control study
programs have been offered for
students interested youth may
serve as volunteers in the sur-
rounding park, assisting with
park programs or conserving
the ship site.
Also, the Lightship hosts a
Youth Conservation Corps
Camp during the summer
months, where high school
students earn and learn while
helping park staff with needed
conservation projects. The
Lightship Chesapeake is open
for visits by the general pub-
lic, daily 9-5 Teachers must
call before bringing classes
Admission is free. Groups of
up to 35 are allowed.
• National Museum of Natural
History (Smithsonian Institution).
Constitution Avenue & 1 Oth
Street. N W . Washington, D C
20560. Phone: (202) 381-6135
The Museum has a 90-mmute
ecology tour with several dis-
plays and exhibits that can be
useful for environmental edu-
cation. For instance, in the Hall
of North American Mammals
students learn about the rela-
tionships of animals to each
other and to their environment
The program is for students in
grades 4 and above Tours are
during weekday mornings. It is
recommended that teachers
make reservations a month in
advance. There is no admission
fee Classes can be as large as
60 students
• Prince William Forest Park.
National Park Service, Depart
ment of the Interior. Box 208,
MAY 1978
19
-------
Triangle. Va .22172 Phone
(703) 221 -7181
With its old farm sites return
ing to forest, this park offers
the student an opportunity to
learn about the impact of people
on the environment The park
also has 89 known species of
trees and shrubs, plus num>-i ous
wild animal species, including
white-tailed deer, red and hours are
given on Wednesday and Thurs-
day beginning at 1 1 00 a m
Admission is free Groups of up
to 20 are allowed
// you plan to visit the facilities
fisted above, it's advisable to
call in advance if you have a
sizable group
• •• ';y's
DC headquarters
.
EPA JOURNAL
-------
Pollution
Detective
Just a year ago this
month, a tall, thin
1 6-year-old student at Cen-
tral Community High School
in Breese, Illinois, drew a
sample of water from near-
by Beaver Creek and took
it back to a shed behind his
home where he had built
a small laboratory
The youth, Steven Mensing,
found the water contained an
excess of nitrates and phos-
phates He returned to the creek,
located in southern Illinois, and
began further sampling at eight
sites.
Mensing was nothing if not
thorough. He began keeping a
record of his findings. He tested
the water for nitrates, phos-
phates, chloride, silica, sulfides.
hardness, alkalinity, carbon di-
oxide, and acidity. At first he
checked the creek irregularly,
but soon he began collecting
weekly samples to establish a
consistent pattern. Encouraged
by his science teacher, he
stirred such interest that the
high school furnished him with
an infra-red spectrophotometer
so that he could make more
accurate tests
And Mensing took notes. No
one around the school had come
close to him in sheer volume of
records. Although his project
started out as just a little extra
homework, it grew into some-
thing far bigger and more signif-
icant than that. By the time the
local newspaper, the Carlyle
Union Banner, got around to
noticing his work, Mensing had
written hundreds of pages on
Beaver Creek and its pollution
problems
Mensing concluded that pol-
lution in the creek came from
several sources: a dairy farm
near Carlyle discharging fecal
matter into a ditch leading to the
creek, a leaking oil well nearby,
and Mensing's own village of
Beckemeyer, where a sewage
treatment plant was discharging
fecal matter.
He notified the Illinois Envi
ronmental Protection Agency,
and after assuring him it was
aware of the problem, the
Agency encouraged him to
continue his work. He wrote to
EPA for help and was furnished
with three volumes on waste-
water and analysis The Agency
also informed him that after the
village's current permit expired,
it would have to meet stricter
standards
Mensing aired his findings at
a Regional Advisory Committee
hearing on clean water in Carlyle
last November. He later declared
he was considering filing a
formal complaint against the
village for the sewage discharge
and also bringing action against
the dairy farm and the oil com-
pany. If nobody else was looking
out for Beaver Creek, Mensing
certainly was
In recognition of his outstand
ing research and persistence
in pollution control, Mensing
this month received the Presi-
dent's Certificate of Merit award.
He hopes to continue his educa-
tion in environmental studies
after high school.
Steven Mensing is among
more than five million young
people in the United States who
have taken part in the Presi-
dent's Environmental Youth
Awards program, administered
by EPA. The program, now in
its seventh year, was created by
Executive order to recognize,
reward, and encourage environ-
mental activities by students
across the land.
The administrative staff for
the program is under youth pro-
gram director Mary Faye Dudley
in EPA's Office of Public Aware-
ness in Washington. DC How-
ever, throughout its history the
awards program has emphasized
its focus as a local effort The
choice of projects and their
planning and execution are all
done by students
As President Carter declared
in a special message last year.
"Young people in summer
camps and schools today are
much more interested in envi-
ronmental problems than their
parents were, and this is good.
We need your help with the job
of cleaning up our world
"And this is why I would like
each one of you to win a Presi-
dent's Environmental Youth
Award so that I'll know you
have joined with me in making
our country into a cleaner, safer,
and more beautiful home for
us all "
Since the first awards cere-
mony was held in the White
House Rose Garden six years
ago. more than 300.000 young
people have received awards
for their services to the environ
ment The youth projects cover a
broad spectrum of activities
including clean-up programs,
petitions, public information
campaigns, models of environ-
mentally-clean cities of the
future, tree plantings, and
sophisticated displays of how
energy and environment inter
act upon each other.
Throughout these projects,
the participants have displayed
a seriousness and industry com-
bined with modesty that speak
well for their future roles in envi-
ronmental careers As Steven
Mensing said about his
campaign to clean up Beaver
Creek, "I hope to make waves,
but not get anybody wet."
MAY 1978
-------
Learning
about
Water
By Chris Perham
A group of third graders
huddle around a mud
puddle after a downpour They
use chalk to outline the changing
shape of the puddle once every
hour as the moisture soaks into
the ground. At the end of the
day the puddle is gone and the
students have a contour map
of their watershed, along with
a new understanding of where
the ram goes
Through an outgrowth of an
EPA sponsored project, teach-
ers and students are learning
to understand the role that
water plays in their environment
and the role that land use plays
in determining water quality
The effects of nonpomt pollution
caused by sediment and runoff
from diffuse sources are be-
coming apparent to them.
The teachers are getting tech-
nical instruction and course
guidance from the Washington
County Project, a legal institu-
tional group funded by the Great
Lakes Project in Region 5 to
work in support of public partici-
pation in EPA programs The
Project works mainly with non-
point pollution, under the aegis
of the University of Wisconsin at
Madison and the University of
Wisconsin Extension Service
The staff is developing sediment
control ordinances for States
and counties that can be used
within the existing legal frame-
work, working out methods for
monitoring nonpoint source
pollution, and trying to set up
cooi dmated planning between
soil and water agencies.
The public participation
limpid that runs through these
diverse activities is education
about nonpomt sources. While
conducting a school program
for teachers the staff was struck
by the lack of information and
Chris Perham is an Assistant
Editor of EPA Journal
understanding about resource
issues
The project staff tackled the
problem by seeking State educa-
tion grant funds for a workshop
where teachers were trained to
be aware and analytical of such
things as watershed hydrology
Last summer 26 public and pri-
vate school teachers from
grades 2 through 1 2 were given
this intensive natural resources
instruction.
After the workshop the teach-
ers were given a set of suggest-
ed school activities to use as a
basis for writing their own study
units Study units are teaching
tools that cover a subject in
more ciepth than a single class-
room session, but are not as
detailed as a textbook
The units devised by the
teachers in Washington County
describe all learning goals, act-
ivities, equipment and materials
They ran be adapted to meet
local needs and can be added to
existing studies without exten-
sive outlay of funds or time.
Study units have the added
advantage of keeping students
interested because they are
timely and relevant.
There are now 23 units,
covering all 1 2 grades, available
for teachers. The subjects in-
clude science, biology, agri-
culture, physics, English and
communications. Teachers used
community projects, experi-
ments, plays, stories, movies
and outdoor activities to make
children aware of environ-
mental conditions in their
surroundings
One class of 6th graders learn-
ed interviewing techniques by
questioning a local contractor
about his efforts to control ero-
sion on construction sites. A
3rd grade class studied the
amount of water used to make
items children cherish — bicycles
and the Sunday funnies. The
children recorded how much
water they used during a week-
end and, becoming conscious
of the waste involved, they
discussed how individuals could
cut the amount of water
consumed
The effects of zoning and land
planning on water are murky
concepts to many people. Stu-
dents studying nonpoint pollu-
tion compare sediment rates
in runoff from various housing
subdivisions, visit swamplands
to see first-hand the food-chain
and habitat interaction, tour
sewage treatment plants to
learn how water quality require
ments are met, and develop
land use plans of their own on
topographic maps designed to
protect water resources.
By seeing and doing first-hand
the youngsters not only com-
prehend the devastating effects
of environmental carelessness
in their communities, but also
learn how difficult it can be to
reconcile ideal plans with actual
needs
During a land-use planning
exercise members of an eighth
grade science class made trade-
offs and compromises to come
up with their ideal communities
The young people were shocked
when their teacher wound up
the lesson by making them put
an expressway right through
their planned cities. The alter-
natives they investigated gave
the youngsters a feel for the
dilemma their elders faced with
a proposed highway nearby.
In some cases environmental
studies helped students to see
familiar sights in a new way. A
local pond or stream, instead
of being taken for granted, be-
comes a source of information
or a starting point for questions.
To children looking for possible
sites of erosion, a schoolyard
becomes an entirely new
landscape.
In one town a local mill pond
that was eutrophic became a
focal point for local history
studies when students set out
to learn what the pond had been
like when it was young. They
went on to learn how people had
contributed to its aging and
what could be done to slow the
death of the pond The students
EPA JOURNAL
-------
also participated in a values
auction —bidding on such local
priorities as a new fast food
outlet, more parks, a theater, or
a cleaner pond.
After the first year the Wash-
ington County Project staff
found that nonpoint source pol-
lution information from resource
agencies mixed well with class-
room education because of the
cooperation on the part of
students, teachers, building
principals and school admin-
istrators. The staff anticipates
that the environmental educa-
tion aspect of its project will
expand into a second county
this year
An attempt will also be made
to involve teachers who are
active in community education
outside of the school. The new
proposal will seek to pool the
talents of parents, citizen lead-
ers, and students to help evalu-
ate and solve water quality plan-
ning problems. D
MAY 1978
.' •:
-------
Environmental Almanac: May 1978
A Glimpse of the Natural World We Help Protect
Turning off the blacktop onto a rural dirt lane can
offer, in addition to a bumpy ride, aggravation,
surprises, beauty, excitement and, occasionally, a good
scare.
