United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Issue No. 2
May 24, 1982
Page 5
cvEPA TIMES
A PUBLICATION FOR
EPA EMPLOYEES
Personnel Tips
HONOR AWARDS CEREMONY
Outstanding EPA employees
will be rewarded at the
Agency's 1982 Honor Awards
Ceremony at 1 p.m., Tues-
day, June 22, in the
Departmental Auditorium in
Washington. A total of 65
employees have been recom-
mended by the EPA Awards
Board to Administrator
Anne M. Gorsuch for rec-
ognition. The honor
awardees will be receiving
Distinguished Career
Awards; Gold, Silver and
Public Health Service
medals; and the Admin-
istrator' s Award for
Excellence. Administrator
Gorsuch has stated that
the achievements of these
individuals "inspire us
all and lead us to re-
affirm our dedication to
our Agency's mission and
the Nation we all serve."
Serving on the 1982-83
EPA Awards Board are Ken
Dawsey, chairman, who is
director of Administration's
Office of Personnel and
Organization; Gerald Bryan
of the Office of Legal and
Enforcement Counsel;E i leen
Claussen of the Office of
Solid Waste and Emergency
Response; Don Clay of the
Office of Toxic Substances;
Lew Crampton of the Office
of Policy and Resources
Continued on page 8
EPA Accomplishment Report
Submitted to the President
EPA Administrator Anne M. Gorsuch videotapes a message in
her office telling EPA employees about the Report to the
President on the Agency's accomplishments during the past year.
Administrator Anne M. Gorsuch has submitted to President
Reagan a report on major Agency accomplishments and
efforts during her first year at EPA.
In a cover letter accompanying the report, the Administrator
told the President "significant environmental gains" have
been registered in the following important categories:
" THE HEALTH OF OUR CITIZENS - First and foremost, EPA is
pledged to safeguarding the health and welfare of the
American people and the protection of their environment.
Our reforms, in all instances, hone true to that objective.
Improved efficiency at EPA translates directly into better
environmental protection.
11 BETTER SCIENCE - Sound environmental regulation can only
be as good as the scientific foundation upon which it is
Continued on page 8

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REGIONAL PROFILE
6	——	
(This is the first in a series of one-page profiles of the Agency regional offices
and laboratories that EPA Times wi11 carry in future issues.)
A Report on Region I
Region 1, with a headquarters in Boston,
covers the New England states of Connecticut,
Maijie, "Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, and Vermont with a total population
of 12.3 mi 11ion--ranging from 511,500 in
Vermont to 5.7 million in Massachusetts.
In order to achieve progress in meeting
national environmental goals, the region is
trying to develop more effective working
relationships with state and local govern-
ments, industry, professional associations
and private citizens. The region has been a
pioneer in the continuing regulatory reform
effort taking place throughout the Agency.
As part of this effort, the region has
pioneered a procedure now in use by all
regions for simultaneous review of State
Implementation Plans by the State and
Regional offices at the same time. This re-
duces the total time needed for approval, re-
duces states and industry uncertainty about
EPA's views on a proposed change and cuts
friction between EPA and the States. Using
this procedure, the region was able to re-
duce the time for review of sulfur air pollu-
tion rules from six months to three weeks.
Superfund
Region 1 and the six New England States have
been leaders in implementing the Superfund
program, principally due to the active
effort EPA and the States began in 1980 to
deal with the problems of uncontrolled
hazardous waste sites.
Region 1 believes the New England States, as
a result of their early efforts to address
hazardous waste problems, have developed the
capability to assume the lead role at most
sites and has, as a matter of regional
policy, encouraged the States to assume
responsibility for site cleanup under
cooperative agreements or grants. In August
1981 New Hampshire was notified that $2.3
million in Superfund money was being ear-
marked for further feasibility studies,
design and construction at the Sylvester
site in Nashua, New Hampshire.
