™.Em
Times
NEWS FOR AND ABOUT EPA EMPLOYEES
INSIDE:
~	Presidential Awards
~	Hotlines
~	Superfund Update
VOLUME 1 NUMBER 5 FEBRUARY 3, 1984
Bidrigging: "A Way of Life" No Longer
In recent months EPA's Office of In-
spector General (OIG) began following
up on tips that many contractors for
wastewater treatment facility con-
struction were rigging bids in North
and South Carolina.
"Bidrigging" is the preconceived
agreement between contractors to ille-
gally influence the awarding or
pricing of competitively bid contracts.
A team of OIG auditors and in-
vestigators, working with antitrust
attorneys, uncovered evidence that
bids had been rigged on numerous
Agency projects by as many as 10 dif-
ferent contractors on one job. Often,
the low bid was illegally set by the
contractors at $1 million or more over
the actual engineering cost estimates.
These findings resulted in numerous
indictments and convictions of cor-
porate officials and suspensions or
disbarments of firms.
The convicted officials did not con-
sider their bidrigging activities as
criminal, and all agreed that
bidrigging was "a way of life for sur-
vival" in the southern states. One cor-
porate president pleaded guilty to
bidrigging but refused to accept the
60-day jail term arranged (prior to
court sentencing) between his defense
counsel and the Department of Justice,
because he believed that the Federal
Judge would only sentence him to
probation.
Despite the testimony of an out-
standing group of citizens that the de-
fendent was "a pillar of the communi-
ty," the judge gave him nine months
in jail and publicly announced that he
was fortunate not to receive a sen-
tence of several years.
Since that sentencing, there has
been a notable change in the attitude
of accused bidriggers.
Plea bargaining, and the disclosing of
details of bidrigging operations and
the names of conspiring officials, has
become the new "way of life" for in-
dicted conspirators.
The OIG and Department of Justice
are now conducting additional in-
vestigations in Florida, Georgia, Ala-
bama and Tennessee.
John C. Martin, Inspector General of EPA
New Hires Receive 4-Phase Orientation
About 1200 new employees will be
hired Agencywide during the next 12
months. To assure that they will be
properly welcomed and introduced to
EPA, a four-phase orientation program
is being developed which includes
several new elements.
The traditional "first-day" swearing-
in ceremony and explanation of the
employee's salary, benefits, rights and
responsibilities, will be augmented by
the screening of a new videotape. The
tape, developed by the audiovisual
specialists in the Office of External
Affairs, acquaints the employee with
the Agency's history and organization.
Administrator Bill Ruckelshaus opens
the video presentation with a wel-
come and explains EPA's mission.
Prior to the meeting, employees will
have completed some personnel forms
and read information on EPA in-
cluded in a pre-employment package
which was mailed to their homes.
During the first month, supervisors
are responsible for acquainting new
employees with their work environ-
ment, including co-workers and facili-
ties. Expectations regarding perform-
ance standards and conduct will be
clearly explained. The role of the su-
pervisor in building clear communica-
tion channels with each new employ-
ee is critical to the success of the
orientation program.
The third phase consists of a two-
and-one-half-hour program to brief
new employees in detail on Agency
and federal policies and to provide an
opportunity for questions to be an-
swered by a panel of experts.
Videotapes also will be used in this
phase to give information on such
matters as training and development,
career advancement, and civil rights.
This whole process is capped by a
follow-up one-on-one interview with
each new employee by a member of
his or her Personnel Servicing Team.
During this interview the team mem-
ber determines whether all stages of
the orientation process have been
completed and answers any remaining
questions the employee may have.
As this four-phase orientation pro-
gram is developed and tested at bead-
quarters, it is being adapted to the
needs of each regional and field
office.

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People
Retirees at headquarters: Ed Brittin, 42 years, Pesticides
and Toxic Substances . . . Raymond Owens, 15 years, Ad-
ministration and Resources Management.
A Presidential Distinguished Service Award,
recognizing sustained extraordinary accomplishment,
granted to Richard T. Dewling, Region 2, for "his remark-
able combination of managerial capability and scientific
expertise." Dewling was cited for contributions to oil and
hazardous waste spill control and prevention, and for di-
recting the Agency's study of Love Canal.
Presidential Meritorious Service Awards go to: Joseph
A. Cotruvo, Office of Water, for his work in establishing
national drinking water standards . . . Clarence E. Mahan,
Administration and Resources Management, for his lead-
ership in procurement and financial management . . . Har-
vey G. Pippen, Jr., Administration and Resources Man-
agement, for his leadership and capabilities in grants man-
agement.
