Tunes
NEWS FOR AND ABOUT EPA EMPLOYEES
INSIDE:
~	Filming Windows
~	Divining Databases
VOLUME 1 NUMBER 19 AUGUST 22, 1984
Riding the Waves for EPA
During night operations, Ed McLean, Office of Wafer, and Bob
Carew, MAR, Inc., prepare to launch a sled mounted TV camera
from the Antelope. MAR, Inc. is responsible for the ship's
operation and maintenance.
Linn Speers, Office of Water, takes a sample of sediment from a
bottom grab during a recent Antelope cruise. Survey parties are
mostly volunteer federal employees.
The 165' Ocean Survey Vessei Antelope at anchor off Tampa,
Florida. An eight-person EPA dive team spent five days here
making over 90 dives conducting bottom surveys of possible
areas for disposal of harbor dredged materials.
Most of us know that
EPA is somehow respon-
sible for controlling pollu-
tion in our lakes and along
our ocean coasts, but how
many have thought about
how our fellow employees
manage the task of monitor-
ing such vast areas?
Ed McLean is the staffer
to ask. McLean is Ship
Coordinator for EPA, and
the "father" of EPA's
"navy."
Currently our ship regis-
ter is only two items long:
the Roger R. Simons and
the Antelope. Until a cou-
ple of years ago there was a
third, the Rachel Carson,
but she was "decom-
missioned" by budget cuts.
McLean helped obtain
our ships from the U.S.
Navy, served as contracting
officer for the conversion
contracts, and for the initial
operating and maintenance
contracts. He says he was
selected to coordinate the
Agency's ships because:
"After having served ten
years in the Navy (in sub-
marines during W.W. II and
then graduating from the
Naval Academy) I knew the
pointy end of a ship was
called the bow."
Currently the Project Offi-
cer and Unit Diving Officer
for the Antelope operating
contract, McLean takes
understandable pride in the
fact that EPA's vessels are
operated with about one-
half the funds most govern-
ment agencies and private
firms spend on similar
ships. ~

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People
Congratulations on 40 years of federal service to: Hilda
Wiedman, Region 2 . . . Betty Mathis, Region 5.
Congratulations on 30 years of federal service to: Arthur
Adams, Elizabeth Creamer, Newell Mastin and William
Hartman, Cincinnati . . . Donald Paschal, Region 6 . . .
Gloria Cunningham, Region 7 . . . Ross Hardter and Wil-
liam Wilfong, Administration and Resources Management.
Retirees from Headquarters: Adelaide Lilly, 35 years,
Administration and Resources Management . . . Henry
Norton, 25 years^ External, Affairs . . -. Phillip Tate, 20
years, Lucille Burke,1 TO year's' an d John Hill, 25 years,
Water ... William Butler, 23 years, Pesticides and Toxic
Substances . . . William Lacy., ,31. years, Research and De-
velopment." .	•
Died: Robert Woodside, 41, Administration and Re-
sources Management, on August 5 . . . Thomas Somerville,
55, Administration and Resources Management, on July
28.
Thomas Love and Richard Eilers, Cincinnati, receive the
AWWA Publications Award for their paper, "Treatment of
Drinking Water Containing Trichloroethylene and Related
Industrial Solvents."
The AWWA Alvin Percy Black Research Award pre-
sented to Edwin Geldreich. Cincinnati, in recognition of
his many years of service and "particularly for his research
and development of media and protocols used in many of
the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and
Wastewater."
Continued Superior Performance Awards presented tqj
Augusta Wills, Edna Beasley, Brenda Bell, Virginia WiM
liams and Alice Greene, Office of the Administrator . . .
Jeanne Briskin and Lorraine Butler, Policy, Planning and
Evaluation . . . Ernestine Christian, Bonita Follins, Jac-
queline Cross and Marely Abraham, Office of General
Counsel . . . Betty Durica, Enforcement and Compliance
Monitoring . . . Elaine Best, Research and Development . .
Tonya Minor and Mary Wilson, Administration and Re-
sources Management . . . James Darr and Dorothy Gray,
Pesticides and Toxic Substances.
Special Act Awards go to: Gregory Grinder and Linda
Bell, Research and Development . . . Michelle Smith, Pat-
ricia Lyttle, Phillip Paparodis and Vickie Thomas, Policy,
Planning and Evaluation . . . Elizabeth Meems, Michael
Piatt, Patricia Spatarella and Sandra Martin, Administra-
tion and Resources Management . . . Robert Wright, Air
and Radiation.
