United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Issue No. 12
October 11, 1982
Page 45
«EPA TIMES
A PUBLICATION FOR EPA EMPLOYEES
Personnel
EPA Ship Surveys Ocean Dump Sites
Hatch Act Reminders
During this election season,
EPA Times will, as a reminder
to employees, review some aspects
of the Hatch Act and other
Federal statutes that place
restrictions on the political
activities of Federal workers.
While most employees- are aware
of the basic restrictions which
prohibit participation in par-
tisan political campaigns, many
may not realize that activities
on behalf of candidates not
affiliated with a political
party also are prohibited by
the Hatch Act. The reasoning is
that in supporting an unaffili-
ated individual, one is actually
opposing a partisan candidate
or candidates and is therefore
involved in partisan politics.
While the Hatch Act does provide
for local exception to this
rule for some areas with high
concentrations of Federal em-
ployees, there are no excep-
tions for State or Federal
elections.
Likewise, employees should
realize that whether they are
on or off duty, on vacation, on
leave, or in a pay or non-pay
status, those who are covered
by the Hatch act remain so 24
hours a day, 365 days a year.
Only intermittent employees,
who are covered by the Hatch
Act only on the days they actu-
ally work for the Agency, do
not face this total restriction.
The Hatch Act also prohibits an
employee from doing through an
continued on page 48
New York—The Environmental Protection Agency last month
launched a two-week program in Region 2 to sample and
analyze area ocean waters using its ocean survey vessel
Antelope.
The 165-foot vessel was detailed to take samples in the
New York bight—the offshore waters within a line connect-
ing Montauk, Long Island, and Cape May, New Jersey. The
mission focused on areas in and around the ocean sites
used for dumping of sewage sludge, dredge materials and
acid wastes. Twelve EPA scientists sampled water, sedi-
ment and fish on a 24-hour schedule.
"We have been testing for viruses, heavy metals, organic
chemicals and bacteria to help assess the impact of dump-
ing on water and aquatic life," said Jacqueline E. Schafer,
Regional Administrator. Time permitting, EPA
continued on page 48

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46
Land Disposal Permits in 1983
EPA will begin issuing land disposal
permits for hazardous chemical wastes
in January based on new regulations,
Rita M. Lavelle, Assistant Admin-
istrator for Solid Waste an<^ Emer-
gency Response, recently told the
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.
"I am proud to say we have now laid the
foundation of our RCRA regulatory
package," she declared. "The issuance of
our land disposal regs on July 13 com-
pleted our 'cradle-to-grave' management
system. Only the process of fine-tuning
the regs remains."
Lavelle said 32 Slates already operate
some phase of their own programs under
the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA), and by the end of 198^4 at
least 40 States are expected to be
operating their entire RCRA programs.
"Those programs will be at least as
stringent as EPA's or more so," she
added.
The number of compliance inspections of
hazardous waste generators, transporters,
and treatment, storage and disposal
facilities are expected to increase
about 45 percent in 1982 to a total of
about 9,200 with the States performing
some 83 percent of them. Violations
discovered by inspections will result
in warning letters which are expected
to increase about 113 percent over last
year. Continued violations can lead to
issuance of compliance orders, which
are expected to increase 155 percent to
about 2,100. Civil Penalties will be
assessed when necessary and are
expected to increase about 14 percent
this year, totalling $2.6 million.
EPA Engineer
Named
Chairman of
APCA
Division
Robert E. Hall, an engineer at the Environ-
mental Protection Agency's Industrial
Environmental Research Laboratory (IERL)
at Research Triangle Park, N.C., has been
named chairman of the Air Pollution
Control Association's Source Division.
The Division reviews state-of-the-art
pollution control technology and identi-
fies areas of needed research for
stationary and mobile sources. The
Association currently has 8,500 members
representing a wide range of govern-
mental, industrial and academic
organizations.
As Chairman of the Source Division, Hall
also sits on APCA's 12-member Technical
Council, which provides technical leader-
ship for the Association.
A native of Henderson, Kentucky, Hall has
been with EPA since the Agency was formed
in 1970. He was awardea the EPA Bronze
Medal and has served as Chairman of the
Air Pollution Control Division of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Hall received his hachelor's and master's
degrees in mechanical engineering from the
University of Kentucky.
The Industrial Environmental Research
Laboratory, one of four major laboratories
making up EPA's Environmental Research
Center at Research Triangle Park, assists
industry in developing technology for
controlling pollutants from a wide variety
of industrial sources.
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 EPA employees. It is
punched with -three holes for binding for future reference.

