United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Issue No. 6
July 19, 1982
Page 21
\7
ERA TIMES
A PUBLICATION FOR
EPA EMPLOYEES.
Personnel
Air Office Reorganized
PAY
The U.S. Office of Personnel
Management has provided
Feder al Directors of
Personnel with a General
Accounting Office-approved
method for calculating
mer 11 pay funds for
fiscal year 1983.
Merit pay employees will
be guaranteed half of the
General Schedule compar-
ability increase granted
to GS employees in October
1982, as provided by the
Civil Service Reform Act,
which established the
merit pay or GM system.
The exact amount of this
comparability increase
will not be finally deter-
mined unti1 September,
but preliminary indications
are that it will be around
4 percent. If this 4
percent estimate proves
true, merit pay employees
would be guaranteed a 2
percent raise and would
a I so be eligible for
whatever merit pay funds
their performance warranted.
Details on the General
Schedule comparability
pay increase and the
impact on merit pay will
be provided in later
issues of EPA Times.
A major reorganization within the EPA Office of Air, Noise
and Radiation designed to provide a more efficient and
effective organization has been approved by EPA Admin-
istrator Anne M. Gorsuch.
Kathleen M. Bennett, Assistant Administrator for Air, Noise
and Radiation, said "this plan was developed at my direction
following a thorough analysis of...functions, workflow, and
organizational effectiveness" by a special work group.
"They fully examined the impact of these proposed changes on
employees, agency productivity, and mission accompl ishment.
This plan, in and of itself, calls for no involuntary separa-
tions due to reduction-in-force, no adverse impact on
employees, and minimum disruption to the workforce."
Mrs. Bennett summarized the impact of the reorganization
as fol1ows:
"Refocusing the capabilities of my immediate office by
redefining the functions of the Office of Program
Management Operations, abolishing the other two existing
staff offices, and creating a new office of Policy and
Evaluation to assure consistency and quality in meeting
our programmatic objectives.
"Strengthening our enforcement capabilities by trans-
ferring the function of the Office of Air, Noise, and
Radiation Enforcement to the appropriate program offices.
"Integrating the mobile source compliance functions in a
new Office of Mobile Sources.
"Integrating the stationary source air pollution compli-
ance programs into the Office of Air Quality, Planning
and Standards under the leadership of the Office Director
now located in Washington.
"Restructuring the Office of Radiation Programs to provide--in a
revitalized Criteria and Standards Division--a stronger focus
for the primary function of standard-setting and--in a new
Analysis and Support Division--a consolidated base for the
related analytic and support activities."
This reorganization reduces the number of organizational
units at or above the division level from 30 to 20.
A chart showing the major outlines of the new reorganiza-
tion is printed on the back page of this newsletter.

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REGIONAL PROFILES
(This is another in a series of profiles of the Agency regional offices
and laboratories that EPA TIKES is presenting.)
A Report on Region 5
By Valdas V. Adamkus, Regional
Administrator
The six Midwestern States of Region 5,
EPA's most populous region,are a vital
hub of the national economy. The
diversity of economic output, the
efficient air, road, water and rail
transportation, the abundant natural
resources, the bountiful agricultural
lands, and the Great Lakes, the largest
body of fresh water on the globe, have
historically given the Region's States
prosperous and stable economies.
Region 5, which has its headquarters in
Chicago, has one-fifth of the Nation's
population, produces a quarter of its
mariufactured goods, earns 23 percent of
its farm income (more than $20 billion),
and mines annually more than $b billion
worth of coal, iron, and other minerals.
Although the Region is hundreds of miles
from the sea, more cargo passes through
the Soo Locks connecting Lakes Superior
and Huron, than through the Panama arid
Suez Canals combined.
While the Region is currently being
pinched by the national economic reces-
sion, it still has tremendous economic
potential. This potential also makes it
environmentally vulnerable. The Great
Lakes have been seriously threatened with
pollution from industrial and municipal
wastes, rural and urban runoff, and toxic
pollution from pesticides, PCB's, heavy
metals, arid other' toxicants. The
Region has had to deal with serious
problems of air and water' pollution.
Similarly, the Region has a large number
of hazardous waste generators.
Region 5 has strongly emphasized Federal-
State cooperation in the control of air
pollution. Sulfur dioxide air quality
violations have been largely eliminated
from the Region, but particulate matter,
ozone, and carbon monoxide continue to
be a problem in the Region.
Region 5 has been the leader in
implementing U.S. EPA's regulatory
reforms. The "bubble" concept, which
encourages industry to control air
pollution in the most cost-effective way,
has been widely applied in the Region,
with major cost savings for the hard-
pressed steel and auto industries. The
Region is currently processing 35 bubble
applications, about one-half of the
national total.
The Region continues to actively enforce
the Clean Air Act, with 50 percent of the
Nation's air enforcement actions.
Enforcement activity has pushed source
compliance levels about 90 percent
regionwide, and the Region is working
on a program to encourage industry to
utilize environmental self-auditing so
that the current high level of compliance
can be maintained.
The Water Division has emphasized
impioving program results, especially
compliance with environmental standards
and discharge permits. The Regional
discharge permit compliance rate for
municipalities is 80 percent and for
industr les, 88 per cent.
The overall compliance rate for waste
treatment facilities built with the aid
of Fedeial funds is now 92 percent. The
Region is working with each of its six
States to develop compliance strategies
to improve and sustain these compliance
»ates. Depending on the water contam-
inant, the dr inking water program is now
achieving between 94 and 99 percent
compliance with maximum contaminant
levels.
To make efficient use of combined State
and Federal water program resources, the
Region has delegated responsibility for
management of most of the water programs
to the States.
To improve the management of these del-
egated programs, the Water Division has

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23
developed and is implementing a strategy
for monitoring and evaluat
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24
Bennett Attends Stockholm Conference
Kathleen M. Bennett, EPA Assistant Adminis-
trator for Air, Noise and Radiation, recently
returned from the 1982 Conference on
Acidification of the Environment held in
Stockholm, Sweden.
Mrs. Bennett headed the U.S. delegation at
the conference. The meeting was organized
by the Government of Sweden, which is one
of several countries concerned about the
problem of "acid rain."
The conference in Stockholm was preceded by
two meetings of experts,one on the ecological
effects of acid deposition and the second on
strategies to control emissions of sulphur and
nitrogen oxides. Those attending the formal
conference included representatives from the
United Nations Environment Programme and the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
Reorganization - Office of Air, Noise, and Radiation
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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