Bronze Medal awards to: Robert Bastian, Water, and
Richard Callaway, George Gardner, Henry Lee II, Doug-
las Middaugh, Jan Prager, Norman Richards, Mark
Schaeffer, Marcus Schuldt and Richard Swartz, Research
and Development, for their accomplishments on the intra-
Agency taskforce implementing Section 301(h) of the
Clean Water Act.
Quality Step Increases awarded to: Barbara A. Davis,
Administration and Resources Management . . . Peggy
Michell, Water . . . Wanda Barnes, Robert Clemens, Ian-
tha Gilmore, Todd Kimmell, Joyce Rivers, Lawrence
Around EPA
The 3.5% pay increase will not apply to certain groups
of GS employees: Employees in specific series/grades with
pay based on a special rate schedule (such as engineers in
grades 5-11). Adjustments to these schedules only are
made if warranted by an OPM annual review . . . Em-
ployees receiving pay retention are entitled to 50% of
statutory pay increases until they reach the maximum rate
of basic pay for their grade . . . Employees in wage-
administration occupations for which special schedules do
not exist (such as motor vehicle operators) will receive the
increase on the effective anniversary date of their pay
adjustment.
Notice: All employees are reminded that the Federal
Service Labor-Management Relations Statute gives em-
ployees in bargining units the right to request union
representation when an Agency representative conducts
an examination in connection with an investigation, and
the employee reasonably believes that the examination
may result in disciplinary action . . . These provisions are
contained in Chapter 71 of Title 5 USC. Questions may be
addressed to your servicing personnel office.
Do you have a message of interest to EPA headquarters'
employees? Call 382-2053 to discover how to get your in-
formation electronically distributed on our TV Message
Displays System. Personal messages or endorsements will
not be accepted.
All morning and evening news programs on the major
networks are monitored for environmental news. The
resulting news clips can be seen at headquarters each day
at 10 a.m. and noon on EPA's Channel 10. Private view-
ings may be arranged by calling 382-2053.
Richard Dewling
Joseph Cotruvo
Weiner, Kevin Garrahan and Frank Russo. Solid Waste
and Emergency Response.
Continued Superior Performance awards to: Joseph Le
Cren, Douglas Toomey and Donna Keys, Administration
and Resources Management . . . Clifford Moore, Research
and Development . . . Phillip Ross and Mark Stevens,
Office of the Administrator . . . Anne Andrews, Woodruff
Johnson, Richard Shaw, Sara Neuber, James Lund, Kath-
leen Ehrensberger, Eleanor Zimmerman, Susan Svirsky,
Stephen Kroner, Paul Evenhouse, Claudette Holland,
Shiela Edwards, Frank Gostomski, Norma Hughes, Elliot
Lomnitz, Gregory Peck, Helen Weaver, James Plafkin,
Hiranmay Biswas, Richard Kinch, David Pepson, Mary
Piatt, Elwood Forsht and James Berlow, Water . . . May
Agency Activities	
Administrator Bill Ruckelshaus sends letters to the gov-
ernors of the 50 states requesting data on food products
contaminated by EDB. The Agency is considering whether
more restrictive regulation of the pesticide is appropriate.
National Surface Impoundment Assessment Report pub-
lished. Based on data collected between 1979 and 1980,
the study assesses the magnitude and severity of ground
water problems posed by nearly 181,000 waste ponds . . .
Follow-up study of state programs to regulate surface im-
poundments is planned . . . EPA designates six aquifers
(located in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New
York and Arizona) as sole or principal sources of drinking
water as defined by the Safe Drinking Water Act. All pro-
jects funded by federal assistance programs must be re-
viewed for adverse impact on aquifers so designated and
approved by EPA.
Six EPA experts on ocean incineration of hazardous
waste met with six experts sponsored by a Gulf Coast
citizens group in a 3-hour forum televised by the CBS
affiliate in Harlingen, Texas . . . Almost $700,000 in Su-
perfund monies granted to California for study of sources
and extent of contamination by PCBs and heavy metals at
the Purity Oil Sales site near Fresno.
Superfund Update: EPA has now identified 16,400
hazardous waste sites in the U.S. and estimates the total
could reach 22,000 . . . Preliminary assessments have been
conducted at 7,100 sites . . . Investigations have been

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Clarence Mohan
Harvey Pippen, Jr.
