™.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. ------- 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 ------- 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. ------- 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 ------- |