Unites States	Issue No. 9
Environmental Protection Aug. 30, 1982
Agency	Page 33
S.EPA TIMES
A PUBLICATION FOR EPA EMPLOYEES
Air Office Appointments
Charles
John 0. Hidinger
Risner Kenneth
Personnel
ANNUAL
APPRAISALS
The annual appraisal cycle
for Senior Executive Service
(SES) members and Merit Pay
(GM) employees will begin
October 1. During this time
employees and supervisors
will independently rate
employee performance and
then meet for an appraisal
review.
The employee self-assessment
reinforces the participative
nature of the system, allows
the employee to bring to-
gether all available perform-
ance data which influence
the rating, and gives the
opportunity to communicate
personal perceptions of his
or her performance level.
When supervisor and employee
meet for the actual appraisal
session, these preliminary
efforts will give them a
better basis for comparing
notes on performance data
Continued to page 36
Kathleen M. Bennett, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air,
Noise and Radiation, has announced several new appointments
to her staff following a reorganization approved earlier
(EPA Times 7/19/82).
Charles L. Elkins has been named director, Office of Policy
Evaluation, and John 0. Hidinger as Acting Director, Office
of Program Management Operations.
Other appointments include Barbara A. Ludden as Executive
Assistant, and Kenneth L. Ladd and Michael T. Risner as
Special Assistants.
Elkins and Hidinger are veteran EPA employees. Elkins began
his career at the Agency in 1971 as Special Assistant to
Administrator William Ruckelshaus and subsequently was
Acting Assistant Administrator for Hazardous Materials
Control 1973-1974, as well as Director of Program and
Management Operations, Office cf Water and Hazardous
Materials 1972-1975, and was Deputy Assistant Administrator
for Noise Control Programs 1975-1981. Earlier he was a
budget examiner at 0MB 1967-1971, and was Deputy Director of
the task force (Ash Council) that created EPA. He received
a law degree from Yale in 1967. For the past year he has
been Executive Director, Commission on Fiscal Accountability
cf the Nation's Energy Resources, Interior Department.
Hidinger had served as Director of the Office of Transporta-
tion and Land Use Policy in EPA's Office of Air, Noise and
Radiation, a post he assumed in 1974. Earlier he had been
Director of Transportation, Delaware Department of Highways
and Transportation, and Director of the Wilmington regional
planning agency. He was principal planner with the South-
western Pennsylvania Regional Planning Commission 1966-1969.
He received a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering from
Penn State in 1959 and a Master's degree from Yale in 1966.
Continued to page 36

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34
REGIONAL PROFILES
in a series of profiles of the Agency Regional offices and laboratories
ic; presenting.)
(This is another
that EPA Times
A Report on Region 8
By Steven J. Durham,
Regional Administrator
The States of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming make up EPA's
576,756 square-mile Rocky Mountain Region,
headquartered in Denver. Approximately 6.9
million people live in our Region, 340 of
whom are permanent Regional employees. The
vast majority of the population is located in
two areas, Utah's Wasatch Front around Salt
Lake City and the Front Range of Colorado
stretching along the Rockies from Fort
Collins southward to Pueblo.
In this Region, air quality and clarity is a
prized resource. Much of it is clean, but
the rapid population growth and increased
numbers of vehicles and industries have
brought severe localized air pollution
problems. High altitude also compounds the
Region's air pollution problems. In Denver,
for example, there is 18% less oxygen than at
sea level so the air is more easily affected.
Along the two major population corridors
there are seven urban areas that do meet
national health standards for various air
pol1utants.
EPA, State and local health officials and
private industry are working closely to help
remedy air pollution concerns. Through the
SIP process, for example, Colorado has
adopted an I/M program which began on January
1, 1982. Also, negotiations now under way
between EPA and a major steel producer in the
Region are expected to result in improved air
quality in a cost-effective, environmentally
sound manner.
Beneath the surface of the six States in our
Region lie 50% of the nation's coal reserves,
most of the country's commercially feasible
oil shale, and 40% of its economically recov-
erable uranium. Though the intense activity
to extract these energy-rich fuels has
temporarily slowed, much planning is being
done to minimize the environmental problems
which may arise from this development.
Seven major river systems have their begin-
ning here and supply water to other Regions
as well as Mexico. The water they carry is
precious in this arid and semi-arid Region.
Pressing issues such as increasing demands
for water to meet agricultural, municipal
and industrial energy development needs,
protection of surface and groundwater, pres-
ervation of stream values such as recreation
and aquatic life and protection of wild and
scenic rivers are intensifying the debate
over Western water quality and quantity.
