SKEB&.
Times
NEWS FOR AND ABOUT EPA EMPLOYEES
INSIDE:
~ Lee Thomas
Named to Replace
Ruckelshaus
VOLUME 2 NUMBER 5 DECEMBER 19, 1984

Will Rudolph's Nose Be Bright Enough?
The next time Rudolph
gets a call from the jolly old
elf, his illuminatory powers
may be sorely tested. It
seems that the smoke that
encircles Santa's head "like
a wreath" has been aug-
mented of late by emissions
from industrial
smokestacks.
Would the other reindeer
jlaugh once again if our gen-
tle childhood friend failed
to cope with the sinister
SMOG?
Will the prancing and
pawing of each courser's
hoofs be heard midst the
coughing and hacking up
on the roof?
We don't wish to dim
anyone's holiday spirit, but
we feel duty-bound to relay
a story appearing in the
Nashville Tennessean
which warns that it is "only
a matter of time before one
of the last refuges from in-
dustrial pollution will be
fouled."
The story tells of a recent
meeting in Anchorage Alas-
ka at which scientists dis-
closed that the Arctic Re-
gion contains as much dirt
as some rural and suburban
areas of the U.S. Pollution
is thickest on Alaska's
North Slope and extends
eastward at least to Norway.
The scientists say the
Soviet Union is the major
polluter of the region with
the rest of Europe and the
United Kingdom as the next
largest sources. North
America is not a large con-
tributor because of its loca-
tion and air flow patterns.
"There is little rain or
snow in the dark winter
months of the far North to
wash the pollution particles
out of the air," according to
the Tennessean.
Well folks, it looks like
we've got a lot of work
ahead of us if we don't
want our grandchildren
gathered round the piano
singing "I'm Dreaming of a
Beige Christmas."
But be of good cheer . . .
though the ghosts of Christ-
mas Future bring dire warn-
ings, the Grinch may yet
have a change of heart. ~

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People
Environmental News
Congratulations to Barbara Quesnell on being honored
as EPA's Outstanding Federal Handicapped Employee for
1984. Quesnell, who entered the federal workforce in 1960
as a clerk-typist, is currently a Budget Analyst at the Cin-
cinnati labs. Her movements have been severely restricted
since her spinal cord was damaged by polio when she was
4 years old.
Special Act Awards presented to: Sarah Kadec, Judy
Earle, Terry Forrest, and Carlyn Perry, Administration
and Resources Management.
Quality Step Increase awarded to: Richard Friedman.
Air and Radiation. ~
Agency Activities	
Final regulation issued that exempts small chemical
manufacturers and importers from most of the reporting
and recordkeeping required by section 8(a) of the Toxic
Substances Control Act. The exemption standard will
balance EPA information needs with the need to minimize
the reporting and recordkeeping burden on small man-
ufacturers. Agency has used its TSCA section 8(a) report-
ing authority to obtain production, use, release, and expo-
suie data on many chemicals.
Risk assessment guidelines proposed which set out the
approach for estimating the public health risk of
environmental pollutants . . . Guidelines will be used
within the agency to assess the risk of given pollutants in
areas of carcinogenicity, mutagenicity (genetic damage),
developmental toxicities (birth defects or teratogenicity),
chemical mixtures, and exposure.
Additional terms and conditions placed on the contin-
ued registration of the pesticide alachlor after agency de-
termination that current use may result in risks to public
health. Alachlor was registered in 1969 and is man-
ufactured by the Monsanto Chemical Co. under the trade
name Lasso. It is a herbicide that controls unwanted
vegetation and is used primarily on corn and soybeans. By
volume, alachlor is the largest herbicide used in the U.S.