Driving on one of these unpaved roads, often through
clouds of dust or axle-deep mud, contributes to your
understanding of why so many billions of dollars have
been spent paving America's highways.
Your appreciation of hard surface roads reaches a
peak when you try to navigate a dirt lane after a cloud-
burst drenches the countryside.
One of the challenges of muddy roads is the puddle,
which when it stretches across the roadway can look as
big as the Mediterranean Sea.
Grim experience teaches that the best way to deal with
this obstacle is take a deep breath and slam your foot
on the accelerator. With this technique you can usually
splash through to the other side.
If you chicken out and try to hug one shoulder of the
road to avoid the deepest water, your chances of sinking
into soggy muck are excellent.
Unless you have a four-wheel drive vehicle, your car
can sway back and forth in the mud like a boat riding
heavy swells at sea. The suspense of not knowing
whether you'll be able to complete your journey can be
excruciating.
If you do bog down after much angry whirring of
wheels you feel a little sheepish when you have to head
off on foot to find a neighboring farmer with a tractor
willing to pull you out of the mud.
Despite these hazards, the rewards of travelling
country lanes far exceed the drawbacks.
We recently rode such a road near the Shenandoah
River in West Virginia. Clouds of white dogwood arched
overhead. Wildflowers such as trillium, jack in the pul-
pit, spring beauty, and marsh marigolds bloomed nearby,
because even the most zealous highway officials do not
attempt to use their roadside mowers on rural lanes.
Along the river bank the fiddleheads of young ferns
were gradually unfurling in the sun. A solitary herring
gull wheeled back and forth before landing on the shore-
line to pick at a decaying fish carcass. A hungry crow
sidled up but waited at a respectful distance for the
larger gull to finish its meal.
A half dozen small Bonaparte gulls splashed down in
the river just above a low dam. The birds floated quietly
downstream until they were almost washed over the
dam. At the last minute they flew up and returned to
their original location so they could begin again their
floating water game.
As we rounded a curve in the road we spotted some
hooded mergansers, diving ducks, near the far shore.
A gunshot sounded in the distance and with a frantic
beating of wings and pattering of their webbed feet
against the water the mergansers took to the air and
disappeared over some giant sycamore trees.
A white-tailed deer which had been drinking from a
small tributary stream bounded up as we approached
and crashed away through a thicket of mountain laurel.
From a clump of reeds on a small island in the river
now came the slow, melancholy and distinctive call of
the red-winged blackbird: "kon-karee, kon-karee, kon-
karee." And at last light after the sun sank in a cloud of
purple and gold, a whippoorwill across the river began
the insistent announcing of its name.
These are some of the delights of nature that travel
on a country road can offer, gilt-edged assets worth pro-
tecting even if they are not counted in the gross national
product. —C.DP.
24
EPAJOURNAL
-------
Veterans
Aid the
Environment
A variety of imaginative
** programs involving jobs
in neighborhood recycling.
conservation, beautification,
and other activities for youth
and veterans have been launch-
ed by the National Black Veter-
ans Organization in the
Washington. D.C., area.
Asa result of the organization's
efforts, young people have re-
ceived training that will help
them secure full-time employ-
ment in community information
and education, conservation,
gardening, and social services.
This veterans organization
is a nationwide non-profit, tax-
exempt organization dedicated
to serving the interests of
veterans and their families, to
improving the quality of life for
all of America's veterans, and to
promoting a community interest
in conservation.
The conservation programs
are designed to demonstrate
the most effective methods and
techniques to conserve energy
while providing veterans with
career employment in the fields
such as recycling and
beautification.
The organization is using a
grant from the Office of Minority
Business Enterprise to make a
major investment in local re-
cycling efforts.
The veterans' group plans to
build a processing factory
within the District where
workers will crush, store, and
transport recyclables to mar-
kets. The City of Alexandria
has been operating a similar
facility for three years. It is
fed by several dropoff centers
located at shopping malls. In
the District, NBVO provides
labor and trucks to go one step
further and make collection
stops at private homes, apart-
ment buildings, office buildings,
and commercial establishments
to pick up accumulated glass,
aluminum, ferrous metal, and
paper.
Through neighborhood plan-
ning councils, advisory neigh-
borhood commissions, and an
array of civic associations and
neighborhood organizations,
NBVO hopes to establish a city-
wide recycling system. One
successful community recycling
program, and the first link in the
planned chain, is the Dupont
Circle Neighborhood Ecology
Corporation. This organization
collects newsprint and alumi-
num, which are sold to a local
cellulose insulation manufac-
turer, a paper broker, and com-
mercial corporations.
The Dupont Circle group
' started as a community
service corporation in January
1977 and is operated by a board
of 1 5 local residents. It borrowed
trucks temporarily from the
D.C. Department of Environ-
mental Services. An unemployed
resident was hired as coordin-
ator. During the summer, with
youth workers provided by the
Neighborhood Planning Council,
the coordinator handled the
pickups from area homes and
apartment buildings. In
September, five workers as-
signed to the veterans organiza-
tion volunteered to work with
the Dupont Circle Corporation,
thereby gaining on-the-job
training and expanding the pick-
up services.
The youth groups involved
in these projects share the pro-
fits from the sale of recyclable
goods.
An agreement has been
reached with the Dupont Circle
group whereby NBVO crews
and trucks will handle col-
lections, while the Dupont Circle
Corporation will focus on com-
munity organization, public
information, and education.
This neighborhood group will
integrate into the system apart-
ment house workers and sever-
al independent paper recyclers
who already operate in the area,
and plans are being made for
the system to expand into re-
cycling glass, metals, and office
paper.
The relationship between the
veterans group and the neigh-
borhood organization is a model
for future neighborhood recycl-
ing enterprises. Dupont Circle,
Foggy Bottom, Georgetown,
and the downtown area west
of the White House will be
served by the Dupont Circle
Corporation. Another company
will be formed to serve Adams-
Morgan, Mount Pleasant,
Shaw-Cardozo, and the down-
town area east of the White
House. Capitol Hill and Walter
Reed will serve as focal points
of other companies.
The entire city could be served
by a network of these neighbor-
hood-based programs. Once
they are operating, these enter-
prises will employ local residents
and youth who are in need of
financial assistance, while
making a major contribution
to a sound local economy.
Waste utilization and decen-
tralized production are among
the focal points of the Institute
of Local Self-Reliance's research
and implementation projects
to demonstrate that urban
neighborhoods can produce
considerable amounts of energy,
food, goods, and services that
residents require.
NBVO has already begun
programs in several commun-
ities, which will educate
youth in gardening. One of its
members, Walter Pierce, has
organized a group of young
people in the Adams-Morgan
area whose activities not only
involve recycling projects but
gardening as well. Pierce runs
his program from an old church.
which is now used as a recrea-
tional facility. The gardening
site is a park donated by the
government. The program con-
sists of slides, lectures, and on-
the-job training. Pierce receives
technical assistance from Neil
Seldman, recycling specialist.
Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
The total number of youth par-
ticipants in this program has
reached approximately 480
and is still growing.
Pierce's group, the Ontario
Lakers, with assistance from
the Institute for Local Self
Reliance, is trying to establish
an education/demonstration
program. The program will be
located at Community Park
West, in the heart of the Adams-
Morgan and Mount Pleasant •
neighborhoods in Washington.
D.C. This area has a combined
population of 40.000 people
comprised of blacks, whites, and
Spanish-speaking residents of
mixed social origin and income
levels.
In recent years, low income
'residents have been forced out
of the neighborhood due to real
estate inflation. Community
Park West has been threatened
with housing development, but
at community insistence, the
Mayor and City Council have
approved the purchase of the
land for a community recreation
area. The park is the only avail-
able green recreation area in the
community. Since 1964 the
community has used the park
as a ball field, playground, and
for fairs and dances.
The Lakers began in 1964
as a youth program and has
since developed an inter-city
ghetto Invitational Basketball
Tournament hosting inner-city
teams from DC and other cities.
It has an annual budget of
S25.000. The Lakers also oper-
ate an 8,000 square foot teen
center three blocks from the
Community Park West which
serves several hundred youths.
In the past, the Lakers have con-
ducted a series of newspaper
drives as a fund raising program.
They now operate a home/
apartment house pick-up service
for recyclables in conjunction
with NBVO's recycling pro-
grams. Each year the Lakers
maintain neighborhood triangles
as part of their community
beautification program.
The Institute for Local Self-
Reliance was started in 1974
and has provided technical
assistance to groups in the
Adams-Morgan and Mount
Pleasant neighborhoods, as
as well as other D.C. com-
munities. Institute engineers and
housing consultants have pro-
vided technical consulting to the
Kenesaw Tenants Cooperative
in their efforts to purchase and
rehabilitate their building and
convert to tenant ownership.
The Institufe staff conducts
solar workshops under the spon-
sorship of the Neighborhood
Housing Service in Anacostia,
and Neighborhood Planning
Councils 8 and 13.
NBVO is committed to energy
conservation and has mounted
a large campaign against waste.
Its Executive Director, Richard
Hamilton, has stated that the
organization has joined govern-
ment, industry, and commu-
nities in efforts to achieve con-
servation. D
MAY 1978
25
-------
Around the Nation
Wood Burning
A study of air pollution
from large, wood-fueled
boilers and furnaces has
been funded by Region
1 's Office of Research
and Development The
GCA Corporation, New
Bedford, Mass , will con-
duct the study, concen-
trating on Vermont, which
has a substantial wood
products industry that
burns large quantities of
wood scrap and waste
Data from the study are
expected to help Vermont
develop better pollution
control regulations and
testing procedures for
wood burning, and supply
EPA with information
that can be applied else-
where in the country
Pesticide Bill Signed
Gov Michael Dukakis of
Massachusetts recently
signed into law a bill that
would more stringently
control the use of pesti-
cides in the State. This
means the State will qual-
ify to take over from EPA
the administration of Fed-
eral pesticide controls.