New England was also the site of one of the
first comprehensive cleanups in the nation
using Superfund momes--the Mottolo site in
Raymond, N.H. About 1,700 waste-filled
drums and 200 tons of contaminated debris
and soil were removed from the site and
hauled to a legal landfill. The work cost
approximately $750,000, about $100,000 less
than EPA's original estimates.
Energy and Air Quality
Region 11s energy activities focus on
maintenance of air quality standards during
conversions from oil to coal-burning and in
use of higher sulfur fuels. The Brayton
Point power plant in Somerset, Mass., con-
verted to coal last year, and initial data
from emissions tests show that sulfur and
particulate emissions have actually
decreased from pre-conversion levels when
oil was used as the fuel.
Water Quality
Clean water is a major attraction for New
England's recreation industry, so the
achievement and preservation of a high level
of water quality is a very high priority
here. Almost 70% of New England's major
stream miles currently meet the fishable/
swimmable standard, an 11% improvement since
1976. In addition, most of New England's
thousands of miles of smaller upland trib-
utaries which are not assessed by current
methodology also meet or exceed the
standard.
State Delegations
The Congress has provided authority to EPA
to delegate program activities and entire
programs to State governments, and Region 1
feels that States are ordinarily in a better
position than EPA to make appropriate judg-
ments on environmental protection practices
within their own borders.
New England was the first region in the
nation to grant Phase 1 authorization to all
its States for management of the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Title
C program to control hazardous waste. All
the New England States have assumed respon-
sibility for safe drinking water and con-
struction grants, and pesticide programs.

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ENFORCEMENT
Strong Program Endorsed
Administrator Anne M. Gorsuch has endorsed
a strong enforcement program for EPA. In a
recent meeting with EPA's 10 Regional
counsels and 10 Regional administrators she
told them, "After nearly a year on the job,
1 am convinced more than ever that a strong
enforcement program is vital to obtaining
environmental results." Mrs. Gorsuch
declared at the April 30 meeting that "there
should be no doubt in anybody's mind by the
time you leave this meeting today that I,
and this Agency, will enforce the law, and
I want those of you from the regions to carry
the message back home, loud and clear."
She said "the Agency's enforcement program
has not yet lived up to my expectations" and
is "one of the most important tasks facing
this Agency today. The objective of EPA--
first and foremost--is to protect the
environment. We do this by implementation
and enforcement of the laws we administer.
In dealing with violations of laws or
regulations the ultimate tool available to
us is the enforcement process."
Myths and Realities
(Periodically, the EPA Times will carry
a report on "myths and realities" which
will examine a particular misconception
about EPA and report the facts provided
by EPA's Office of Management Systems
and Evaluation.)
MYTH:
"EPA'S BUDGET IS BEING CUT IN HALF"
Reality
•EPA's Budget has not been cut in half
between FY 81 and FY 83.
•The FY 82 budget appropriation (including
Superfund) cut 10% of the FY 81 appro-
priation levels; the FY 83 budget was
further reduced by 7% for a total
reduction of 17% over the 1981 budget.
[Note: Excludinci Superfund, the reduction
in FY 83 from FY 81 is 29%.]
APPOINTMENTS
Brown Named
Deputy General Counsel
Robert M. Perry, EPA's chief legal officer,
has announced the appointment of Michael
A. Brown as EPA's Deputy General Counsel
and acting Enforcement Counsel. Since
1979 Brown had been a partner with the
Washington-based law firm of Schmeltzer,
Aptaker and Sheppard. He served as the
General Counsel for the Consumer Product
Safety Commission from 1973 to 1976 and
as its Executive Director from 1976 to
1979. Perry commented that Brown has the
managerial experience to help achieve one
of the most important tasks facing EPA
today—development of a strong enforcement
program. A native of San Antonio, Tex.,
Brown is a 1958 graduate of St. Mary's
University and in 1961 received his
L.L.B. from St. Mary's University. In
1970, he also received his L.L.M. from
Georgetown University Law School.
• When personnel reductions are alluded to,
it is important to emphasize that the only
appropriate basis for comparing budgets
is the 0MB personnel ceiling.
