Issue No. 27
June 1983
Page 103
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of
Public Affairs (A-107)
Washington DC 20460
Publication	Mk ¦¦¦¦¦A
5 e v>EPA TIMES
Ruckelshaus Lists Goals
For Second Tour as EPA Head
William I). Ruckelshaus. back on the job
as Administrator of EPA.
EPA Times Introduces
New Look, New Schedule
Maybe you've noticed already. This
issue of EPA Times has a new look
about it.
We are using a different style of
type and a smaller column width to
make EPA Times easier to read. The
three-column format also will allow
more flexibility in layout and greater
use of photographs.
The publication schedule also has
been changed. EPA Times will now be
issued monthly, instead of every other
week. So you'll see EPA Times less
often, but we hope you'll find it im-
proved and more informative.
Your comments and suggestions are
welcome. Please direct them to: Office
of Public Affairs. A-107. Telephone
382-4367.
William D. Ruckelshaus was sworn in
as Administrator of EPA at a White
House ceremony May 18 a day after
his nomination was unanimously con-
firmed by the Senate in a 97 to 0 vote.
At 8:05 the following morning he
was aboard a West Tower elevator
heading for the 12th floor and his
second tour of duty as head of the
Agency he helped to create.
In testimony at confirmation hear-
¦ngs conducted by the Senate Environ-
mental and Public Works Committee,
Ruckelshaus described his goals in
returning to EPA and identified key
issues he said merit priority attention.
"First and foremost," he said, "the
American people need to believe that
the Agency charged with protecting so
many aspects of their health and their
natural environment is staffed with
first-rate people doing their very best.
"The problems EPA confronts are
hard ones. Throughout—from the defi-
nition of the problem to its solution—
the Agency confronts enormous
scientific uncertainty. It often must
act before it is clear what the op-
timum solution would be. To function
at all in such uncharted waters, the
American people must trust EPA's
motivation and ability. To insure that
necessary trust will be a prime objec-
tive of mine."
Ruckelshaus told the Committee
that he and President Reagan agreed
prior to the nomination that adequate
resources and staffing are "essential
ingredients for success" at EPA.
"My first priority will be to recruit
the best people I can find to manage
the Agency," he said. "As to resources
to do the job: It will be a high priority
of mine to review the existing budget-
ary ceilings to see if additional money
or people are needed to carry out the
mandate of Congress. If I conclude we
need more help, working with the Ad-
ministration we will submit an
amended 1984 budget request and
supplemental '83 budget request con-
sistent with the '84 amendments."
Also high on his priority list, Ruck-
elshaus said, are the Agency's enforce-
ment program: regulation of the man-
ufacture, distribution, use and ul-
timate disposal of toxic substances:
reauthorization of basic environmental
laws now pending before Congress;
and specific issues such as acid rain.
"Last, and certainly not least,"
Ruckelshaus added, "I will make a
concerted effort to harness the ener-
gies and talents of the people at EPA
toward the Agency's mission. EPA's
greatest resource today is the same as
when we started—its people.
"If they are trusted, included in,
and given clear guidance as to what is
expected of them they will perform to
a very high standard. I will work hard
and they will work hard toward our
common objective. To carry this mes-
sage of trust and reliance forward, 1
intend to personally visit and talk to
as many people as possible at EPA
here and in the 10 regions and labs in
the first few weeks after confirma-
tion."
Later, in fielding questions from
Committee members, Ruckelshaus
reaffirmed his support of a major ad-
ministrative role for EPA regional
offices.
When EPA was organized, he said,
"we established the 10 regions and
gave them more power, more auto-
nomy than virtually any other region-
al office in government. I still believe
in the strong regional administrator
concept."
"What is needed, in my judgment,"
he added, "is much clearer guidance
from the headquarters as to how they
are to carry out those responsibilities
that they bave been given."
(See page 2 for excerpts from Ruckel-
shaus ' opening statement at the Senate
confirmation hearings.J

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104
Ruckelshaus Statement at Senate Confirmation Hearing
(Excerpts from opening statement of
William D. Ruckelshaus at confirma-
tion hearing before the Senate En-
vironment and Public Works Com-
mittee.J
Twelve years ago I appeared before
this same Committee and asked the
members to recommend that the full
Senate confirm me as the first Admin-
istrator of the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency. I am today asking this
Committee to repeat its earlier vote of
confidence.
In this statement I will not dwell on
the record before you but instead will
tell you what I plan to do if con-
firmed, how I intend to do it and
what I hope to accomplish my second
time around.