A reorganized and ex-
panded Pesticide Board,
in the Slate Food and
Agriculture Department,
will have jurisdiction.
Sewage Agreement
Set
Region 2 has filed a con
sent agreement in the
Federal District Court of
Puerto Rico in the case of
the United States vs. the
Puerto Rican Aqueduct
and Sewage Authority.
The Sewage Authority
was charged with nu-
merous violations at 91
sewage treatment facil-
ities on the island. The
Authority agreed to take
corrective actions includ-
ing short and long-term
operations and mainten-
ance training programs
and to put into effect a
computerized system to
detect equipment break
downs and potential
breakdowns at all of the
approximately 1 25 plants
operating in Puerto Rico
Resource Recovery
Planned
New York State Depart-
ment of Environmental
Conservation Commis-
sioner Peter Berle has
submitted a draft plan
to the State legislature to
channel approximately
two-thirds of municipal
waste into resource re-
covery systems by 1 985
Following the legislative
review the Department
of Environmental Conser-
vation asked for public
review and comment
Fine for Lead in Gas
Regional Administrator
Jack J. Schramm assessed
a 33,600 civil penalty
against Cities Service Oil
Company because it sold
unleaded gasoline that
contained more lead than
the Federal standard al-
lows In addition, the dis-
tributor. Peerless Petro-
leum, and the retailer,
Rolka's Service Station,
both of Scranton, Pa.,
were fined $600 and
S300 respectively for their
part in the case After
EPA discovered the con-
taminated gas both the
distributor and the retailer
replaced their gas to re
duce the number of cars
affected "The expense of
installing pollution con-
trol equipment in auto-
mobiles costs too much
money to allow con
sumers to be victimized by
any poor refining or trans-
portation practices in the
oil industry," Schramm
said.
Permit Violators Sued
Region 3 has brought suit
in Federal District Court
against two companies.
charging that they have
violated their water clean-
up permits under the Na-
tional Pollution Discharge
Elimination System Loew-
engart and Co. Inc., a tan-
nery in Mercersburg, Pa.,
and Appleton Papers, Inc.,
a pulp and paper plant in
Roaring Spring, Pa. that
is a subsidiary of NCR
Corporation were both
cited for exceeding dis-
charge limitations and for
failure to submit reports
and notifications The
companies are liable for
fines of up to $10.000
per day of violation plus
court costs
Impact Statement Due
Region 3 is preparing an
Environmental Impact
Statement on the pro-
posed wastewater treat-
ment facilities plans of
three Pennsylvania town-
ships Horsham, Warring-
ton, and Warminster, Pa.,
seek Federal funds for an
$115 million project to
construct a major inter-
ceptor sewer and several
sewer collection systems.
and to expand and up-
grade an existing 4.5
million gallon per day
sewage treatment plant.
The improved plant would
provide tertiary treatment
for 8.5 million gallons per
day. The impact statement
will study how the project
could affect growth in the
area, and will note the eco-
nomic, social, and envi-
ronmental effects of the
ensuing development.
Special emphasis will be
given to the issues of
water supply and quality,
land use planning, pre-
servation of sensitive
areas, and implementation
of alternate treatment
methods.
Saving a Lake
A variety of proposals to
restore a "dying" Florida
lake are under study by
Region 4 and State offi-
cials. They are jointly pre-
paring an environmental
impact statement, weigh-
ing the benefits and risks
of measures that might be
taken to improve the qual-
ity of Lake Apopka. The
statement is slated to be
finished in mid-summer.
Lake Apopka, covering
30,000 acres, is the sec-
ond largest lake in Florida.
It was once celebrated for
its bass fishing. Over the
last 1 5 years it has be-
come overfed with nutri-
ents that stimulate the
growth of algae and other
pest plants, which destroy
the lake's value for fishing,
swimming, and boating.
Much of this eutrophica-
tion is ascribed to drain-
age of nutrients and
organic matter from
"muck farms" on flood
plains near the lake that
have been producing fine
crops of vegetables since
World War II
The effects of any remed-
ial measures on the muck
farms will have to be care-
fully weighed in the impart
statement, as well as the
effects on nearby citrus
groves. The lake has a
warming influence that
helps prevent killing frosts
in winter Temporary draw-
down partial drainage of
the lake —might lessen this
frost protection. A draw-
down has been proposed
to help consolidate the
lakewater sediments.
Other possible restorative
actions include harvest-
ing of water hyacinths
and dredging. The restor-
ation effort, though still
not specified, is expected
to take about five years
and cost up to $3 million,
half from EPA and half
from the State
Action Against Permit
Violators
Region 5 and the U.S.
Attorneys Offices for the
Eastern and Western
Districts of Wisconsin
have taken administra-
tive enforcement actions
against 1 0 Wisconsin
pulp and paper mills that
have allegedly violated
permit requirements
under the National Pol-
lutant Discharge Elimin-
ation System. The NPDES
permits require the per-
mit holder to sample and
analyze wastewater dis-
charges. James 0. McDon-
ald, Region 5 Enforce-
ment Division Director,
said that while the alleged
violations of the permits
are in fact minor, these
actions are meant to em-
phasize the seriousness of
Government intent in de-
manding honest and ac-
curate self monitoring by
dischargers. Court actions
against the 1 0 mills are
possible according to
the Regional Office. The
U.S. Attorney's Offices
have sent letters to all
major industrial dis-
chargers in Wisconsin
warning of possible civil
or criminal action if future
plant inspections by EPA
uncover further violations
of the permit system.
Impact Statement
Completed
The draft Environmental
Impact Statement on the
wastewater treatment
facilities plan for the
Columbus, Ohio metro-
politan area has been com
pleted by Region 5. The
plan proposes modifica-
tions that would save the
city $46 million in capital
costs and 8 percent in
annual operating costs.
•
EPAJOURNAL
-------
Joint Effort
EPA and the US Army
Corps of Engineers will
use Region 6 as a pilot
area for the implement-
ation of their new inter-
agency agreement, which
calls for a joint effort to
restructure the admini-
stration of the Federal
wastewater treatment
facilities construction pro-
gram. The Corps will help
EPA to review and inspect
the construction of new
plants. The multi-billion
dollar construction pro-
gram includes nearly
4,000 wastewater treat-
ment plants under con-
struction across the
country. Approximately
240 of the new facilities
are located in Region 6.
Regional Administrator
Adlene Harrison said:
"By utilizing the engineer-
ing skills of the Corps for
this important activity,
EPA personnel can devote
more time to the environ-
mental aspects of the pro-
gram." The agreement
was signed early in March,
during a training program
held for Corps personnel,
State agency employees,
and EPA staff.
Safe Drinking Water
Violations Listed
Regional Administrator
Dr. Kathleen Q. Camin has
announced that eleven
sources of public drinking
water supplies in Missouri
failed to meet the bacter-
iological standards re-
quired by the Safe Drink-
ing Water Act. Under the
legislation any water
supply serving 25 persons
or having 1 5 service con-
nections must sample for
bacteriological quality at
least once a month, to
check for contamination
from human and animal
wastes The violators are
the community water
supplies of Monett. Ray
mondville, Russellville,
Arrow Rock, Centerville,
Redings Mill, Kelso, and
Alba, Mo.; the Livingston
County Public Water
Supply District #4; the
Missouri State Prison.
Jefferson City; and the
Bates Trailer Court, Cape
Girardeau EPA has noti-
fied the suppliers to
immediately inform their
customers and the public
that their water supply has
exceeded these health
standards. Administrator
Camin said EPA is review-
ing the cases to determine
what further action is
necessary to protect the
public health
Field Office Opens
Region 7 has assumed
responsibility for certify
mg pesticide applicators
in Nebraska because the
State failed to pass the leg-
islation to implement a
State program This action
is required under the Fed-
eral pesticide law. In order
that farmers and other
restricted-use pesticide
users will not be denied
access to the chemicals
they need, EPA has opened
a field office in Lincoln,
Neb. to certify anyone who
might buy or use those
pesticides. The field office
will handle certification
testing in cooperation
with the University of
Nebraska Cooperative
Extension Service, which
conducts the certification
training courses.
CEQ to Ruie on Dam
Project
At the recommendation
of Region 8, EPAAdmin-
istrator Douglas M. Costle
has referred the contro-
versy on the Denver Foot-
hills Water Project to the
Council on Environmental
Quality under Section 309
of the Clean Air Act.
Under that section of the
law when EPA's Admin-
istrator finds that a
Federal action is unsatis-
factory from the stand-
point of public health or
welfare or environmental
quality, "he is required to
publish his determination
and refer the matter to
CEQ," Regional Admin-
istrator Alan Merson said.
"The Bureau of Land Man-
agement's final impact
statement, like its earlier
draft statement, fails to
consider the projected
impacts on continued
urban spraw! and increas-
ing air pollution." In-
creases in single-occupant
car traffic in the area re-
lated to urban sprawl
would be encouraged by
the dam project, making
it difficult if not im-
possible to attain national
health standards, accord-
ing to Region 8 The final
impact statement for the
project says: "The prin-
cipal purpose of the pro-
ject is to enable the
Denver Water Board to
meet projected maximum-
day demands so cus-
tomers can irrigate horti-
culture without restriction
during the hot summer
months." The first phase
of the Foothills project
would permit unlimited
lawn-watering until 1988,
the final planned size
would allow unlimited
lawn watering to continue
until 2001, at a total esti-
mated cost of $1 billion.
Regional Administrator
Merson cited alternatives
such as permanent lawn
watering by schedule,
metering of water use,
and a priority system for
water tap allocations to
discourage sprawl. "The
loss of Waterton Canyon,
the worsening of Denver's
already severe air pollu-
tion, and the expenditure
of a billion dollars seem
an incredibly high price
to pay for unlimited lawn
watering through the turn
of the century," Merson
said.
Clean Air Briefings
Region 9 staff have been
using a slide presentation
to explain the implications
of the Clean Air Act
Amendments of 1 977
to government officials
and interested citizens In
March they briefed the
Federal Regional Council
and in April sessions were
held for representatives
of all the Federal agencies
in the States of Arizona,
California, Nevada, and
Hawaii Eighteen briefings
and five workshops have
been held since last fall.
