United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Issue No. 16
December 6, 1982
Page 61
EPA TIMES
A PUBLICATION FOR EPA EMPLOYEES
Personnel
Six EPA Officials Win Presidential Awards
New Retirement
Provis ions
(This is the first of several
articles to help employees
understand the recent changes
to the Civil Service Retire-
ment Act. The followina
article deals with changes
to the military service
provision.)
Public Law 97-253, which
became effective October 1,
1982, provides certain
current and future Civil
Service retirees with post-
1956 military service an
option to eliminate the
previously automatic reduc-
tion of their Civil Service
annuity at age bZ.
Currently, the annuity of a
retired Federal employee is
reduced at age 62 to take
away credit for any military
service performed after
1956 to account for dual
coverage of Federal retire-
ment and social security.
For individuals employed
before October 1, 1982,
any period(s) of honorable
active service in the Armed
Forces which occurred before
the date of separation on
which civil service annuity
entitlement is based, shall
be included in the computa-
tion of annuity, provided
that (1) the employee has
completed 5 years of civilian
service, and (2) the employee
is not receiving military
retired pay awarded for
Continued on back page

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H. L. Longest
W. N. Hedeman
W. Benoit, Jr,
L. A. C'arothers M. Kinghorn
S. Wassersug
One EPA executive has won the Presidential Distinguished
Service Award, and five have received the Presidential
Meritorious Service Award.
The financial award for Distinguished Service is $20,000
and the financial prize for Meritorious Service winners is
$10,000.
EPA's Distinguished award winner is Henry L. Longest,
Director of EPA's Office of Water Program Operations. He
was recognized because "in 11 years with EPA he has con-
sistently shown strong and effective leadership. He has
played a key role in successful efforts to enact the
Waste Water Treatment Construction Grant Amendments of
1981. In his present position he has successfully
managed the largest Federal construction assistance
program."
Selected for Meritorious Awards were:
William N. Hedeman, Director, Office of Emergency and
Remedial Response. He was cited both for his work in
his current position and for his actions in a previous
Continued on back page

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62
Velsicol Agrees to Multiple Site Cleanup in Michigan
Velsicol Chemical Co. has agreed to a
settlement estimated to be worth $38.5 mil-
lion for the cleanup of Michigan's top-
priority hazardous waste site, the Gratiot
County Landfill, as well as the Velsicol Plant
site, a former storage warehouse, and an old
industrial waste-burning area adjoining a
portion of the Edgewood Golf course, all in
St. Louis, Mich. The firm also agreed to
settle an outstanding Stale court action
against it on PBB contamination.
The company is making a cash payment to the
State of Michigan of $13.5 million and
$500,000 to the U.S. Government as part of the
settlement. The company's agreement to per-
mit use of its clay and deep well to complete
cleanup of the landfill has an additional es-
timated value of $14.5 million. The company
will spend an estimated additional $10 mil-
lion to finish cleanup measures at the three
remaining sites.
"The $14 million portion of the agreement
is the largest cash settlement by a private
party for remedial action in an environmental
case since the establishment of EPA," EPA
Administrator Anne M. Gorsuch commented.
Mrs. Gorsuch said, "This settlement clear-
ly demonstrates that our initial enforcement
appro-a'ch of dealing with the regulated commu-
nity with a presumption of good faith can
bring about the prompt cleanup of hazardous
waste sites."
Rita M. Lavelle, EPA's Assistant Adminis-
trator fur Solid Waste and Emergency Re-
sponse, noted that the agreement brinqs to
$115.2 million the total estimated value
of waste site cleanups financed by private
industry. "That $115.2 million is in addi-
tion to EPA's total Superfund obligations
of $1/4 million for site investigations
and cleanups to date.
"This settlement once again strongly vali-
dates our dual-Lrack enforcement system in
which we seek cleanup remedies first from
responsible parties, reserving Superfund
monies for instances where there is no re-
course to private funds," she added.
Fraud Charged in Sewer Work
The Justice Department has secured indict-
ments against three individuals charged w^ith
devising a scheme to defraud the Federal
government through contracts for sewer re-
habilitation work.
A Federal grand jury in Atlanta, Ga.,
returned a 47-count indictment against David
M. Wirt, president and principal owner of
Municipal and Industrial Pipe Services, Ltd.
(MIPS) in Douglasvi1le, Ga.; his wife Judith
C. Wirt, the company's secretary and trea-
surer; and his son Gordon D. Wirt, the
company's vice president.
The investigation leading to today's in-
dictment was conducted by the Offices of In-
spectors General for EPA and the Department
of Defense.
The Wirts are charged with devising the
scheme to defraud the government through
contracts they obtained to rehabilitate
sewers for cities, counties, public service
facilities, military installations, arid
private industry. The contracts for city
and county sewer work were funded by EPA.
The indictment charges the Wirts with
knowingly and willfully defrauding the
government on counts that include the
falsification of reports to indicate the
completion of work, claiming to have sealed
defective sewer pipe joints with grout when
none was applied, faking equipment break-
downs or other delays until inspectors left
job sites, and installing hidden switches in
the company's television inspection trucks
to reroute grout back into the truck tank
while the meter registered it going to seal
sewer pipe joints.
Of the 47 counts, 24 involve EPA funded
projects. The remaining 23 counts relate to
Department of Defense, Department of Trans-
portation, and Department of Agriculture
violations, as well as mail fraud with re-
spect to city funds.
The indictment lists 32 locations world-
wide where the company has defrauded the
government, involving $8 million in gov-
ernment contracts.
If convicted, the defendants David and
Judith Wirt could each be imprisoned for a
maximum of 235 years and fined up to
$236,000, and Gordon Wirt could receive a
prison term up to 185 years and fines up to
$199,000.