For example, salinity, or the presence of
dissolved salts in water, is a major issue
concerning the Colorado River. Three
Regions, 6, 8, and 9, and Mexico are
working to resolve this complex legal,
economic, and environmental problem.
Region 8 has seven designated Superfund
sites. In a number of instances, private
industry is voluntarily participating in
some form of remedial action. Four of the
Region's Superfund sites are in Colorado,
three in metropol itan Denver, one in Utah,
one in North Dakota, and one in South
Dakota. We plan to nominate an additional
13 to 15 sites in the near future.
The Regional Office, which has 340 employ-
ees, has developed improving relations with
the Rocky Mountain States. Air programs are
the most completely delegated, followed by
water and pesticides. All but one State have
been delegated or are under a cooperative
agreement for the hazardous waste program.
By revamping several inspection procedures,
we are seeing an improvement in the
quantity and quality of inspections.
Immediately after an inspection is
completed, for example, inspectors and
facility personnel go over the findings.
Issues which surface during an inspection
are no longer left unacknowledged for 69 to
90 days as was common in the past.
Before June 1982, Region 8 had no central-
ized way of knowing the status or flow of
enforcement activities. Now our enforce-
ment .act iv ity tracking system is on line
for such major Federal laws as TSCA, FIFRA,
and RCRA, and we anticipate having air and
water included on the system within 30 days.
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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News Briefs
35
U.S. STEEL
COMPLIANCE
ELIGIBLE
DEADLINE
FOR
EXTENSIONS
U.S. Steel Corporation is eligible for exten-
sions of compliance deadlines set under the
Clean Air Act, Administrator Anne M. Gorsuch
has announced. The extension will give the
company time to modernize its plants.
Mrs. Gorsuch's action starts negotiations
between U.S. Steel and EPA aimed at reaching
Federal court consent decrees. The decrees
will require compliance with the Clean Air
Act at all of U.S. Steel's facilities and
require that the company invest at least $90
million in efficiency and productivity
upgrading at various steel works in the next
10 months. The Administrator's action was
taken under authority of the Steel Industry
Compliance Extension Act of 1981 (SICEA), an
amendment to the Clean Air Act which permits
EPA to agree to compliance schedules extend-
ing up to December 31, 1985, in order to
enable a steel company to target funds to
improve steelmaking.
FIVE CORPORATIONS SUED FOR
IMPROPER HANDLING OF HAZARDOUS WASTES
Five major hazardous waste generators are
being sued by the Department of Justice, on
behalf of EPA, for improper storage, treat-
ment and disposal of hazardous wastes they
shipped to a facility near Columbia, S.C.,
between 1974 and 1980. The five generators
named, Monsanto Corp., Allied Corp., Aquair
Corp., Eaton Corp., and EM Industries, failed
to enter into a voluntary cleanup agreement,
according to the announcement. As a result,
the five are now being named as co-defendants
in the civil action originally filed in July
1980, and are also being cited for violations
of the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980
(Superfund).
EPA TRANSFERS
AIR PROGRAMS TO OREGON
Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality
will no longer have to seek time-consuming
step-by-step approvals from EPA every time it
takes an action to clean up air pollution in
Oregon. Under a new arrangement, Oregon need
not obtain prior case-by-case approvals of
State permits for existing, new or modified
sources of air pollution.
Such permits are written to prevent signif-
icant deterioration of air quality and to
avoid violations of national ambient air
quality standards. EPA won't submit for
public comment and public hearing actions
that have already undergone exhaustive public
review in Oregon. But EPA will still have an
oversight role to play in making sure thatthe
objectives of the Clean Air Act are being met.
"Oregon is the first State in the country
that has been given such far reaching
authority to operate a State-wide control
program for the full range of air pollut-
ants," said Kathleen M.Bennett, EPA Assistant
Administrator for Air, Noise and Radiation.
"Under this new arrangement with EPA, Oregon
can avoid the procedural delays which in the
past have frustrated everyone who wanted
cleaner air. The Oregon example is one that
I hope other States will follow."
Rice Heads Region 7
William W.Rice has been named Acting Regional
Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency, Region 7. In this position, he
is responsible for coordination and direction
of the Agency's efforts to protect the health
and environment in the four-state area of
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.
Rice is filling the vacancy created when John
J. Franke, Jr., relinquished the Regional
Administrator's job for the post of Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Administration for
the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washing-
ton, D.C. Franke had served as Regional
Administrator since October 1, 1981.
Rice has been Deputy Regional Administrator
since 1979. He also served previously as
Acting Regional Administrator for a seven-
month period in 1971.