Quality Step Increases awarded to: Linda Martin, Poli-
cy, Planning and Evaluation . . . Pamela Abraham and
Constance Thompkins, External Affairs . . . Lloyd Cherry,
Bettie Botts, Linda Nelson and June Mackey, Administra-
tion and Resources Management.
Merit Pay Awards to: Richard Lemly, William Hooks
and David Lindsey, Administration and Resources Man-
agement. ~
Letters
Dear Editor:
This is in reference to The EPA Times Number 14 and
the article encouraging employees to have their pay hand-
led through Direct Deposit. 1 used to have my check de-
posited directly into my account until one pay period
someone in finance decided that 1 had been overpaid by a
substantial amount. The "overpayment" was withdrawn
directly from my account, without my knowledge and
without being given a chance to dispute whether, in fact,
there was an "overpayment."
Needless to say, as soon as 1 realized that Direct Deposit
also meant Direct Withdrawal, 1 directed the finance office
to send my check to my office.
Rich Watman
Region 3
Dear Editor:
Your article "Public Information Handled Privately"
appearing in the July 6, 1984, edition of The EPA Times is
in error. As of this date, all adversely affected employees
formerly employed in the Central Technical Library lo-
cated in Cincinnati have not ". . . been placed in new po-
sitions, found other Outside employment, or retired." Pres-
ently, two employees [names deleted by editor| are with-
out jobs either within or outside of government and were
ineligible for retirement at the time of receiving their
specific notice for reduction-in-force.
Furthermore, your statement that EPA's library services
located at Research Triangle Park have been contracted out
for the last 10 years is misleading. Only a portion of those
services were, and remain, contracted out: students from
the University of North Carolina Library School provide
for the contracted out service through an EPA-UNC con-
tractual arrangement. I suggest you investigate this
arrangement and provide your readership with correct in-
formation. I, for one, cannot forget that among those em-
ployees who lost their library jobs at EPA-Cincinnati were
students attending the University of Cincinnati—a state
school.
Additionally, for your information, the Agency and the
National Federation of Federal Employees (Union) are go-
ing to arbitration in this library contracting out matter. It
should be evident to any reasonable person reviewing the
performance of the Agency in the contracting out of the
Cincinnati EPA Library services that both the labor-
management agreement and OMB's A-76 Circular have
been violated by the Agency.
Sincerely yours,
Richard M. Daum
Environmental Research Cen^B
Cincinn!^
(Chief Steward, Local 801)

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Around EPA
Employees interested in changing to part-time work are
encouraged to discuss the possibilities with their super-
visors and personnel officers. EPA now has 900 permanent
part-time employees, who make up 9.5 percent of the
Agency's permanent workforce. Since part-time work
schedules allow management greater flexibility in meeting
work requirements while meeting the needs of many em-
ployees, requests for part-time schedules are honored
whenever possible.
John Stanton now heads the Emergency Response Divi-
sion, Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
Bruce Weddle appointed director of the Permits and
State Programs Division, Solid Waste and Emergency Re-
sponse.
John Chamberlin is the new director of the Office of Ad-
ministration, Administration and Resources Management.
In pay period 21, Employees 55 and older should have
received an increase of $1.50 in their net pa}' as a result of
a reduction in their life insurance premiums. In addition,
a refund of $4.50 for premiums paid in pay periods 18, 19,
and 20 will be paid in future pay periods. Queries should
be directed to your financial management officer.
An EPA Order (2200.4A) issued June 4, establishes poli-
cy and procedural requirements for the review of materi-
als published or issued by the Agency. All employees in-
volved in the publication of information should make
themselves familiar with the review procedures.
Heating and cooling of Waterside Mall offices should be
easier to regulate now that solar film has been installed on
windows facing east, west, and south. The thin tinted film
adheres to the inside of the windows and increases the en-
ergy efficiency of the building by reducing heat absorbtion.
For the past 2 years, the Facilities and Support Services
Division has been encouraging negotiations on the project
between GSA and the building management. If you notice
the film on any window peeling'or buckling, please call
382-2100—do not attempt to fix it yourself.