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4% Pay Increase
for GS Employees
EPA General Schedule (GS) employees re-
ceived a 4 percent pay increase effective
Sunday, October 3, the start of EPA's
first full pay period in Fiscal Year 1983.
The raise will be reflected in checks
received Tuesday, October 26. GS employ-
ees at the top pay levels (GS—15, Steps 7
through 10; GS-16, steps 2 and above; and
all GS-17's and GS-18's) are frozen at an
annual salary level of $57,500 and are
eligible to receive only that portion, if
any, of the 4 percent which would bring
them up to the maximum. By separate
measure, Senior Executive Service (SES)
members ES-01 and ES-02, who are not cur-
rently paid at the SES legal maximum of
$58,500 per annum, will also get a 4
percent raise or that portion of the 4
percent raise which would bring them to
the pay ceiling, with ES-01's paid $56,945
and ES-02's paid $58,500 per annum. Pay
levels for ES-03's and above will remain
$58,500. Decisions about salary increases
for Merit Pay (GM) employees will be made
as part of the annual performance apprais-
al process, with GM employees guaranteed
half of the 4 percent "comparability"
raise, or 2 percent, and paid effective
October 3- Additional Merit Pay increases
resulting from the performance appraisal
process will be paid retroactive to October
3, with GM employees receiving new salary
rates by December 21, 1982. With these
explanations in mind, see accompanying box
for the new, unofficial GS pay schedule.
47
EPA Directives System Revised
John P. Horton, Assistant Administrator
for Administration, has approved a new
Agencywide directives system. It is
expected to provide a better information
service to the Agency at nearly half the
cost of the old system and was revised
as a result of a cost-effectiveness
study conducted by the Management and
Organization Division.
A directive is a written communication
of internal Agency policies and pro-
cedures that govern the work of Agency
personnel. EPA directives are published
and distributed as either manuals or
orders depending upon the length of the
material being presented. Subjects such
as contract administration, timekeeping,
correspondence practices, delegations of
authority and personnel matters are just
some of the areas addressed in Agency-
wide directives. You should be able to
find complete approved collections of
Agencywide directives in every Office
and Division in Headquarters, in the
Regions and Labs, and in other locations.
The Office of Administration has dis-
tributed information about Agency
Agency directives, including abstracts
of each manual. In addition, news of
important directives will appear from
time-to-time in this publication.
PAY SCHEDULE FOR FEDERAL WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS
THE GENERAL SCHEDULE
GS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
58,676
$8,965
$9,254
$9,542
$9,831
$10,000
$10,286
$10,572
$10,585
$10857
2
9.756
9,987
10,310
10.58J
10.703
11,018
11,333
11,648
11,963
12.278
3
10,645
11,000
11,355
11,710
12,065
12,420
12,775
13,130
13,485
13,840
4
11,949
12,347
12,745
13,143
13,541
13,939
14,337
14,735
15,133
15,531
5
13,369
13.815
14,261
14,707
15,153
15,599
16.045
16,491
16,937
17,383
6
14,901
15.398
15,895
16,392
16,889
17,386
17,883
18,380
18.877
19,374
7
16,559
47,11 1
17,663
18,215
18,767
19,319
19,871
20,423
20,975
21,527
8
18,339
18,950
19,561
20,172
20.783
21,394
22,005
22,616
23,227
23,838
9
20,256
20,931
21,606
22,281
22,956
23,631
24,306
24,981
25,656
26,331
10
22,307
23,051
23,795
24,539
25,283
26,027
26,771
27,515
28,259
29,003
11
24.508
25 325
26,142
26.959
27,776
28,593
29,410
30,227
01,044
31,861
12
29,374
30,353
31.332
32,311
33,290
34,269
35,248
36,227
37,206
38.185
13
34.930
36.094
37,258
38.422
39,586
40,750
41,914
43,078
44 242
45 406
M
41,277
42,653
44,029
45,405
46,781
48,157
49,533
50,909
52,285
53,661
15
48.553
50,171
51.789
53,407
55,025
56.643
58,261*
59,879*
61,497*
63,1 15*
16
56.945
58.843*
60.74!*
62,639*
64,537*
66.435*
68,333*
70,231*
72,129*