Among those attending
the briefings were the
Southern California Asso-
ciation of Governments;
the city councils of Carson
City, San Diego. Ventura.
and Ojai; the California
Air Resources Board, and
the Air Pollution Control
Board of the Bay Area,
Monterey, and the South
Coast. Participants in
workshops included the
Western Oil and Gas Asso-
ciation, the Region 9 Air
Pollution Control Officers.
the Bay Area League of
Industrial Associations,
Air Quality Management
Program Managers, and
representatives of various
power companies.
Talking with the Public
Regional Administrator
Donald P Dubois is main-
taining an active schedule
of meetings with citizens
affected by EPA programs.
Recently Dubois met with
grass-seed growers in
Oregon's Willamette
Valley who were concern-
ed about the way that air
pollution restrictions on
post-harvest burning in
their fields might affect
yields in future years In
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Dubois conducted a town
meeting to discuss the
effects of EPA's sole
source designation for the
Spokane Valley-Rathdrum
Prairie Aquifer The aqui-
fer provides drinking
water for 338.000 people
on both sides of the Wash-
ington-Idaho border, and
its new status means that
certain construction pro-
jects will be subject to
EPA review to protect
water quality At a Cham-
ber of Commerce meeting
in Wallace, Idaho, Dubois
exchanged ideas with 100
people who fear the ulti-
mate shutdown of the
nearby Bunker Hill Co
lead and zinc smelter be-
cause of air pollution con-
trol requirements. The
smelter is a source of jobs
for approximately half of
the people in the county
Dubois and senior staff
members from Region 1 0
met in Spokane, Wash
with farm extension ser-
vice directors, officials of
the Agricultural Research
Service, and agricultural
educators to discuss en-
vironmental concerns
related to farming such
as agricultural air pollu-
tion, land application of
sludge, soil erosion, non-
point source water pollu-
tion problems, and certi-
fication of pesticide
applicators. D
MAY 1978
-------
f~r^A has taken a first step toward
Cl/\ reducing the vroom-vroom,
sputter, and roar of motorcycles
Starting in 1 980. all new motorcycles
sold in the United States will have to meet
noise limits set by the Agency The regula-
tions were proposed in March and are slated
to be formally adopted this summer after a
three-month waiting period for public
comment.
"Except for big trucks, motorcycles are
the loudest vehicles on the highway," said
David Hawkins. Assistant Administrator for
Air and Waste Management, at a press con-
ference announcing the proposals "Just
about every survey of local communities
puts motorcycle noise near the top of the
list as a source of annoyance."
The proposed limit for motorcycles li-
censed to be driven on public streets and
for small, off-road cycles would be 83
decibels (db) in 1 980 models. This limit
would be lowered to 80 db in 1 982 and
78 db in 1985
Large, off-road cycles with engine dis-
placements of more than 1 70 cubic centi
meters would be restricted to 86 db in 1 980
and 82 db in 1983
Mopeds motorized bicycles that can be
either pedalled or driven or both--would
be limited to 70 db of sound in 1 980, with
no further reduction thereafter
All sound levels are to be measured while
the vehicle is accelerating past the measur-
ing instrument at a distance of 1 5 meters
(about 50 feet)
When put into effect the proposed rules
would make new motorcycles about as
noisy as heavy trucks This type of truck is
now restricted by EPA rules to 83 db, start-
ing with the 1 978 models, and will be fur-
ther reduced toSOdb, in 1981 and 75 db
in 1 983 These standards apply to trucks
moving at 35 miles per hour or less, rnea
sured from the same distance as the motor-
cycle test
(Decibels are units of sound power or
pressure and can be read from a hand-held
instrument. The decibel scale is logarithmic.
or proportional; every increase of 1 0 db
represents a doubling of sound power.
Damage to human hearing begins with pro-
longed exposure to sound levels of 85 to
90 db)
The regulations would also cover the
manufacture of replacement mufflers for
motorcycles. Production and sale would be
banned for any muffler installed on a 1 980
or later model motorcycle that would cause
it to exceed EPA's noise limit.
New machines and mufflers are all that
EPA can regulate under the Noise Control
Act, Hawkins said. The Agency cannot reg-
ulate motorcycle use or prevent owners
from tampering with their bikes. State and
local noise abatement laws will be needed
to supplement Federal controls on new
machines and mufflers
Tampering with motorcycles to make
them noisier is widespread, Hawkins said.
Out of the approximately six million cycles
licensed to be driven on public roads in the
United States, about one in eight has its
exhaust system modified to be noisier than
it was when new. he said. And he estimated
that more than one in four off-road
machines —which are not supposed to be
driven on public roads —have been modified
m this manner, some as much as 20 decibels,
which can bring the motorcycle's noise level
to 1 00 db That level is equivalent to a loud
railroad train passing close by.
Although it would be illegal under the
proposed rules to increase a motorcycle's
noise by such tampering, enforcement
would depend on local authorities and
would require local laws that prescribe
penalties for violation. To make this easier,
EPA's rules would provide that all replace-
ment mufflers be labeled with the type of
machines they are designed for and the
sound levels that can be expected
"With this label," Hawkins said, "the local
police can measure the motorcycle's noise
with a sound meter and compare it to the
label. This enforcement approach would
have to be authorized by local ordinance "
Methods of making motorcycles quieter
in factory design and tuning and especial-
ly in muffler design —will not cause any
"radical change." Hawkins said, and "will
not take the fun out of motorcycling,"
"Some cost and performance penalties
are unavoidable We project an average
price increase of 7 to 1 0 percent for achiev-
ing the 1 985 final and most stringent noise
control level," he declared. Performance
is affected because an efficient muffler
causes some back-pressure on the engine,
decreasing the power available to drive the
vehicle
"We don't think there are any motorcycle
manufacturers that could not meet these
standards, given the commitment to do so
and the time in which to make the necessary
design changes We intend to re-examine
the lead-time issue very carefully in prepara-
tion of the final rule.
"Motorcycle noise is a serious problem in
the Nation today. Noise from street motor-
cycles stands out in residential areas, while
off-road motorcycles cause disturbances in
recreational areas, vacant lots, and in your
neighbor's backyard. . .
"EPA is particularly interested in pro-
viding State and local governments with
the assistance and the tools they need to
eliminate motorcycle noise as a serious prob-
lem in their communities," Hawkins said.
The proposed motorcycle regulations are
the latest in a series of EPA actions to con-
trol the noise emitted by newly manufac-
tured products that are used on streets and
highways. Noise standards for new heavy
trucks went into effect on January 1 this
year. Standards for buses and trash com-
pactors have been proposed and are now
in the public comment stage.
Off-highway machines for which EPA
has proposed new-product noise limits in-
clude air compressors, rock drills and pave-
ment breakers, bulldozers and front-end
loaders, and power lawn mowers
Newly manufactured motorcycles are al-
ready subject to EPA air pollution regula-
tions. Starting December 1. 1 977 all motor-
cycles sold in the United States had to meet
exhaust emission limits of not more than 5
to 1 4 grams per kilometer of unburned
hydrocarbons (varying according to motor
size) and 1 7 gr/km of carbon monoxide.
With 1 980 models these limits will be cut to
5 gr/km of hydrocarbons for all engine sizes
and 1 2 gr/km of carbon monoxide. These
reductions are attainable by carburetor
design and engine tuning; no catalytic con-
verter is needed.D
EPAJOURNAL
-------
Quieter Fun
W:
MAY 1978
-------
Students Curb
Air Pollution
By Jane Kenn>
EPAJOURNAL
-------
It's a Saturday afternoon
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
A group of high school kids
are gathered around what looks
like a hot rod right off the set of
"Happy Days."
A slick dude, the owner of the
hot rod, says, "Yeah, I slaved
over a hot grill all summer to
earn the bread to buy this baby."
He spit-polishes the hood as
he continues: "It's got a four-
barrel carburetor, four on the
floor, and it doesn't have any of
that pollution control junk, so
it runs like a top."
"Why don't you put that baby
on this testing equipment and
let's see just how good she's
running," says a student at West
Milwaukee High School. "Our
51 test will tell you how much
gas you're wasting and how
badly your car is polluting the
air."
"Why not? This car can pass
any test," the owner says
smugly. The testing probe is
placed in the tail-pipe and the
needles that indicate the amount
of hydrocarbons and carbon
monoxide go wild. The car
flunks, and all of a sudden the
owner isn't so smug.
His peers don't think it's too
cool to drive a car that pollutes
the air. Why? They have recently
learned all about the connec-
tion between air pollution and
automobiles in a special unit
of their science class at West
Milwaukee High School. The
owner saw stars when he found
out how much gas he was
wasting. He had flipped a lot
of burgers for nothing. This
whole scenario in real life started
in the summer of 1977. Terry
Jane Kenneal/y is a public in-
formation specialist in Region
5's Office of Public Awareness.
Lehman of the Wisconsin Lung
Association, a former teacher,
met with some EPA Region 5
staff to present an educational
package on auto testing. The
Lung Association had realized
that cigarettes aren't the only
threat to a person's lungs and
that they really ought to get
working on the other major
probleYn area—air pollution.
The package that Lehman pre-
sented began with educating
high school students about the
correlation between auto-
mobiles and air pollution. The
students would then run a day
of auto testing at a shopping
center in the vicinity of their
school, charging S1 for each
test. The test fee would be
kept by the school, which could
use it to purchase some science
or environmental equipment.
The difference in Lehman's
program from all the other
attempts at volunteer auto
testing was the built-in follow up
to the test. All cars going
through the student-run test
lane were given a coupon for
a discount on the needed re-
pairs at a Soca! gas station if they
did not pass the test. By working
with gas stations in the area,
the students could check on
which car owners had the
repairs done and urge the ones
that didn't to get the work done
while the coupon was stil! in
effect.
The program was partially
funded as a pilot project in one
high school. There were ques-
tions that needed to be an-
swered before any sizable
amount of money would be
spent for another volunteer auto
testing program in Region 5.
In the past much effort had been
expended to encourage the
public to voluntarily get their
cars checked. In the fall of 1976,
Region 5's Office of Public
Awareness worked with race
car driver Bobby Unser, two-
time winner of the Indy 500,
to promote auto testing at
shopping centers in six cities in
the Midwest. The public turned
out to meet Unser and get a
free auto test. The Unser tour
was a success in gaining media
attention for the problem. But
it lacked any follow up tactic
to get the failing cars tuned up.