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63
Water Quality Report Planned
Officials working on an improved water quality planning project include (from
left): Robbi Savage, ASIWPCA Executive Director, J. Leonard Ledbetter, Director of
the Georgia Environmental Protection Division; Anne M. Gorsuch, EPA Administrator;
Joseph Cannon, EPA Associate Administrator for Policy and Resource Management; J.
Edward Brown, Director, Iowa Water Quality Division and President, ASIWPCA; and
Eric Eidsness, EPA Assistant Administrator for Water.
A project to develop a uniform system for
assessing nationwide progress in improving
water quality will be conducted by State and
EPA officials.
EPA Administrator Anne M. Gorsuch said the
project would lead to a better understanding
of State and Federal water pollution control
efforts and provide a solid foundation for
future problem solving.
The project is a joint effort by EPA and
the Association of State and Interstate
Water Pollution Control Administrators. J.
Leonard Ledbetter, Director of the Georgia
Environmental Protection Division, and Robbi
J. Savage, Executive Director of ASIWPCA,
are co-chairing the 19-member steering
committee.
EPA representatives on the group are
Frederic A. Eidsness, Jr., Assistant Admin-
istrator for Water; Joseph Cannon, Associate
Administrator for Policy and Resource Manage-
ment; and Regional Administrators Lester
Sutton, Region 1; Charles Jeter, Region 4;
and Dick Whittington, Region 6.
The first phase of the project is to dev-
elop a concise reporting format to be used
by States to present their most significant
water quality achievements. Data submitted
by the States on these reports would then be
used during the project's second phase to
compile a State/EPA Report to Congress.
This report is expected to be completed by
September 1983.
States would utilize available data to
complete the reports, but use of a common
format would provide a uniform national
assessment of progress in cleaning up
waterways.
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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PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS (continued)
position as Director, Office of Federal Activities. In
the latter post, the award noted, he "has provided
outstanding leadership and advice on issues of inter-
national importance..." The award also noted that as
Director of the Office of Emergency and Remedial Re-
sponse he "has played a vital role in implementation and
direction of the Superfund program."
William Benoit, Jr., Director, Office of Administra-
tion, Cincinnati, who was recognized as "an outstanding
performer" during his 11 years with EPA and responsible
"for implementing many cost-sharing management reforms."
Leslie A. Carothers, Deputy Regional Administrator for
EPA's Region 1 Office headquartered in Boston, Mass.
She was cited for "impressive contributions," including
many when she served as Director of the Region 1 en-
forcement office.
Morgan Kinghorn, Comptroller, who was recognized for
his "extraordinary accomplishments" in 12 years of
Federal service. At EPA, he was commended for dev-
eloping and managing "a new centralized budgeting
process providing exceptional flexibility to senior
management."
Stephen Wassersug, Director of the Air and Hazardous
Materials Division in EPA's Region 3 Office headquartered
in Philadelphia. He was cited for "outstanding ingenuity
and leadership in solving complex problems concerning
the implementation of the Clean Air Act" and for direct-
ing programs and studies to solve environmental problems
in several foreign nations.
6<1
PERSONNEL (continued)
reasons other than service-
connected disability. Such
military service is creditable
without making a deposit.
However, such periods of
service which occurred
after 1956 are excluded
from credit, and the Civil
Service annuity is re--
computed accordingly, on
the first day of the month
in which the individual or
his/her widow(er) becomes
entitled to the benefits of
the Social Security Act
(age 62), unless, prior to
the separation on which
Civil Service annuity
entitlement is based, the
individual has completed a
deposit of 7% for each fulI
period of such military
service performed after
December 1956. The amount
of the deposit will not
include interest if it is
completed by October 1,
1984. Survivors of
employees who die without
making the total deposit
will not be permitted to
make the deposit.
For individuals who become
employees after October 1,
1982, credit for such mil-
itary service is allowed
only if the above two con-
ditions are met, and if a
deposit of 7% is made for
each period of service
performed after December
1956. Interest on the
deposit wi1 I not be in-
curred if it is completed
within two years of the
date the individual first
becomes an employee.
An applicant for annuity
who otherwise meets all
conditions for receiving
credi t for mi 1itary
service, but who is already
in receipt of retired
military pay which bars
credit for military service
under a Civ.il Service
annuity, may elect to waive
the retired military pay
and have the military
service added to civilian
service to obtain a higher
annuity payment.
Additional information on
these complicated changes
in the retirement act can
be obtained by contacting
your Personnel Officer.
Merit Pay
Evaluations
The October 1982 evaluation
and compensation cycle for
Merit Pay employees is now
completed. The final step
in the process requires
Pool Managers to provide
employees with specific
written notification of
their final performance
rating by December 2,
1982. The notification is
made on the Official
Performance Appraisal and
certification form and
includes the employee's
final rating on each
performance standard and
Critical Job Element, as
wel1 as the overal1
adjective rating and the
resulting compensation
decision, if any. This
employee notification
completes the 1982 cycle;
performance ratings are
considered final and
cificial at this point.
The provisions of the law
require that Merit Pay
employees who were covered
during the 1982 evaluation
cycle receive their merit
increases (less the 2%
guaranteed portion
already paid to employees
in October) no later than
December 21, 1982.

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