17
66,708*
68,932*
71,156*
73.380*
75,604*





IS
78,184*









~ NOTE
Notwithstanding the solory rote* shown, the maximum rote of boiic pay legally payable to employes under this schedule
may not exceed the rate payable tor level 5 of the Executive Schedule, currently $5.7 500.

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48
PERSONNEL (Continued)
agent (such as a spouse, child,
or friend) what he or she can-
not do personally.
Questions about the propriety
of any activities should be
directed to the Agency Deputy
General Counsel if at Head-
quarters or to your Regional
Counsel.
MEDICARE TAX
Under the tax reform package
cleared by Congress in mid-
August, all Federal employees
will—beginning January 1,
1983—be required to pay the
Medicare portion of the Social
Security tax. Beginning in the
middle of the pay period ending
January 8,1983, this deduction
will first be reflected in the
paycheck received January 18..
In 1983, this deduction will
amount to 1.3 percent of the
first $35,100 of wages. This
1.3 percent is in addition to
the 7 percent of gross salary
now deducted for the Civil
Service Retirement. A GS-1,
Step 1, would be required to
pay in some $112, while those
at the $35,100 cutoff point
and above would contribute
the maximum amount of approxi-
mately $^56 a year.
While many Federal employees
already qualify for Social
Security benefits and Medicare
by virtue of private sector
work experience or coverage of
a spouse, this legislation will
provide automatic Medicare
benefit eligibility for all
contributing Federal employees
at age 65. Employees thinking
of retirement in the next few
months who are not now eligible
for Medicare should include
this recent legislative change
in their retirement planning
and weigh the benefits of con-
tinuing their service into
1983, when they would gain
Medicare eligibility.
EPA SHIP SURVEYS OCEAN DUMP SITES (Continued)
also hopes to learn what causes the depression in oxygen
levels in the sea water off the Atlantic City area of the
New Jersey shore, as well as the answers to other ques-
tions about the marine environment of the Bight.
The Antelope carries a wide range of scientific equip-
ment in her laboratories and computerized survey control
room. The ship can conduct missions of up to 17 days,
staffed with a crew of 13 and science team of 15.
The Antelope was launched in 1966 as a U.S. Navy patrol
gunboat. She served with the U.S. Seventh Fleet in Vietnam
and with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, and was
retired in 1977. EPA obtained the surplus ship at no cost
in a transfer from the General Services Administration.
The ship was extensively modified to convert her from
her original Navy configuration to perform peacetime
scientific missions as an ocean survey vessel. The
$750,000 conversion included removal of all weaponry and
the installation of three complete laboratories and a
survey center containing mini-computers and analytical
equipment.
A crane was installed on the after portion of the ship
to handle survey gear, and the vessel was equipped with
special stabilizing equipment for1 use in rough seas. A
separate propulsion system known as an Omni-Thruster also
has been added for maneuvering at slow speed and to hold
the ship in an exact location when taking cores from the
sea floor.
Miss Schafer said cne vessel has conducted survey opera-
tions recently off the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts and
off Puerto Rico for EPA, as well as for other agencies. The
ship is operated for the government under contract by MAR,
Inc., Marine Services Division of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The Antelope's specific mission in the New York Bight was
to sample and analyze for:
0 Viruses in and near the sewage sludge dump site
o Fungi spores which can help trace movement of sewage
sludge
o Metals and organic chemicals in sediments throughout
the Bight apex
o Pollutant effect on fish and shellfish in and around
the acid waste dump site
o Dissolved oxygen levels and sediment characteristics
off the Atlantic City coast
After concluding its work in the New York area the vessel
moved to Region 1 for two weeks sampling at a former radio-
active dump site approximately 15 miles at sea off
Marblehead, Mass.

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