Region 5 next attempted to
get service stations to offer free
tests and special prices on tune
ups. The local air pollution con-
trol agencies in Dayton and
Toledo, Ohio, worked very hard
to secure cooperation from the
service stations but found they
did not want to tie up shop
time giving free tests. The follow
up component was the hardest
to incorporate into any volun-
teer auto testing program.
Since Lehman's program con-
tained this important com-
ponent, he was given the go-
ahead.
The sophomore biology stu-
dents at West Milwaukee High
School were taught air quality
conservation for seven 50-
minute periods that heavily
emphasized the correlation
between the auto and air pollu-
tion. Mount Mary College in
Milwaukee gave the students
a high-volume particulate air
sampler that was operated on
the roof of the high school
during the course of study so
that students could get some
experience in air quality testing.
Rudy Cook, head of the
science department at the West
Milwaukee High School, com-
ments, "Although the students
had a lot working against them
for the testing day, with terrible
weather and not much lead time,
no one complained. They ran
around handing out flyers about
the test, selling advance tickets
for it, and were serious and in-
formative about the test for the
people bringing their cars
through the test lane."
The cooperation received by
the Lung Association and West
Milwaukee High School was
surprising. Terry Lehman ex-
plains. "Sun Electric Corpora-
tion in Waukesha supplied two
exhaust analysers free and
provided a special training
session at its office for the
students who would be using
the machines. Five service
stations signed contracts agree-
ing to honor coupons for a 10
percent discount on a tune up."
The testing day was unfortu-
nately scheduled opposite a few
other important events in Mil-
waukee such as the opening of
deer season, which is quite an
event there, and the Christmas
Parade.
Fifty-five cars were tested,
which is about average for a
one-day shot. Thirty-three
percent of the autos going
through the test lane passed.
The cars with the best passing
rate were 1975 and 1976
models. The largest problem
with failures was due to high
carbon monoxide content in
the exhaust when the car was
at idle.
The pilot program has shown
that the education tie-in with
auto testing can work. The high
school willingly accepted the
program; the students were
very interested (they com-
plained about going back to
"that old biology junk" when it
was over); the business com-
munity cooperated, and the
students proved they were
capable of operating a success-
ful auto testing program.D
MAY 1978
31
-------
People
Charles R. (Jack) Ford
Formerly Acting Assistant Sec-
retary of the Army (Civil Works)
he has been appointed Execu-
tive Assistant to Administrator
Douglas M Costle.
In nearly 31 years of Federal
service. Ford was a civil engi-
neer with the Bureau of Recla-
mation, Department of Interior
in Denver, the Board
of Engineers for Rivers and
Harbors, Washington, D.C.,
William J. Lacy, Principal En-
gineering Science Advisor,
Office of Research and Develop-
ment, talks with Lance G.
Johnson, one of the forty high
school seniors from across the
Nation who were winners in the
Westinghouse 37th Annual
Science Talent Search. Johnson
and the other winners came to
Washington, D.C. with all
expenses paid to attend the five-
day Science Talent Institute,
Russell E. Train
The former EPA Administrator
has been elected President of
the World Wildlife Fund-U.S.
He served as Vice President of
the organization from 1961
to 1 969 and also is a trustee of
WWF — International. In electing
him, the board of directors re-
structured the position of Presi-
dent to the status of a full-time
chief executive officer.
In his new post he will guide
involved in water resources
development and policy; Chief,
Office of Civil Functions in the
Office of the Secretary of the
Army overseeing the Corps of
Engineers' Civil Works Program;
and for the past year served as
Acting Assistant Secretary of
the Army (Civil Works)
A graduate of the University
of Florida at Gainesville, where
he received a Bachelor's degree
in Civil Engineering in 1 949,
he also did graduate work at
Catholic University in water
resources planning, open chan-
nel hydraulics and water quality
control. He attended the Pro-
gram for Senior Managers in
Government at Harvard in 1 976.
Ford received the Exceptional
Civilian Service Award in 1 973
and the Distinguished Civilian
Service Award this year.
the fund's conservation pro-
gram, which involves a variety
of wildlife and habitat projects.
The program emphasizes mea-
sures in the western hemisphere
to protect endangered species
and wilderness areas.
Mr. Train has held posts in
judicial and executive branches
of the Federal Government
under three US. Presidents
He served as a U.S. Tax Court
Judge 1959-65; Undersecre-
tary of the Interior in 1 969;
Chairman of the Council on
Environmental Quality 1970-
73; and EPA Administrator
1973-77. He founded the
African Wildlife Leadership
Foundation in 1 959 and served
as its first president, and also
was elected president of the
Conservation Foundation in
1 965. He is recipient of numer-
ous awards including the Animal
Welfare Institute's Albert
Update _
A listing of recent Agency pub-
lications and other items of use
to people interested in the
environment.
il Publications
Environmental New York:
A Directory 1 977 This 200
page book lists environmental
and related agencies and organ-
izations in New York State, in-
cluding Federal, State, regional,
county, and local groups It
explains the purpose of each
group, and carries the name
of a contact person for each
organization as well as a mailing
address and telephone number
Available for S3 95, including
postage, from "Directory." New
York State Department of Envi-
ronmental Conservation, Bu-
reau of Community Assistance,
50 Wolf Road, Albany, New
York 12223
Labor, Minorities, and Environ-
mentalists Together. 1977. This
8-panel pamphlet describes the
Urban Environment Conference,
outlines its goals, and lists the
directors. It discusses work-
shops, conferences, and pro-
grams designed to inform and
unite labor groups, minorities,
and environmentalists on topics
of common interest. The pam-
phlet also describes the Urban
Environment Foundation, a re-
search and education organiza-
tion attached to the UEC. Avail-
able from the Urban Environ-
ment Conference, 1 302 1 8th
Street, N.W.. Washington, D.C.
20036
Copies of Federal Register
notices are available at a cost
of 20 cents per page. Write
Office of the Federal Register,
National Archives and Records
Service, Washington, DC.
20408
Noise
EPA proposes noise emission
regulations for new motorcycles
and new motorcycle replace-
ment exhaust systems; com-
ments by 6/1 6/78 Pages
1 0822-864 in the March 1 5
edition
Air
EPA limits emissions of sulfur
dioxide from petroleum refinery
Cfaus sulfur recovery plants.
Pages 1 0866-873 March 1 5
issue.
EPA prohibits the manu-
facture, processing, and distri-
bution in commerce of fully
halogenated chlorofluoroalkanes
for those aerosol propellant
uses which are subject to the
Toxic Substances Control Act.
Pages 1 1 301-326 March 17
issue.
32
EPAJOURNAL
-------
March 2-6 In addition, they will
share $67,500 in science
scholarships and awards.
Johnson is interested in Environ-
mental Engineering and visited
the Environmental Protection
Agency to discuss areas of
mutual scientific interest with
Lacy. Johnson is from Spirit
Lake, Iowa, and a member of the
National Honor Society.
Alvin R. Morris
He is Deputy Regional Admin-
istrator in Region 3 and has
been appointed by President
Carter to be a Federal Commis-
sioner to the Interstate Commis-
sion on the Potomac River
Basin. The Commission is a
Regional Agency that was first
established in 1 940 to study
water pollution control and act
as an information and public
education center. In 1 970 Con-
F. Gordon Hueter
He has been selected to be Dir-
ector of the EPA Health Effects
Research Laboratory at Re-
search Triangle Park, N.C., ac-
cording to Dr. Stephen J. Gage.
Assistant Administrator for the
Office of Research and Develop-
ment. Dr. Hueter was most re-
cently the Associate Laboratory
Director and had been serving
as Acting Director of the Criteria
and Special Studies Office there.
gress expanded the Commis-
sion's role to include water
quality assessment, and added
planning, advising, and coordin-
ating of the conservation and
development of land and water
resources in the basin. The Com-
mission is funded by the States
of Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, and West Virginia, the
Federal Government, and the
District of Columbia. Dr. Morris
has been Region 3 Deputy Ad-
He completed his studies at the
University of Maryland; earning
a B.S. in 1 952, an M.S. in 1 956,
and a Ph. D, in 1958, with
majors in animal science, physiol-
ogy, and biochemistry Dr.
Hueter will serve in an acting
capacity until his appointment
is approved by the Civil Service
Commission.
mmistrator since July, 1975
and served as Acting Regional
Administrator for six months
in 1977
Schweitzer Medal, the Wild-
life Society's Aldo Leopold
Medal, and the National Wild-
life Federation's Conservationist
of the Year Award. Earlier this
year he also received the John
and Alice Tyler Ecology Award
from Pepperdine University.
The award included a $1 50,000
check.
George R. Alexander, Jr.,
He has resigned his position as
Region 5 Administrator to re-
turn to private industry in Texas.
Alexander was appointed to the
Chicago post in March, 1 976.
He joined EPA in 1 972 as De-
puty Regional Administrator for
the Agency's Region 6 office
in Dallas, Tex,, and then served
as Deputy Director of the Office
of Regional and Intergovern-
mental Operations from 1 974-
76. In 1 974 he received the
Bronze Medal for exceptional
service to the Agency. Before
joining the government service,
Alexander held executive posi-
tions with several life insurance
companies and conducted a
private law practice He holds
B.B.A and J.D degrees from
Southern Methodist University
and is a member of the Texas
and Kentucky Bar Associations
Rsoulfltions U
Consideration
The following rules are being
developed by EPA. The Agency
encourages public comment.
EPA contacts and proposed
issuing dates are listed so that
interested persons can make
their views known. These rules
will be issued in June 1 978:
National emission standards for
the hazardous pollutant benzene,
write or phone Don Goodwin
(MD-1 3), EPA, Research Tri-
angle Park, NC 27711 (919)
541-5271.
Designation of glass-melting
furnaces as source categories
under Section III of the Clean
Air Act for control of air pol-
lutants from new and modified
facilities. Same contact as above.
States Served by EPA Regions
Region 1 (Boston)
Connecticut, Maine
Massachusetts. New
Hampshire. Rhode Island,
Vermont
617-223-7210
Region 2
(New York City)
New Jersey,, New York.
Puerto Rico, Virgin
Islands
212 264-2525
Region 3 (Philadelphia)
Delaware, Maryland,
Pennsylvania. Virginia.
West Virginia, District of
Columbia
215-597-9814
Region 4 (Atlanta)
Alabama, Georgia.