Brown, Laura Fennell, Maryann Froehlich, Susan Hughes,
Barbara Jackson, William Kaschak, Lucy Sibold, Linda
Stewart, Nancy Willis, George Prince, Robert Cibulskis,
Michael Urban, Andre Zownir, Rodney Turpin and Harry
Allen, Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
Special Act awards to: Joseph Retzer, John Tellman and
Shirley Staton, Policy, Planning and Evaluation . . . Deb-
orah Warrick, Office of General Counsel . . . Glenda Col-
vin, Donald Anderson and Jonathan Amson, Water . . .
Robert Axelrad, James Bachmaier, Darlene Batts, Kirby
Biggs, D. Brint Bixler, Denise Butler, Bruce Clemens, John
Connolly, Arthur Day, Carolyn Dunston, Allen Geswein,
Kerrance Grogan, Alice Harris, Marc Hillson, Priscilla
oltzclaw, Verna Leflwood, Eric Males, James Michael, C.
undertaken at 1,900 . . . The 546 included on the National
Priorities List (NPL) pose greatest danger to environment
. . . FY 84 plans include 4,000 additional preliminary
assessments and 1,300 completed inspections . . .
Emergency removals have been approved for 231 sites
since December 1980 (185 completed) . . . Remedial
cleanup planned or implemented for 147 sites on NPL (6
completed) . . . Current cleanup work now in progress at
175 sites.
More stringent standards for diesel particulate emissions
from passenger cars and light-duty trucks are postponed
until 1987 to provide adequate time for development of
needed technology. No significant harm to environment
expected.
Bowers Excavating & Fencing, Inc., of Klamath Falls,
Oregon, barred from participating in Agency-funded proj-
ects until December due to violations of federal wage law.
Company is latest addition to list of over 100 parties sus-
pended or barred in the past year.
Nineteen individuals and nine companies named de-
fendents in a civil suit seeking cleanup of dioxin con-
tamination in Missouri. Dioxin waste at the six sites iden-
tified in the suit allegedly was generated as a by-product
)f hexachlorophene manufacturing at a plant owned by
Syntex Agribusiness, and transported by Independent Pet-
rochemical Corp. and Russell Bliss (all of whom are
named in the suit).
Scott Parrish, Vera Robinson, Arline Sheehan, Lucy
Speight, Richard Stanford, Matthew Straus, Robert Ton-
netti and Darlene Wilson, Solid Waste and Emergency Re-
sponse.
1983 SES Bonus Awards presented to: Ernest Bradley
III, Office of Inspector General . . . Lisa Friedman, James
Moore, William Pedersen, Robert Thompson and Gerald
Yamada, Office of General Counsel . . . Gerald Bryan, En-
forcement and Compliance Monitoring . . . Lewis Cramp-
ton, Policy, Planning and Evaluation . . . William Benoit,
John Chamberlin, K. Kirke Harper, C. Morgan Kinghorn,
Brian Polly and Gordon Takeshita, Administration and
Resources Management . . . Jeffery Denit, James Elder, Re-
becca Hanmer, Victor Kimm, Martha Prothro, Steven
Schatzow and William Whittington, Water . . . Michael
Cook and John Skinner Solid Waste and Emergency Re-
sponse . . . Charles Gray Jr., Edward Reich, Glen Sjob-
lom and Richard Wilson, Air and Radiation . . . Don Clay,
Augustine Conroy, III, Martin Halper, John MacKenzie,
Louis True and Marcia Williams. Pesticides and Toxic
Substances . . . Horace Bills, Donald Ehreth, Thomas
Hauser, Gordon Hueter, Calvin Lawrence,
Alan Neuschatz, Frank Princiotta, Courtney Riordan and
Herbert Wiser, Research and Development . . . Merrill
Hohman, Region 1 . . . Barbara Metzger and William Mus-
zynski, Region 2 . . . Stephen Wassersug, Region 3 . . .
John Little and Paul Traina, Region 4 . . . Valdas Adam-
kus and Alan Levin, Region 5 . . . John Floeter, Region 6 .
. . David Wagoner, Region 7 . . . Max Dodson, Region 8 . .
. John Wise and David Howekamp, Region 9 . . . L. Edwin
Coate, Region 10.
Seven EPA employees ran as a team in the Eighth
Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.: Mike Cook,
Ken Shuster, Mike Shannon and Howard Beard, Solid
Waste and Emergency Response, George Bonita, Air and
Radiation, Larry Cook, Office of General Counsel, and
John Suh, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. The team
placed eighth out of 16 in their category.
Ken Shuster
approaches Ihe
26-mile mark in
Marine Corps
Marathon.