Policy developed on agency relations with Indian tribal
governments and administration of agency programs on In-
dian lands. Cornerstone of this effort is to give considera-
tion to tribal interests in making agency policy, and to in-
sure close involvement of tribal government in making
environmental decisions on reservation lands, water quali-
ty-
Environmental Health Committee of the Science Advi-
sory Board reviewed an agency analysis of cancer risks
associated with gasoline vapors. Committee agreed that
wholly vaporized unleaded gasoline vapors should be
classified as probably carcinogenic to humans. ~
The EPA Times is published 24 times per year lo provide news and
information for and about EPA employees Readers are encouraged to
submit news of themselves and of fellow employees, letters ol opinion,
questions, comments, and suggestions to- Miles Allen. Editor, The EPA
Times, Office of Public Affairs {A -10 7). Telephone :ili2-4394 Information
selected for publication will be edited as necessary in keeping with
space available
A selection of noteworthy lines chosen from 1 he 300-400 newspaper and
magazine articles on environmental matters which ive receive every two^
weeks
"A new Environmental Protection Agency plan may do
more harm than good. The EPA recently announced a plan
to remove all the lead from gasoline by 1986 because of its
toxicity. But lead has long been used to raise octane,
which is a measure of a fuel's energy. And refiners say
maintaining gasoline's octane without lead makes the fuel
more volatile and therefore more likely to give off gasoline
fumes. Gasoline fumes are already a problem . . . They are
a particularly tough kind of emission to control because
they continue boiling off a car's hot carburetor and fuel
line for as long as an hour after the rar is shut off."—Wall
St. Journal, 11/7.
"The 'Environment Motorbike' is a motorcycle adapted
to clean up after dogs. The two-wheeler, recently em-
ployed in Dusseldorf, West Germany, has a hydraulic grip-
ping device that hovers over the offending spot and pulls
the excrement into tanks on the side. Chemicals in the
tanks immediately decompose the product."—Commercial
Appeal, 10/14.
"Health and safety statistics show that chemical work-
ers are healthier, live longer, and have fewer on-the-job
injuries than almost all other industrial workers . . .
[According to] a survey commissioner! by the Chemical
Manufacturers Association and conducted by Peat, Mar-
wich, Mitchell & Co."—journal of Commerce, 10/29.
Around EPA	
EPA Headquarters library wants to remind all employees
of the tour of the Library available every Wednesday from
9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The tour can be particularly helpful to
new employees, but everyone who hasn't visited the li-
brary for a while will find it interesting. During the tour
you'll hear about the many services available in addition
to the traditional offerings of books and magazines.
EPA's Center for Environmental Research Information is
sponsoring a series of ten seminars on Improving POTW
(Publicly Owned Treatment Works) Performance Using the
Composite Correction Program. Seminars will be held
across the country, beginning in January 1985. For further
information, contact Sheri Marshall, Conference Coordina-
tor, Dynamac Corporation, P.O. Box 2198, Kensington, Md.
20895, or phone (301) 468-2500.
An EPA film, "Municipal Wastewater. . . America's For-
gotten Resource" has won a second place trophy at the
First International Agricultural Film Festival
"Agrofilm'84" held at Nitra, Czechoslovakia, August 19-24,
1984. The award-winning film describes how land treat-
ment is offering new promise to communities besieged by
the rising costs of sewage treatment.
The Competition in Contracting Act (CICA) of 1984 sub-
stantially changes the basic statutes underlying the Fedf^
al procurement system. Agencies will be required to £3 _
achieve full and open competition by soliciting sealed bras
or requesting competitive proposals or by use of other
competitive procedures, unless a statutory exception per-
mits other than full and open competition. For more in-
formation, contact Pam John on 382-5030. ~

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"The black peasant seemed proud of his almost com-
plete thatched home in the remote mountains of South
¦frica . . . The round hut is plastered with asbestos waste
dumped by mining companies. 'The thatch and asbestos
are strong, the house will last for 20 years,' said the man
. . . Medical opinion is that in 20 years his family, con-
stantly exposed to the fibrous material, could be fighting a
losing battle against lung cancer."—Tampa Tribune, 10/25.