Before I start, let me make clear my
personal perception of the issues EPA
was created to address. To the Amer-
ican people, protection of public
health and our natural environment is
a terribly important and enduring im-
perative.
I completely share our nation's
commitment to the values of public
health and the environment. Since
first coming to EPA in 1970, I have
participated in the national dialogue
about how to translate those values
into achievable goals. I intend to con-
tinue to participate in that debate and
if confirmed you will hear me making
many of the same arguments I have
made in the past, whether in or out of
government.
Now, if I am confirmed, what do I
plan to do?
I can offer some guidance on what I
now see as high priority issues. Much
has been said and written in criticism
of EPA's enforcement policies. The
questions seem to focus on three
aspects of enforcement—will, capacity
and organization.
As to will, let me disabuse anyone
who believes EPA, while I am there,
will not have the requisite determina-
tion to enforce the laws as written by
Congress. The environmental laws of
this country were passed by Congress
and were meant to be taken seriously
by the administering authorities. 1 do
take the Congressional charge serious-
ly and if I'm confirmed EPA will take
that charge seriously. We will enforce
the laws of this country. We will be
firm and we will be fair.
I have asked the people now at EPA
for a review of both the capacity to
enforce (a resource question] and the
organization of the enforcement func-
tion (a management question). I have
had a preliminary response to both
questions but have come to no final
conclusions yet as to what makes the
most sense.
The whole issue of toxic substances
is of much greater prominence than
when I was first at EPA. The law to
regulate pesticides (FIFRA) was
already enacted, but only since I left
has EPA established the basic struc-
ture to control the manufacture, dis-
tribution. use and ultimate disposal of
toxic substances. In the last six weeks,
I have seen in the press that the num-
ber of problems surfacing all over the
country relating to toxic chemicals is
truly staggering. We have in place a
complex set of laws and regulations to
deal with the toxic substance prob-
lems. I have no preconception
whether these laws or regulations or
the resources we have committed to
their implementation are adequate. I
do know that the wise and aggressive
implementation of these laws must be
a very high priority of mine and it
will be.
There are other matters which will
immediately demand my attention,
such as the reauthorization of most of
the organic laws of EPA (8 out of 10
have expired), along with specific
issues such as acid rain.
It is important for this Committee's
deliberation to know what I intend to
do. It is also important to know how I
will do it.
The existing laws will be adminis-
tered as written. I will continue to
bring to this Committee's attention re-
commendations for change where I
believe change is warranted, but in
the meantime ours remains a nation of
laws and not of men, and the laws
will remain supreme.
I intend that EPA will operate forth-
rightly and honestly. We will attempt
to communicate with everyone from (
the environmentalists to those we
regulate and we will do so as openly
as possible.
I will seek the best advice I can get
on how to deal with the terribly com-
plex problems EPA must confront. I
will seek help from scientists, en-
vironmentalists, economists, in-
dustrialists and the general public. I
hope to engage former Administrators
of EPA in constant dialogue to take
advantage of their collective wisdom.
I will endeavor to re-instill in the
employees of EPA a sense of mission
and a dedication to excellence. I will
try to convince them that EPA's mis-
sion must be carried out by people
who recognize they are servants of th>
public and not their masters, and by
people who are as dedicated to fair-
ness and civility to others as to ex-
cellence in themselves. An Agency
steeped in this tradition is a legacy to
which I will aspire.
I will attempt to put a management
system in place that can meet our
goals effectively and efficiently. To ac-
complish this, EPA and all its ele-
ments must first understand our mis-
sion and objectives so we know what
we are managing toward.

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105
Most of EPA's mission and objec-
tives are defined by statute. I would
hope, working with the Congress, to
create for the country a more effective
tigal framework to attain our goals.
rAs part of my effort to improve our
legal framework, I intend to address
the question of the role the various
levels of government play in
administering our environmental and
health laws. Too much time is spent
by one level of government overseeing
the work of the other. With a more
clear definition and understanding of
who is supposed to do what and who
pays for it, we could eliminate much
of the public and private frustration
over environmental laws. That is a tall
order in our federal system, but with a
joint effort by the EPA, the Congress
and the states, more clarity and less
redundancy is possible.
I will work toward gaining greater
public comprehension of the com-
plexities of managing risk in a free
society. I also hope to enlist the
scientific community in a more
aggressive participation in the public
dialogue. In my view the public needs
to hear more of what the Administra-
tor of a place like EPA hears regarding
scientific uncertainty if they can be
pxpected to support sound public
policies.