Florida. Mississippi.
North Carolina, South
Carolina, Tennessee.
Kentucky
404 881 4727
Region 5 (Chicago)
Illinois, Indiana. Ohio.
Michigan, Wisconsin.
Minnesota
312 353 2000
Region 6 (Dallas)
Arkansas, Louisiana.
Oklahoma. Texas, New
Mexico
2147672600
Region 7(Kansas City)
Iowa. Kansas, Missouri
Nebraska
816-374-5493
Region 8 (Denver)
Colorado. Utah.
Wyomnu] Montana.
North Dakota, South
Dakota
303-8373895
Region 9
(San Francisco)
Arizona. California.
Nevada. Hawaii
415-556 2320
Region 10 (Seattle)
Alaska. Idaho. Oregon.
Washington
206 442 5810
MAY 1978
33
-------
Environment
in theYear
-------
By Truman Temple
The Council on Environ-
mental Quality in a few
days will release a major study
attempting to forecast where
the world will be in the year
2000 in terms of population.
natural resources, and
environment.
Acting on the request of Pres-
ident Carter, CEQ with the help
of the Environmental Protection
Agency and several other Feder-
al organizations, has devoted a
year to pulling together a
massive body of statistics and
information in this forecast.
President Carter in his Environ-
mental Message May 23, 1 977
said the study would serve as a
basis for longer-term planning.
Among the questions the study
attempts to answer are these:
• Where and why will soils in the
cropland base be added or lost?
• How much water will be
needed for irrigation projects
and other uses?
• What are the gains and losses
in the world's forests, particu-
larly in China, compared to fu-
ture demands for construction,
paper, fuel, and so on?
• What will fertilizer cost 22
years from now, and what are
its ecological effects, including
\ its impact on the ozone layer?
•
• How does the world make an
orderly transition to a post-
petroleum era? What do we
know about the effect of coal-
burning on global climates? How
about biofuels, and will they
compete with food for land,
water, and fertilizer?
• What are the trends in disposal
of wastes from urban, agricul-
tural, industrial, nuclear, and
other activities, and are there
alternatives to the present degra-
dation of resources?
• What are the environmental
implications of straining the abil-
ity of the oceans and atmosphere
to absorb wastes?
• What are the trends in environ-
mentally-caused illnesses like
cancer, black lung, and snail
fever disease?
CEQ officials note that the
Nation's longer term planning
Truman Temple is Associate
Editor of EPA Journal.
on world population, resources
and environmental matters until
now has been done largely on an
ad hoc basis, in response to
immediate problems and needs.
When forecasts have been made,
they usually have focused on a
single factor such as population
or food without full considera-
tion of how other factors inter-
act with such variables. A major
goal of the CEQ study has been
to look at such interactions in
population, resources, and envi-
ronment.
The objective of the study has
not been to see whether we can
get to the 2000 date. Rather it
is to see if we can arrive at the
end of the 20th century in a
condition good enough to pro-
ceed in an orderly, promising
fashion into the 21 St.
Among those from EPA par-
ticipating in the study organi-
zation are Deputy Administrator
Barbara Blum, who serves on
the executive group; Alice
Popkin. Associate Administrator
for International Affairs; and
specialists in the Office of
Research and Development.
The field of "futures study"
in the sense of a modern system-
atic effort to anticipate major
trends and prepare for them is
a relatively recent development.
It was pioneered by the United
States and France after World
War II when long-range fore-
casting in military and scientific
areas was needed.
Futures research employs
various sophisticated tools such
as statistical methods, computer
simulations, and data collections,
as well as social concepts and
probability theory. It requires an
awareness of likely scientific and
technological breakthroughs,
and equally important, a percep-
tion of their impact and side-
effects on society.
As Dennis Little of the Futures
Research Group in the Library
of Congress Congressional
Research Service has explained,
"The point is to sound the alarm
in time to avoid catastrophe. A
good example is our declining
birth rate and aging population
They're on a collision course
that, without intervention of
some sort, will wreck the Social
Security system." (His remarks
were made before the recent
revision by Congress of Social
Security law.)
"Futurism" in fact is now so
well accepted as a tool of
government and industry that it
has its own association, the
World Future Society, boasting
some 20,000 members since
it was founded a decade ago.
Futures study also is involved
with grants, courses, confer-
ences, and above all a body of
published literature in the form
of journals and books.
One of the best-publicized and
popular works, of course, was
Alvin Toffler's Future Shock,
which sold 6 million copies in
20 languages. More scholarly
was Year 2000. A Framework
for Speculation on the Next
33 Years by Herman Kahn and
Anthony J. Wiener of the
Hudson Institute. Currentiy
more than 300 courses in
futures studies are being offered
in U.S. colleges and universities.
If one includes future-oriented
areas such as environmental
studies and technological fore-
casting, the total would ap-
proach 1,500. In fact, as the
National Science Foundation's
publication, "Mosaic," recently
pointed out, the environmental
impact statements now sub-
mitted to EPA from many
sources also are "forecasts, in
effect, of the environmental
consequences of major
projects."
Project director for the CEQ
Year 2000 Study for the Presi-
dent is Gerald 0. Barney Co-
chairmen are Charles Warren
CEQ Chairman, and Patsy Mink,
Assistant Secretary for Oceans
and International Environmental
and Scientific Affairs, US.
Department of State.
Others serving on the Execu-
tive Group are: Richard C.
Atkinson. Director, National
Science Foundation; Dr. Rupert
Cutler, Assistant Secretary for
Conservation, Research and
Education, U.S. Department of
Agriculture; Joan Davenport,
Assistant Secretary for Energy
and Minerals. Interior Depart-
ment; Richard A Frank, Admin-
istrator, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration;
Dr. Robert A. Frosch, Adminis-
trator, Agency for International
Development; Frank Press,
Director, White House Office of
Science and Technology Policy;
Admiral Stansfield Turner, Direc-
tor, CIA; and Alvin Aim, Assistant
Secretary for Policy and Evalua-
tion, Department of Energy.D
35
-------
Scouting
and the
Environment
The world of scouting has
involved youth in an aware-
ness of environmental questions
from its beginnings early in this
century
Lt. General Robert
Stephenson Smyth Baden-
Powell, the British hero of
Mafekmg in the Boer War and
founder of the Boy Scouts and
Girl Guides, made it clear in his
earliest scouting experiments A
trial camp that he operated for
boys on Brownsea Island off the
southern coast of England in
1 907 demonstrated his view
that youth should be involved in
an awareness of conservation,
the outdoors, and the world of
nature
Baden-Powell's scouting
movement spread swiftly to the
United States, and within four
years after the Boy Scouts of
America were legally incorpor-
ated in Washington, D.C. in
1 91 0, an awards program was
begun that today still inspires
Nil i|i: miinbi-i s of yoiitti in ' on
servation and environmental
quality projects The program,
begun by Dr. William Temple
Hornaday, bestows awards in
five forms for service or pro-
jects; certificates, badges, and
bronze, silver and gold medals
or medallions for work ranging
from local to national levels.
Hornaday awards have been
granted to Scouts for enlisting
patrols in weekly collections of
paper, glass, aluminum and steel
cans to recycling centers. Such
projects are not casual; candi
dates must carry out the activ-
ities over many months, keej>mg
careful records on pounds of
material handled, costs of pick-
up and delivery, and revenues
received Other projects enlist
Scouts in continuing programs
of trash and debris removal
from stream banks and lake-
shores, with certification of the
project by the government
agency having jurisdiction over
the area; publication of articles
on local endangered animal and
plant species in newspapers,
magazines, or broadcast media,
air pollution abatement in co-
operation with local air author-
ities, and plantings of grass.
shrubs, and trees along river
banks to stabilize the soil and
prevent sedimentation of the
waterways.
In addition to Hornaday
awards. Scouting has numerous
other environmentally-related
goals and projects The Boy
Scout merit badge in environ-
mental science, for example.
requires a candidate to define
terms like ecology, biosphere,
and ecosystem, and pursue
projects such as demonstrating
the relation of plant cover to
water runoff and their relation-
ship to water and oxygen cycles.
Proficiency badges also are
awarded by the Girl Scouts at
the Cadette level in environ-
mentally-related areas such as
conservation, plant kingdom
studies, weather effects, and
physical and biological science.
Other levels of the Girl Scouts,
including Brownies, Juniors,
and Seniors, covering an age
range from 6 to 1 7, also carry
out environmental activities
determined by individual troop
leadership.
Within the Cub Scouts, those
1 0 years old at the Webelos
level also are made aware of
environmental careers by earn-
ing badges for studies of occupa-
tions such as forester, geologist,
and naturalist.
Although the merit badge for
environmental science is a
relatively recent addition in the
1 970's to the many Boy Scout
activities, the philosophy of
environmental awareness goes
back nearly three quarters of a
century and has been evident
throughout the history of the
movement.
And environmentalists every-
where have a powerful ally in
Scouting, for not only are mem-
bers found around the world —
some 14 million Boy Scouts in
1 09 countries, for example, and
7.5 million Girl Scouts in 93
countries—but equally import-
ant, the idea of environmental
protection is being planted very
early in the minds of youth.
One of the oldest sayings in
Scouting, dating back many
decades, might have been
written by any environmental
leader or scientist in 1978 as a
motto for our world: "Always
leave a campsite cleaner than
you found it."D
EPA JOURNAL
-------
Many Ways to See a Tree
Continued from page 3
cant lot or river bank. Many have been for recycling of
paper and glass waste. Still others have been for quite
advanced and sophisticated work on solar cookers, wind-
mill experimentation, and car pooling with the help of a
computer.
EPA also has a summer intern program at Washington
headquarters for employing high school and college stu-
dents. These interns do useful work for the Agency, and
while contributing they get a better understanding of the
relations between government and citizens, policy and
action. We are investigating the possibility of starting
such intern programs at Regional Offices as well as at
headquarters.
The EPA's Visitor's Center in Washington is fre-
quented by students and young people and offers them
a point of access to the Agency. Groups of students by
the busload visit the Center to see environmental exhibits,
hear talks by EPA people, and see films and slide shows.
Most of our student visitors are from the Washington
metropolitan area, and they include elementary school
classes. But each year, particularly during Easter and
spring vacations and just before the summer holidays
start—we play host to tour busloads of high school stu-
dents from distant places.