The EPA Times is published 24 times per year to provide
news and information for and about EPA employees. Readers
are encouraged to submit news of fellow employees, letters of
opinion, questions, comments, and suggestions to: Miles
Allen, Editor, The EPA Times, Office of Public Affairs (A-107).
Telephone 382-4371. Information selected for publication will
be edited as necessary in keeping with space available. All let-
ters of opinion must be signed and accompanied by sub-
mitter's office location and telephone number.

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Profile:
The Office of Inspector General
EPA is young as Government agen-
cies go (we just turned 13 in Decem-
ber as you may recall), but there is
one component of the Agency that's
not even half that age. Which may be
why the Office of Inspector General
(OIG) is still one of the least under-
stood of EPA's operations.
This unfamiliarity, however, does
not change the fact that many em-
ployees, knowingly or not, affect and
are affected by the OIG as it performs
its critical and sometimes fascinating
fight against mismanagement, waste,
fraud and abuse.
Offices of Inspectors General were
created by Congress in 1978 to con-
solidate existing investigative and au-
dit resources within federal de-
partments and agencies. They were
given unique status—organizationally
subsumed within individual agencies,
yet operating with virtual autonomy.
So, while members of our Inspector
General's staff are EPA employees
working to accomplish EPA goals,
their assignments are controlled solely
by the EPA Inspector General.
This autonomy and authority, es-
tablished by law, gives the IG the
power to:
•	Initiate and carry out audits and
investigations.
•	Issue subpoenas for evidence.
•	Obtain access to any material in
the Agency.
•	Report serious or flagrant prob-
lems to Congress.
• Select and appoint OIG em-
ployees and enter into contracts for
assistance.
A key factor in this independence is
that IGs are appointed, and can only
be removed from office, by the
President.
Regardless of this far-reaching au-
thority, the success of EPA's OIG de-
pends largely on the cooperation and
support of Agency employees. By the
same token, the success of employees
in accomplishing Agency goals is
often dependent upon the work of the
OIG.
The Inspector General's work in-
cludes making objective evaluations of
procedures (recordkeeping, cost ac-
counting, project tracking, etc.) used
in a specific job and developing con-
structive recommendations. Such "au-
dits" usually involve an examination
of an operation's efficiency and its
compliance with applicable laws or
federal guidelines.
Many audits are requested by admi-
nistrators and project managers.
Others are mandated by regulation, re-
quested specifically by Congress or
occur when routinely scheduled by
the Inspector General.
The other major function of the OIG
is performing "investigations." These
are efforts to uncover details of possi-
ble criminal acts and to build cases
against the perpetrators. Many of
these begin with a telephone call from
a worker concerned about fraud,
waste or abuse (such as bidrigging or
the use of faulty materials in constru^
tion). The OIG maintains a hotline
which anyone may use to report sus-
pect activities (see box below for gov-
ernment numbers).
No matter how funds are lost—
whether through bureaucratic
bungling, managerial ineptness, ignor-
ance, or intentional theft—the result is
a less productive and less efficient
EPA. The OIG, with the cooperation
of all EPA employees, helps the Agen-
cy to spend the public's money and
resources wisely and effectively.
If you have any information to bring
to the Inspector General's attention,
call the OIG Hotline on 8-382-4977, or
contact any of the following Di-
visional Inspectors General on FTS:
Regions 1 & 2: Audits—Sanford
Wolfe, Investigations—George Mar-
kham, 264-5730.
Region 3: Audits—Paul Gandolfo,
597-8636; Investigations—James
Hagen, 382-4934.
Regions 4 & 6: Audits—Leslie Buie,
Investigations—Herbert Hichman, 257-
3623.
Region 5: Audits—Anthony Carrol-^|
lo, 353-2486; Investigations—Thomas^B1
Boockmeier, 353-2507.
Regions 7, 8, 9 & 10: Audits— •
Truman Beeler, 454-7084;
Investigations—Jonathan Sweeney,
454-8151.
Agency Snapshots: "Hotlines
n
The Office of Inspector General runs a hotline for the reporting of fraud, waste and abuse in Agency contracts
and operations
800-424-4000
About 25 other toll-free "800" numbers are also maintained by EPA regional and headquarters' offices to provide
services such as:
(jp Reporting:	Information:	<£3 Assistance:
•	of hazardous chemical spills	• on regulations	• in pesticide poisoning cases
•	of suspected dioxin	• on documents available	• in regulatory compliance
•	of illegal dumping	• on newsworthy activities	• in use of Agency computers
GPO 905-028

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