Prior to serving as the Region's Deputy
Regional Administrator, he was the Director
of the Surveillance and Analysis Division in
Region 7. Before coming to the Kansas City
Regional Office, he was Chief, Planning,
Management, and Administration Staff of EPA's
Industrial Environmental Research Lab,
Research Triangle Park, N.C.
Prior to his involvement in public service,
he was an industrial engineer with Raychem
Corporation, Menlo Park, California.
Rice graduated magna cum laude from the School
of Engineering at Oregon State University,
Corvallis, Oregon, in 1959. He received a
Master's degree in Management from Duke Univ-
ersity in 1977.

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36
PERSONNEL (continued)
and performance level. The
resulting appraisal of em-
ployee performance is the
foundation of the compensa-
tion process under which SES
and Merit Pay employees
receive salary increases and
cash awards.
Employees should consult EPA
Directive 3151, dated June
22, 1982--avai1 able from
servicing personnel offices
or adminisLrdlive offices--
for more detailed informa-
tion on these processes.
CREDIT UNION
MFRGFR
The EPA Employees Federal
Credit Union has merged
effective August 1 with the
Federal Credit Union of the
Bureau of Engraving and
Printing to provide members
with a full range of finan-
cial services. The new
organization which has over
$8 million in assets, has
declared a 5 3/4% annual
dividend rate to be paid on
all shares. It offers sav-
ings (or share) accounts,
check cashing privileges,
money orders, travelers
checks, certificates, loans,
Individual Retirement
Accounts, and many other
services to its members.
Membership is maintained by
an active account balance of
$5 or more and a one-time fee
of SI. After September 7,
the one-time fee will
increase to $5. On-site
credit union office facil-
ities are maintained in Room
3319 of the Waterside Mall in
Washington, D.C. Wanda
Gustus, Acting Manager of the
EPA Office (755-0360) can
provide additional
information on the many
services available. All EPA
employees regardless of
geographic location, are
eligible to join.
AIR OFFICE APPOINTMENTS (continued)
Barbara Ludden has been a consultant to Bennett's office for
the past year. Earlier she had served in numerous posts in
Washington as a consultant to ACTION; Director of Government!
Liaison, American National Standards Institute; Executive
Assistant to the Chairman and Director of Congressional
Relations, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission; and in
Congressional Liaison for the Cost of Living Council and
GSA. She also was Administrative Assistant to Representa-
tives Robert McClory and Donald Rumsfield, both of Illinois.
She is a graduate of Immaculate Conception Academy and has
attended American University and the USDA Graduate School.
Ladd has been with the Southwestern Public Service Company,
Amarillo, Texas since 19G1 as cm enyineer and chemist. He
received a B.S. degree from West Texas State University in 1964
and a Master's degree in engineering from Texas Toch in 1978.
Kisner has been special counsel tn Rennett for the pact
year. He was Assistant Director, Legislative Drafting Office,
Colorado General Assembly, 19/7-1981, and a staff attorney
in that office, m/2-1^/6, He received a B.A. degree from
the University of Colorado in 19b8 and a law degree from the
University of Arizona in 1972.
(Note: Through a typographical error, two appointments were
incorrectly listed in a previous issue. The listing should
have read: Wayne Bliss, Acting Head, Office of Radiation
Programs, Las Vegas; Charles Porter, Head of Eastern Environ-
mental Radiation Facility.)
Administrator Scores "Myths" About EPA
Administrator Anne M. Gorsuch has attacked "myths" about EPA
that "through sheer repetition and not by any basis in'fact
have become broadly accepted."
Speaking before a California Town Hall audience in Los Angeles,
she cited recent achievements by the Agency and added, "We
are not retreating one whit from the
nation's commitment to sustained environmental progress. But
we are taking great pains to make certain that our progress
is achieved in as cost-effective a manner as possible."
In describing some of the misconceptions about EPA, she said
that one "whopper" is that the Agency's budget has been
slashed by as much as 60 percent. In fact, she noted, the
budget was reduced by 7 to 9 percent for Fiscal 1981 and a
further reduction of 12 percent is proposed for Fiscal 1983.
Similarly, EPA personnel ceilings are reduced 12 percent in
the budget proposed for the coming year--although reductions
of more than 80 percent have been reported, she said.
"EPA's resources are still most generous during a period of
Federal austerity," the Administrator declared. Although
reductions also have been proposed in EPA's research fund
after a careful review of agency needs, she added, one reason
cuts are possible is that many of EPA's long-term research
programs are complete or nearly so.

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