I will work particularly hard to
foster a better dialogue between gov-
ernment and environmentalists and
the regulated industries. The endless
public and private acrimony that sur-
rounds the mix of problems before
EPA deflects energy, saps resources
and is ultimately debilitating to the
whole effort. We Americans must first
remember that we all share our coun-
try if we are to convince the rest of
mankind that we must share and con-
serve the planet.
Ruckelshaus Salutes
Longtime Employees
New EPA Administrator William D.
Ruckelshaus paid special tribute to
longtime EPA employees in his re-
marks after taking the oath of office at
the White House.
"Many of the able people of EPA
were there when we started over 12
years ago," he said. "We have much to
learn from their collective wisdom
and with their help this country can
continue to progress toward our en-
vironmental and health goals.
"Mr. President, it is my sense that
the people of EPA who have stayed
with it from the beginning are there
because of their belief in the fun-
damental importance of their mission.
"EPA was not created to deal with
the usual mix of social problems
whether they be poverty, jobs,
housing, education, crime...In a real
sense, EPA's mission transcends all of
these. That mission is the preservation
of life itself."
Women's Program Honors
4 for Affirmative Action
Four EPA supervisors were selected to
receive Affirmative Action Awards in
recognition of their commitment and
initiative in fulfilling affirmative ac-
tion responsibilities on behalf of
female, minority, and handicapped
employees.
The awards, sponsored by the Head-
quarters Federal Women's Program,
were announced by Robert Knox, di-
rector of the Office of Civil Rights.
Award recipients are:
•	Mary Anne Beatty, Committee Man-
agement Staff (AO), for her active role
in supporting female and minority
members of her staff and fostering de-
velopmental and advancement oppor-
tunities, and for her ongoing rein-
forcement of her staff in daily op-
erations.
® Earl Price, Personnel Management
Division (OA), for his personal en-
deavors in increasing employee and
service opportunities and fostering
career advancement for female and
minority employees.
© Henry Washington, Facilities and
Support Services Division (OA), for
his aggressive role in the employment
of handicapped employees, and for
his continuing personal efforts in de-
veloping these employees as an inte-
gral part of the workforce.
•	Jan Wine, Hazardous Site Control
Division (OSWER), for her concern
and sensitivity in hiring and
supporting female, minority and
handicapped employees, and for her
recent efforts in the use of small and
disadvantaged businesses.
Three other employees won Honor-
able Mention for their support of
affirmative action. They are Chris-
topher Capper, Office of the Adminis-
trator; Clarence Mahan, Office of Fis-
cal and Contracts Management (OA);
and Paul Palm, Office of Monitoring
Systems and Quality Assurance (ORD)
EPA Gets National Award
For Employing Handicappet
The National Industries for the Se-
verely Handicapped (NISH) selected
EPA as the recipient of its 1982 Gov-
ernment Award in recognition of the
Agency's contributions to handi-
capped employment programs.
Samuel Schulhof, Deputy Assistant
Administrator of Administration,
accepted the award in behalf of the
Agency at the annual NISH con-
ference in Orlando, Fla.
EPA employs about 30 handicapped
workers in its headquarters mailroom
operation under a contract with the
Fairfax Opportunities Unlimited
Workshop in Springfield, Va. Handi-
capped workers also are employed at
EPA regional offices in New York and
Chicago. Because of the success of
these programs, the Agency is con-
sidering hiring handicapped in-
dividuals at other locations as well.
Speaking of the NISH award,
Schulhof said, "I was proud to accep'
this honor on behalf of the Agency.
It's a good feeling to be part of an en-
terprise that helps people build self-
worth and human dignity as well as
financial independence."
Two Asst. Administrators,
Two Regional Heads Resign
Kathleen M. Bennett, Assistant Admi-
nistrator for Air, Noise and Radiation,
and Frederic A. Eidsness Jr., Assistant
Administrator for Water, submitted
their resignations to President Reagan
May 23. Both said they were leaving
to give Administrator William D.
Ruckelshaus a free hand in setting up
his own management team.
Rebecca W. Hanmer, Deputy Assis-
tant Administrator for Water, will act
as head of the Office of Water. Charle;
L. Elkins, director of the Office of
Policy and Evaluation in ANR, will
serve as acting head of that program.
Two Regional Administrators,
Lester A. Sutton, Region 1, and Peter
N. Bibko, Region 3, also stepped
down. Named to act as regional heads
were Paul Keough, Acting Deputy
Administrator in Region 1, and Stan-
ley L. Laskowski, Deputy Administra-
tor in Region 3.