The rating time for performance evaluations of non-SES/
non-Merit Pay employees has been changed from April to
October, and the rating procedures are now covered under
the provisions of the Agency's Performance Management
System Plan. These changes are part of EPA's master
agreement with AFGE.
The fall session of the USDA Graduate School starts
September 17. For more information and a class schedule,
call 447-4419. ~
Agency Activities	
New regulation proposed to reduce lead used in gaso-
line by 91 percent—to a tenth of a gram of lead per gallon
(0.10 gplg)—as of January 1, 1986. Lead use in gasoline to-
day is 67 percent higher than was predicted in 1982 when
the current 1.10 gplg was set. EPA estimates that 13.5 per-
cent of vehicles requiring unleaded gasoline are being
fueled illegally with leaded gasoline.
Department of Energy facilities will be regulated under
the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act according to
an agreement signed by DOE and EPA. The agreement also
pinpoints two exceptions to RCRA coverage: (1) different
waste handling requirements may be necessary due to the
radioactive nature of some DOE wastes, and (2) national
security may dictate alternative methods of providing in-
formation to the public for some wastes from some DOE
facilities.
RCRA class permits proposed for above-ground
hazardous waste storage facilities. By grouping facilities
having only above-ground tanks or containers into one
class, the proposal would greatly simplify the preparation
of permit application forms, thus saving each facility an
estimated $11,000 in paperwork costs.
New enforcement guidance sent to regions for use in es-
tablishing state enforcement agreements. The agreements
will identify state performance expectations and the stan-
dards EPA will use to evaluate performance, determine
which violations will require penalties, indicate when the
Agency will take federal enforcement action, and establish
ktiine frames foi initialing and escalating enforcement ac-
tion against significant violators.
The first community-wide study of the effects of PCB
contamination in an urban environment focuses on the
New Bedford, Massachusetts hazardous waste site. The
state will fund a hot-line and a separate study of children
whose parents have high PCB blood levels. ~
Training Opportunities	
The following courses will be held in the Headquarters
Training Center unless otherwise indicated. For further in-
formation contact the Personnel Assessment and Support
Branch at 382-2997.
Managing People, September 10. An intensive 1-day
overview on the latest techniques to help supervisors be
better people managers.
Performance Management Systems Workshop, Septem-
ber 11. For new employees as well as newly appointed su-
pervisors and managers.
Management Skills for Secretaries and Administrative
Assistants, September 11. Covers the skills secretaries
need to carry out their managerial roles most effectively.
Interviewing, Coaching, and Counseling, September 12-
13. Emphasis on techniques and tools to increase effective-
ness of your selection interviews and the application of
these techniques to employee coaching and counseling.
Problem Solving/Decision Making, September 20-21. In-
tensive 2-day program designed to increase supervisory
knowledge and skills in creative problem solving and
managerial decision making.
Executive Secretarial Seminar, September 26-27. An
overview of interpersonal and office management skills,
office automation, public relations, and office communica-
tions for senior-level secretaries. ~
The EPA Times is published 24 times per year to provide news and
information for and about EPA employees Readers arc encouraged to
submit nows of themselves and of follow employees, letters of opinion,
questions, comments, and suggestions to: Miles Allen, Editor, The EPA
Times. Office of Public Affairs (A-107) Telephone 382-4394 Information
selected for publication will be edited as necessary in keeping with
space available All letters to the editor submitted for publication must
be signed and accompanied by submitter's office location and telephone
number

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Environmental News
"A bizarre underwater valley—with a large, active volca-
no and many sulfurous hot springs that are oases to 5-foot-
long, red-headed worms and other odd marine
creatures—has been found just a little more than 200
miles offshore from the Pacific Northwest coastline."—The
Los Angeies Times, 7/30.
"In what is believed to be the biggest environmental
protest in the Soviet bloc, 6,000 to 7,000 Hungarians have
signed a petition protesting a plan to dam or divert a 138-
mile stretch of the Danube River for a hydroelectric
project."—The Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/15.
'"If society is willing to tolerate the use of these
(hazardous) materials in the products it buys, then it must
be prepared to pay, one way or the other, the cost of their
disposal.' That statement by Steven M. Kaplan, president
of the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel, sums up a rapidly
growing problem in today's manufacturing system—how to
dispose safely of hazardous materials that are a part of
metallic products headed for recycling . . . Take air bags
for example. The air bags now being tested in automobiles
contain as a propellant sodium azide, a possible cancer
causing material."—The Buffalo News, 7/21.