•EPA's personnel work force, including Super-
fund, has been reduced 1_9% from the FY 81
personnel ceiling to the ceiling set for
83.
{Note: Excluding Superfund, the reduct-
ion from the FY 81 ceiling is 23%j
•There have been no massive firings at EPA.
EPA has remained at or below the established
personnel ceilings for the past 2-3 years,
as a result of shortages of personnel with
necessary qualifications in some job classes
and as a result of hiring freezes established
by both the Carter and Reagan Administrations,
combined with attrition rates at the Agency.

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PERSONNEL TIPS (CONTINUED)
REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT (CONTINUED)
Management; Richard DewMng
of Region II; Victor Kimm
of Office of Water; Clif
Miller of the Office of
the Administrator; Fran
Phi 11ips of Region VI;
Dick Wilson of the Office
of Air, Nois^ and Radiation:
and Dr. Herbert Wiser of
the Office of Research and
Development.
SAVINGS BOND MONTH
June will be U.S. savings
bond month. Each EPA
employee will be reminded
during this campaign of
the opportunity to par-
ticipate in a systematic
savings program which can
be both personally advanta-
tageous and helpful to the
government's fiscal manage-
ment policies.
Secretary of Transportation
Drew Lewis is chairman of
the government-wide campaign.
In EPA, Administrator Gorsuch
is heading the campaign and
Dr. John P. Horton, Assistant
Administrator for Administra-
tion, is the alternate chair-
person. Bonds are a guaran-
teed investment with semi-
annual compounded interest
and deferred tax benefits.
They can be cashed in at
full purchase price anytime
after six months. EE Savings
Bonds now pay 9 percent if
held for eight years, while
HH Bonds held for five years
pay 8.5 percent. Interested
EPA employees can ask their
administrative officers for
the form required for payroll
deduction savings—Standard
Form 1192.
based. The agency frequently finds itself at the frontier
of health-related research, in an ongoing effort to deter-
mine the risks to humans posed by synthetic substances and
waste products. To assure the best possible scientific
information, EPA has undertaken a number of reforms in the
area of research and development.
"REGULATORY REFORM - Regulatory reform is one of the major
pillars of your economic recovery program and an area in
which EPA is making a substantial contribution. The
Agency has actively been reviewing its entire body of
regulations to eliminate needless red tape. The result of
this effort conservatively will add up to a savings of $6
billion to $7 billion as a result of our first year's
work.
"ELIMINATION OF BACKLOGS - One of the most immediate and
pressing tasks confronted upon taking charge of EPA was
the elimination of costly, time-consuming delays as the
Agency ground down under the weight of its own backlog of
paperwork. With the adoption of procedural reforms and
more businesslike management structures, all backlogs have
been addressed and many have been drastically reduced.
" STATE PARTNERSHIPS - We are strengthening positive working
relationships with state and local governments. The major
laws EPA administers provide for delegation of key program
responsibilities to the states, should they decide to
accept. In accordance with your philosophy of New
Federalism, we want to make sure that the responsibilities
transferred are substantive, and not token.
"IMPROVED MANAGEMENT. Finally, we are improving the basic
organizational structure of the Agency. We have initiated
reforms that promise to produce a more streamlined
organization — one that will be more responsive in
delivering the highest quality environmental protection
at the lowest practical public expenditure."
Such innovations in environmental protection are a tradi-
tional Republican mainstay, Administrator Gorsuch commented.
"EPA was founded under a Republican Administration. Seven
of its 11 years of existence have been under GOP leadership,
and the cause of national conservation goes back to President
Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican. I am confident that the
quality of America's land and water will be better for our
efforts."
Copies of the report given to the President have been sent
to Congressional and national leaders and EPA regional
offices and other facilities. The report will also be
included in the next issue of EPA Journal which will be
available at EPA libraries in June.
The EPA Times is published every two weeks by EPA's Office of Public Affairs, A-107,
Washington, D.C. 20460, to provide current information for all agency employees.
It is printed on paper with three ring holes so that it can be filed in a binder
for future reference.

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