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$12,000 in Prize Money Awarded for Cost-Saving Ideas
106
Acting Assistant Administrator for Administration Alfred Zuck and Deputy Assistant
Administrator Sam Schulhof shown with tirants Administration Division team mem-
bers who shared top award of $5,000 in pilot cost reduction contest. From left:
Schulhof, Frederick Meadows, Zuck, Ross Hardter, Richard Johnson. Stephen Allhee
(team leader), Harvey Pippen, Herbert Yahlon, Donald Thie, Paul Wagner, George
Wagner, George Alapas and John Gwvnn.
Forty-eight EPA employees shared
winnings of $12,000 in a pilot cost
reduction contest conducted by the
Office of Administration (OA).
Winners in the contest also shared
an additional $10,975 under the ex-
isting EPA suggestion program,
bringing the total cash award to
$22,975. The contest winners also re-
ceived letters of commendation.
Managers and supervisors in man-
agement divisions at nine regional
offices and the Cincinnati, Research
Triangle Park and Headquarters OA
staffs participated in the contest.
Working in teams of eight or more,
the four award-winning groups de-
veloped suggestions expected to save
EPA more than $700,000 in the first
year after implementation, according
to Sam Schulhof, Deputy Assistant
Administrator for Administration.
Some of the cost-saving suggestions
may have governmentwide applica-
tion, resulting in significantly greater
cost reductions, he said.
"With the investment of less than
$23,000 in direct cash awards to em-
ployees, we have realized possible
savings to the Agency of more than
$700,000," said Schulhof. "That is a
return on investment of 30 to 1 the
first year."
The first place suggestion called for
the introduction of bar code technolo-
gy in certain EPA internal operations.
(Bar coding is the marking system su-
permarkets use to control inventory
and price merchandise.) At EPA, bar
coding will save time and money in
such areas as property management,
correspondence control and filing,
and receiving and warehousing.
Other suggestions included ways to
reduce mail and transportation costs:
reducing telephone charges through
lease/purchase agreements; and a sys-
tem for replacing leased data pro-
cessing equipment (modems) with
EPA-owned equipment.
"The team approach to cost savings
appears to be very effective," Schulhof
said. "The suggestions are practical,
well thought out and can give im-
mediate benefits. We are quite encour-
aged by this pilot project."
The contest concept may be ex-
tended to other EPA offices later.
The first prize award of $5,000 in
the pilot contest went to a team in the
Grants Administration Division.
Participants in the winning group
were Stephen Allbee, team leader:
Harvey Pippen; George Alapas: John
Gwynn: Ross Hardter; Richard John-
son; Frederick Meadows: Donald Thie;
Paul Wagner: and Herbert Yablon.
The second prize of $3,000 was
awarded to a Cincinnati management
group.
Team members were Bill Benoit,
Marjorie Adler, Catherine Bachelor,
William Bailey, George Bodmer. San-
dra Bowman, Joseph Castelli, Dale
Combs, Earl Eastwood. James Geiser,
Edward Hennessey, JoAnn Johnson,
Joseph Lydon, William Mager,
Richard Pohlkamp, Warren Reynolds,
Richard Ruhe, Angela Thompson,
Michael Watkins and James Wood.
Teams in the Region 2 and Region 6
management divisions tied for third
place. Each of the teams was awarded
$2,000.
Region 2 team members were Her-
bert Barrack. John Beadle. Helen Beg-
gun, Kathleen Callahan, James Foley,
Ronald Gherardi. Stephen Luftig,
EPA Times is published monthly to
provide current information for and
about EPA employees. Pages are
numbered sequentially for easy
reference. Comments or suggestions
are welcome. Please direct them to:
Office of Public Affairs, A-107.
Telephone 382-4367.
Robert Messina, Mureen Sinicki and
Richard Walka.	'
Region 6 team members were John
Floeter, Evelyn Daniels, Carl Edlund.
Richard Kenyon. Gerald Nehman,
James Sims. David White and Ray
Smith.
Four From Athens Lab
Teach Course in Nigeria
Four EPA employees recently con-
ducted a two-week water quality
course in Lagos, Nigeria, for 30 em-
ployees of that nation's federal and
state environmental agencies.
The course was taught by Thomas
O. Barnwell Jr. and Robert B. Ambrose
Jr., of EPA's Environmental Research
Laboratory in Athens. Ga.. and Tho-
mas B. Bennett Jr. and Charles A.
Sweatt. of the Region 4 Environmental
Services Division, also based at the
Athens lab.
Funded by the Nigerian Ministry of
Housing and Development, the course
covered the latest techniques in
wastewater treatment, estuary mod-
eling, effluent sampling, and field an<|
laboratory analyses.
"Nigeria is a rapidly developing
country that is beginning to experi-
ence the pressures of population and
industrial expansion," Barnwell said.

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