"A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that the Nation-
al Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration must revise
its regulations to allow increased killing of some species
of porpoise in tuna nets. The court said NOAA didn't use
the best scientific evidence available when it estimated the
size of the porpoise population."—The Washington Post,
7/25.
". . . Montgomery County's department of environmental
protection is blaming trees indirectly for water pollution
. . Noses from Cabin John to Wheaton are being bom-
barded with noxious odors stirred up by an estimated
100,000 cubic yards of rotting leaves collected and stored
by the county Department of Transportation . . . County
environmental test records show that the stream near the
Brookville Road facility had nearly three times more
biochemical pollutants than raw sewage."—The Washing-
ton Post, 7/22.
"Clear skies could be hazardous to your health, accord-
ing to the Fairfax County Health Department . . . The num-
ber of days classified as unhealthy in Fairfax County be-
cause of high ozone levels jumped from six in 1982 to 30
in 1983—and sunny, cloudless summer weather may be
the cause."—The Washington Post, 7/21.
"A Rutgers University professor thinks he has a solution
to . . . [the] nagging environmental concerns: what to do
with used automobile and truck tires [and] what to do
with the approximately 1 million tons of sewage sludge
produced in New Jersey each year . . . 'Worn-out tires can
be put through a shredder and used in composting in
place of the wood chips for far less cost.'"—UPI, 7/30.
". . . health officials advise there are several steps the
people can take to reduce their exposure to lead con-
tamination . . . check homes for lead-based paint chips . . .
frequent indoor dusting is suggested, as well as sweeping
of porches, steps, sidewalks and driveways whore childron
often play . . . taking foods out of cans after they have
been opened and transfering them to glass containers . . .
also, unprocessed fruits and vegetables, both store-bought
and home-grown, should be thoroughly washed to reduce
lead contamination—not to mention pesticides."—UPI, 7/30
"The report to President Reagan and Congress, to be re-
leased this month by the National Advisory Committee on
Oceans and the Atmosphere, suggests ending the nation's
14-year moratorium on ocean-dumping of radioactive
material."—The New York Times, 7/24.
"General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. will ask Con-
gress today for some relief from the pressure of federal
fuel economy requirements in a market marked by grow-
ing consumer demand for large and luxury cars . . . Both
Ford and GM failed to meet last year's corporate average
fuel economy standard."—The Washington Post, 7/31.
"What started as a group of hardy adventurers who be-
gan hurtling down hills around San Francisco on heavy
old American bicycles has blossomed into the West's new-
est sport, as well as the latest focus of a dispute over ac-
cess to state and federal recreation lands . . . Environmen-
talists say the moutain bikes' climbing ability, with their
rugged, knobby tires, make it hard for riders to resist leav-
ing established trails to cut new tracks through delicate
landscapes."—The New York Times, 7/27. ~
Assistance Available
In Surviving the
Information Explosion
by Brigid Rupp
Head Librarian
A few years ago we were
offered "everything you
were afraid to ask." Now
that our fears have been
assuaged, marketers and
promoters are trying to cre-
ate new information needs.
Opportunistic "informa-
tion brokers" are flooding
the market with new
sources of information.
These sources often do not
contain new information;
rather, they re-package or
recycle information that is
already available.
Many EPA staff members
find themselves inundated
with information they don't
need. Rather than perform-
ing the traditional service of
providing clients with more
information, the library is
now often asked to sort
through the information
available and retrieve only
the most pertinent.
The headquarters library
staff has access to several
computerized databases to
help in information selec-
tion.
The range of what is
available "on-line" is as
wide as the range of in-
formation available through
the more traditional print or
hard-copy resources.
Care must be exercised in
computerized searching for
information. When search-
ing through books, it is pos-
sible to browse and to phy-
sically see the range of data
available. When requesting
information from a com-
puterized database, the
searcher asks to see a small
portion of a large, invisible
file. More planning is re-
quired, but the advantages
of retrieving selected in-
formation from the mass of
irrelevant data make the
planning well worth the
effort.
The EPA library staff
stands ready to assist em-
ployees in finding just the
right information needed,
when it is needed. For fur-
ther information on avail-
able databases or assistance
in searches call 382-5922. ~

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