We in EPA are convinced of the importance of educa-
tion in the environmental protection effort. We regard
young men and women, and boys and girls, as a distinct
group that is vital to the achievement of this Agency's
goal, as expressed in the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1 969: "to encourage productive and enjoyable
harmony between man and his environment."
We will try to expand our outreach to young people
and continue to welcome their observations, criticisms,
and requests for information so that they can be effec-
tive advocates in their communities for environmental
betterment. D
Weed-killing
Pesticide
Reviewed by
EPA
News Briefs
Use of an herbicide known as 2, 4, 5-T to
kill weeds and brush in forests, rangeland, and
highway and electric line rights-of-way is now
being reviewed by EPA to determine whether these
uses should be continued. This herbicide has
been produced since 1948. However, EPA has
received many complaints from environmentalists
charging that the product may cause cancer or
birth defects. On the other hand, many
agricultural officials contend that the herbicide
is extremely effective and is not a hazard. A
cause of special concern is the presence in this
herbicide of dioxin, one of the most toxic
chemicals known. Producers of the herbicide have
reduced the level of dioxin to below .1 parts per
million.
MAY 1978
37
-------
Careers
Continued from page 7
Agriculture
Enrollment in agricultural colleges has
tripled since 1 963— from 35.000 to more
than 1 00,000 —and experts forecast con-
tinued expansion into the mid-1 980's
There seem to be three major explanations:
(1) Young people are motivated by their
concern for people, populations, the en-
vironment, natural resources, and food
shortages; (2) they are attracted to the
outdoors, open space, rural areas, simple
technology, and utilization of energy effi-
cient techniques such as solar energy; and
(3) schools of agriculture have changed
their curricula to become comprehensive
integrated/interdisciplinary/involved insti-
tutions, preparing graduates to do many
things. One, of course, is to run farms.
Another is to operate agricultural busi-
nesses Still another is to serve overseas in
Peace Corps, AID, UN, or related programs
To be effective in any such endeavors, one
must be able to deal with all aspects of the
environment Today's school of agriculture
prepares graduates to be anything listed in
Table 1 under Conservation and Recreation
and almost anything listed under Environ-
mental Design and Land Use Planning.
Lucrative jobs await virtually all graduates
who want them.
Veterinary Medicine
Just as the publication of Rachel Carson's
Silent Spring in 1 992 is credited with inspir-
ing the environmental movement, the publi-
cation of James Hernot's All Creatures
Great and Small in 1 972 is believed by some
to have started the boom in veterinary
medicine us ,i career Unlike schools of
agriculture, schools of veterinary medicine
cannot expand rapidly because the costs
are extremely high, comparable to those
for a school of (human) medicine. Even so,
several States are establishing new veter-
inary schools. Statistically, it is harder to
get into a veterinary school than it is to get
into a medical college. The three major rea-
sons given above for the popularity of agri-
culture as a major apply also to veterinary
medicine, plus the special attraction provid-
ed by love of animals There are about
30,000 veterinarians in the United States.
I ruployment opportunities are expected
to be favorable through the mid-1 980's.
Considering such a broad field as environ-
mental management, and such a dynamic
one, is it any wonder that I am reluctant to
advise an individual to adopt one course or
another? Yet Lesley, whose letter began
this article, exemplifies so many young
persons interested in environmental careers;
perhaps some of my remarks to her would
help others
You wrote that you are becoming increas-
ingly concerned that the bloom is off of the
38
environment, and there may not be a job
for you after you graduate And you asked
what I think your chances are for a satis-
fying job and career. . . .
No one can predict "satisfaction" for any-
one else; that is a very personal value. But
you have good basic intelligence, a command
of the language (not all college seniors do.
sad to say!), and a sense of humor. Ability?
You have that, as shown by your 3.4 aver-
age And aptitude, for your best subjects
are in science. And direction, for you've
been active in the scouts and in several
voluntary environmental organizations.
And leadership, for you've held responsible
positions in them. And you've gained ex-
perience, working summers as a camp
counselor. And your major is in interdisci-
plinary environmental studies with potential
application in a variety of ways. . . .
You discussed how you intend to go
about seeking a job, and it is an intelligent
approach —a good resume, responding to
ads in professional journals, and gaining the
widest possible range of contacts. Enclosed
is a table (Table 2) showing how young
scientists and engineers got their jobs. . .
Because you are a woman, I should
comment on whether this is a plus or a
minus. Traditionally, of course, it has been
a handicap in many fields. Engineering, for
example. Yet, reports the Engineering Man-
power Commission. "Engineering is unique
among the major professional occupations
in consistently offering higher starting
salaries for women than for men." Accord-
ing to the College Placement Council, wo-
men's average offers for first engineering
jobs last year were 3.8 percent higher than
men's; and came to almost S1 6,000 per
year for new graduates without prior work
experience. No job, among the almost 50
listed in Table 1, is closed to you.
In conclusion, Lesley, society is going
to meet you, and most other college gradu-
ates, halfway. As far as an environmental
career goes, don't worry about taking your
chances. Just get on with making your
chances. It's up to you! . . . D
A Word About Salaries
Engineering and technology
graduates of the class of '77
— including those in environ-
mental management —encount-
ered one of the most favorable
job markets since the heydays
of the 1 960's In the case of
community college or technical
school graduates with the Asso-
ciate in Science degree (an ex-
ample might be water and
wastewater technicians), the
average monthly starting salary
last year was $867, an 1 1 3
percent increase over the $779
offered in 1976.
The starting salary offers were
compiled by The College Place-
ment Council, Inc., and inter-
preted and published by the
Engineering Manpower Com-
mission of Engineers Joint
Council. Engineer graduates
with the B.S. degree but with-
out prior work experience were
offered an average of $1 286
per month in 1 977, a 7.6 per-
cent increase over 1 976, and
those with the M.S. degree,
S1429, a 7.3 percent increase.
Salaries for experienced
scientists and engineers are
more difficult to determine. Al-
though recruitment advertising
for technical personnel in en-
vironmental management has
continued to be voluminous for
the past seven or eight years,
most ads describe salaries as
"excellent," "competitive," or
"open," but do not state
amounts. An analysis of 50
display recruitment ads publish-
ed in the Sunday New York
Times during the first three
months of 1 978 found only two
advertisers who mentioned
salary amounts. Both were man-
agement consulting firms re-
cruiting for un-named clients.
One sought experienced envi-
ronmental engineers for energy
companies with openings in
many U.S. cities and through-
out the world, at salaries de-
scribed as "fully competitive, in
the $20,000 to $45,000 range."
The other sought a manager of
environmental services with a
B.S in chemistry, chemical en-
gineering, or equivalent, and five
to 1 0 years in plant operations,
at $25,000 to $30,000 per
annum. D
E PA JOURNAL
-------
IX)
Report
By George R.
Alexander, Jr.,'
Regional Administrator
There seems to be no letup here
in Region 5 Although major
settlements were reached in
1 977 with Milwaukee, Detroit,
Reserve Mining Company and
U.S. Steel, a whole new series
of problems has arisen to take
their place since 1 978 began.
and we have responded with
new kinds of action
When President Carter de-
clared "regional energy
emergencies" in Ohio and
Indiana in February, we ordered
stepped-up air pollution mon-
itoring in alert-prone areas of
those States to ensure protec-
tion of public health Both
States acted responsibly in this
crisis.
To deal with an increasing
number of toxic chemical spills
in the Region, we opened our
new Central Regional Labora-
tory in Chicago in February.
The laboratory will have an
important role in the coopera-
tive toxics control effort jointly
being coordinated by EPA, the
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, the U.S. Con-
sumer Product Safety Com-
mission, and the Food and
Drug Administration.
Beginning this year, we are
embarking on a new approach
to the protection of the Great
Lakes ! have brought together
in the Great Lakes National
Program functions that formerly
were dispersed among several
offices in the Region.
This program has been specif-
ically designed to provide a
focus for a goal-oriented ap-
proach to water quality prob-
lems in the Great Lakes in
concert with a complex array of
environmental and resource
concerns on and for the Great
Lakes
This spring, we have begun
a two-year international study of
the causes and effects of Lake
Erie pollution. As part of this
effort, we have refitted the
Crockett, a former Navy patrol
gunboat used in Vietnam, to
serve as our primary research
vessel.
The issue of clean air versus
growth arose here in 1 978
when EPA named areas in the
country that had not attained
health standards for air pollution
under the Clean Air Act Amend-
ments of 1 977 The new Act
automatically imposes strong
economic sanctions on com-
munities that delay in revising
clean air plans to cope with
remaining air problems. There-
fore, communities anxious to
attract new growth also must
be committed to achieving clean
air. We will be providing support
to communities to achieve their
clean air goals.
Last fall, we began a series of
innovative meetings with steel-
workers around the Region to
discuss the concerns that the
workers have about pollution
control and health. We were
assisted in this effort by United
Steelworker Local 1 01 0 of
Gary. Indiana, and have held
six workshops so far.
In an effort to increase partici-
pation by Region 5's constitu-
encies in the Midwest, televised
town forums were held in Ft.
Wayne, Ind., Toledo, and
Cincinnati, Oh., Grand Rapids,
Mich., and in Madison, Wis.
In addition, a new public partici-
pation program was drafted to
help the public learn early-on of
proposed regional actions.
In water pollution control
progress, the Regional picture is
encouraging. Over 1 2,500
industries and municipalities
have received permits. Permit
violations are most frequently
attributable to municipal con-
struction delays or failure of
industrial plants to comply with
effluent limitations.
This year EPA announced,
and Region 5 implemented, a
new enforcement philosophy
with respect to air and water
violators. Henceforth, the
Agency will "file first and ne-
gotiate later." As part of this
policy, EPA will seek to collect,
as a minimum, civil penalties
equivalent to the economic
savings realized by the violator
as a result of non-compliance
In addition, Region 5 made clear
that Federal facilities would not
be exempted from enforcement
for their failure to comply with
air and water standards
Also Region 5 became the
first Region in the Nation to
have completely transferred the
permit program to its
States when Administrator
Douglas Costle authorized
Illinois to issue permits as of
October 23, 1977.
The Region is now in the proc-
ess of working with the States
to fully integrate toxic substance
control requirements into the
day-to-day permit activities.
The Region is laying out a
program that primarily will
utilize the 1 29 toxic substance
limitations for 21 industrial
categories being developed by
the Effluent Guidelines Division.
Major efforts will continue to
evaluate and control those
significant toxic pollutants not
covered by guidelines. Process
evaluation and process modifi-
cation versus end-of-the-line
treatment will continue to be
encouraged.
The fight for clean water is
clouded by numerous issues—
PCB's. PBB's, asbestos, Mirex,
and other complex organic and
inorganic toxicants, nutrients
such as phosphates, thermal
pollution, etc
The continuing controversy
over phosphates in the Great
Lakes gams momentum as pro-
jected studies indicate that
phosphorus loadings will in-
crease at an alarming rate
during the next decade. The
addition of phosphorus to the
lakes results in eutrophication--
slow choking of the lakes by
excessive piant growth One
practical way to help combat the
problem of phosphorus is to
enact a ban on detergents using
phosphates. Although some
cities have bans on phosphates,
no nationwide ban has yet been
passed. Earlier this year, a
Region 5 Phosphorus Commit-
tee prepared a position paper
calling for a detergent phos-
phate ban for the Great Lakes
Basin. While phosphate controls
in themselves cannot solve the
problem entirely, they can make
a significant difference
A series of poisonous chem-
ical spills in the Ohio River
prompted EPA to take another
look at methods designed to
prevent and/or deal with emer-
gency spills EPA is currently
MAY 1978
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implementing stepped-up moni-
toring and enforcement proce-
dures and working for increased
emphasis on spill prevention by
industry.
As part of its "get tough"
pollution policy, EPA fined U.S.
Steel (Gary works) S4.2 million
for pollution violations of the
Federal air and water pollution
laws. This is the largest such
penalty in the history of the
Agency. Crackdowns on per-
sistent municipal polluters got
started also with a major en-
forcement action against the
city of Detroit resulting in a
consent decree involving both
the city and its suburban
customers.
Section 208 of the water law
calls for regional water quality
management plans—regional
programs for dealing with
common water quality problems.
Such plans address the preser-
vation of clean water as well as
the restoration of polluted
waters and advocate public par-
ticipation throughout the
planning process.
In Region 5, 37 regional
planning agencies are working
closely with cities and towns to
identify problems and develop
methods of reducing and elimi-
nating pollutants. Planning solu-
tions include combinations of
building wastewater treatment
facilities, enacting regulations,
monitoring streams, and limiting
sources of pollution. Although in
some States the planning effort
has slowed to a snail's pace as
a result of political red-tape, the
public's interest in 208 is in-
creasing. Increased emphasis is
needed in toxic substance and
non-point source control.
Of the initial $18 billion
authorized by the Clean Water
Act for sewage treatment con-
struction grants, $4.5 billion has
been awarded to some 2,000
Region 5 municipalities. Over
700 grants totaling $4 billion
involve actual ongoing con-
struction of sewage treatment
plants, intercepting sewers, and
other waste treatment facilities.
Their completion will signifi-
cantly affect the quality of water
in the Region.
During the 1977 fiscal year.
Region 5 set a national record
by obligating almost $1.5 billion
for construction of sewage
treatment facilities. This is more
than any Region has ever obli-
gated in any 12-month period
since the program started. The
$1.4 billion obligated was
divided among our six States
as follows: Illinois - $331 million;
Indiana - $237 million; Michigan
- $276 million; Minnesota - $79
million; Ohio - $442 million; and
Wisconsin - $107 million. The
Region's projected use of $5.48
billion (over 22%) of the $24.5
billion authorized by the Clean
Water Act Amendments of
1977 will provide the long-
range stability necessary to con-
tinue the municipal water pollu-
tion cleanup in Region 5.
Region 5 is using the authority
delegated to it by the Safe Drink-
ing Water Act to see that action
is taken to maintain the integrity
of the estimated 95,000 public
water systems in the region.
Five out of six States in the
Region — Ohio, Illinois, Michigan,
Wisconsin, and Minnesota-
have signified their intent to
seek primary enforcement re-
sponsibility for public water
system supervision. Minnesota,
Michigan, and Wisconsin now
have primacy. Since Indiana has
officially stated that it will not
immediately pursue primacy.
Region 5 is operating the pri-
macy program there. Region
5 uses the Model States Infor-
mation System to gather re-
quired information on drinking
water supplies.
In response to a drinking
water crisis caused by the dis-
posal of taconite wastes in Lake
Superior, the city of Duluth.
Minnesota received a Federal
grant for the construction of a
treatment plant. Now operat-
ing, the new facility is capable
of removing potentially haz-
ardous asbestiform fibers from
the water.
In other parts of the Nation,
EPA scientists have launched
studies on the possibility of car-
cinogens in drinking water
supplies. In Region 5, such a
study is currently being con-
ducted on the Fox River near
Aurora, Illinois.
The Great Lakes Surveillance
Branch completed a two-year
study of Lake Michigan. Early
indications showed that waters
in the inshore area are getting
cleaner, but the open waters of
the lake are now intermediate in
nutrient supply. Final results will
be available this spring at about
the same time that Region 5
launches its new research vessel,
the Crockett, to begin looking at
Lake Erie.
Over the last few years most
of the activity in air pollution
control in Region 5 has centered
on two major areas. The first of
these was the development of
a control strategy and regula-
tions for sulfur dioxide in Ohio,
since that State was unable to
provide an approvable plan. The
regulations were promulgated in
August, 1976 and are now
being enforced to bring violators
into compliance. The other
major activity has been to en-
force the requirements of the
State implementation plans
adopted in 1 972. These stand-
ards were to have been achieved
in mid-1 975, and in fact, 92
percent of the 4,500 major
sources of air pollutants in the
Region are now in final com-
pliance or following cleanup
programs.
A joint State-Federal enforce-
ment effort is under way to place
the remaining violators in
the Region on schedules. The
key elements of this program
include the early filing of court
actions to prevent prolonged
negotiations during which pollu-
tion continues unabated, and
the assessment of civil monetary
penalties based upon the
economic savings enjoyed by
the polluter because of his fail-
ure to invest in pollution con-
trols. The use of civil penalties in
this way is important to protect
the competitive position of the
vast majority of industry that
has moved to clean up.
Other major goals of the re-
gional air enforcement program
are to maintain the current high
levels of compliance (virtually
100 percent) with EPA hazard-
ous pollutants standards and to
ensure that industrial erinission
growth does not threaten delay
in achieving health standards or
adversely affect clean air areas.
In order to reduce automobile-
related pollution, enforcement
efforts have focused on ensur-
ing compliance with EPA's un-
leaded gasoline and tampering
regulations to ensure the pro-
tection of auto emission control
devices. Major actions in this
area have been taken against
fleet owners such as the City
of Chicago and the Yellow Cab
Company in Cleveland, Ohio.
A large number of the urban
areas in Region 5 have failed to
meet health standards for par-
ticulates (dust) and sulfur diox-
ide. In addition, the problem of
photochemical oxidants (ozone)
continues to grow. Virtually
every monitor in the Region re-
cords violations during the
summer months. Hydrocarbon
emissions from autos and indus-
trial sources are the primary
cause of this problem. The mon-
itors near urban areas are re-
cording hundreds of violations
at levels as high as three times
the health standard. Even very
rural sites are recording viola-
tions as polluted air travels from
the congested urban areas out
to what would otherwise be
pristine areas.
The Clean Air Act Amend-
ments of 1 977 have greatly
reinforced the EPA's and the
States' ability to address this
problem. Every State in Region
5 is required to submit a plan
by January 1, 1979, to control
the hydrocarbon emissions with-
in its boundary. To attain the
standards this program will need
to address both industrial
sources and vehicle emissions.
In the area of pesticides
regulation. Region 5 is working
with the States in the develop-
ment of applicator training and
certification programs. Plans
have been submitted by all the
Region 5 States, three States
have full approval, and two have
received contingent approval;
Illinois is seeking full approval
of its State plan.
So far almost 200,000 Re-
gion 5 citizens have received
training and are eligible or cert-
ified to use restricted pesticides.
Pesticide Branch staff are cur-
rently developing cooperative
enforcement agreements with
State regulatory officials. It is
anticipated that six agreements
will be completed by the end of
FY79.
Recently, the solid waste
staff's major effort has been in
40
EPAJOURNAL
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the development of programs
established under the Resource
Conservation and Recovery
Act of 1 976 (RCRA), The new
Act provides for the elimination
of open dumping, a hazardous
waste regulatory program, and
financial and technical assist-
ance to develop State and local
waste management control
plans.
Due to Region 5's large popu-
lation and consequent high solid
waste generation rates, its State
agency solid waste programs
will be among the largest and
most comprehensive in the
Nation. Regional Office and
State agency personnel have
been working closely in prepara-
tion for implementation of
RCRA programs, and the
Regional Office is now in the
process of awarding grants to
its respective State agencies.
Region 5 is responsible for distri-
bution of the largest share of
grant funds in the Nation.
In the area of noise control,
the Region has been working
with individual States and com-
munities by helping them to
develop noise control regula-
tions. In addition, the Noise
Program has conducted envi-
ronmental noise workshops
throughout Region 5. These
workshops provide training for
public officials involved in
formulating community noise
control programs. The program
has also provided technical
assistance to Federal facilities in
Region 5 that have experienced
noise problems.
In Region 5, the Radiation
Program Office is coordinating
its activities with the States.
During FY 78, the Region will
define and evaluate the prob-
lem of decommissioning radio-
logical facilities in urban areas
Assistance is given to the States
in the development, testing,
evaluation, modification, and
maintenance of State Radio-
logical Emergency Response
Plans. The Regional Office partic-
ipates on the Regional Steering
Committee and in the Federal
Cadre operation. Region 5 also
presents radiological response
training courses. Assistance in
implementing the Drinking
Water Standards is given
through laboratory certification
The Radiation Program main-
tains a network of ambient radia
tion environmental sampling
stations to continuously meas
ure the radioactivity in the air
throughout the Region. Sample
collections are made twice
weekly. During potential fallout
periods, such as occurred with
the Chinese bomb test, addition-
al standby air sampling stations
in the network are activated and
air samples are collected every
24 hours. The States are alerted
immediately of any fallout that
may occur in their area.D
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Environmental Protection
Agency
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Public Awareness (A-1071
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