Losing its battle against coastal erosion, New York State
is putting regulations into effect that will prevent shore-
front homes from being rebuilt if they are destroyed by
storms . . . But thousands of homeowners in coastal com-
munities have already criticized the regulations at public
meetings, charging that their property is being condemned
without compensation."—New York Times, 11/10.
"The Environmental Protection Agency was within its
rights when it conducted aerial surveillance and photog-
raphy of a Dow Chemical Company plant six years ago, a
Federal appeals court ruled Friday."—New York Times,
11/11.
"The Supreme Court was told Wednesday that unless it
reverses a lower court ruling, polluters can avoid the cost
of cleaning up their dumpsites by declaring bankruptcy.
Lawyers for Ohio and the federal government urged the
court to reverse a ruling that blocks the state from collect-
ing cleanup costs from a bankrupt industrial waste com-
pany accused of creating an 'environmental nightmare' in
Hamilton, Ohio."—Cincinnati Enquirer, 10/11.
"Environmentalist groups, invoking a little-known provi-
sion of federal statutes, have quietly begun an effort to
police industrial polluters in Texas and throughout the na-
tion. . . Nearly all federal environmental laws enacted in
the past 15 years contain a provision saying any 'citizen'
can sue any other 'citizen' for violating the law . . . The
effects of the movement soon will be felt from coast to
coast. With more than 200 suits now filed or about to be,
and with five-figure settlements typical in the cases re-
solved so far, U.S. companies stand to lose millions of
dollars as environmentalist plaintiffs press on."—Dallas
Morning News, 11/4.
"While water wars among Western states have been
routine for decades, they have only recently moved East.
Droughts, groundwater pollution and development booms
are combining in many areas in the East to place unprece-
dented demand on what environmentalists say is a limited
amount of good drinking water. The result, from the Great
Lakes to the Florida Keys, has been an eruption of dis-
putes over who owns water and who has a right to use
it.—Washington Post, 11/18.
"Each fall, beginning in mid-October, thousands of pink-
and rust-colored kokonee salmon make their way up the
clear and cold McDonald Creek on the edge of Glacier
National Park where they will spawn and shortly after-
wards, their mission accomplished, die. Beginning a week
or so later, when the salmon number in the tens of
thousands, bald eagles will begin to gather singly and in
pairs in the trees along the creek. Eventually, more than
600 bald eagles will gather to feed on the dead and dying
salmon now clogging the stream . . . Last year more than
3000 people, some from as far away as Germany, braved
the snow and subfreezing temperatures to observe the
avian spectacle."—Boston Globe, 11-18.
Thomas Named to
Replace WDR
Lee Thomas, Assistant
Administrator for Solid
Waste and Emergency Re-
sponse, has been named by
President Reagan to succeed
Bill Ruckelshaus as Ad-
ministrator of EPA.
Mr. Reagan accepted
Ruckelshaus' resignation on
November 28. If approved
by the Senate, Thomas will
assume his new post on
January 5, when Ruckel-
shaus leaves.
"I couldn't be more
pleased with the President's
choice," Ruckelshaus said.
"Lee Thomas is one of the
finest and most able public
servants whom I have had
the opportunity to work
with and know."
Thomas served as Acting
Deputy Administrator from
March 25, 1983 until Al
Aim was confirmed.
Prior to joining EPA, Tho-
mas served as the Executive
Deputy Director and the
Associate Director for State
and Local Programs and
Support at the Federal
Emergency Management
Agency.
Thomas' career also in-
cludes serving as Director
of the Division of Public
Safety Programs for the
Governor of South Carolina.
He served two consecutive
terms as chairman of the
National Criminal Justice
Association, and was a
councilman on the Ridge-
way, S.C., town council.
Thomas earned his Mas-
ter's in Education from the
University of South Caro-
lina, where he did post-
graduate work in psycholo-
gy. He received his bachelor
of arts degree in psychology
from the University of the
South in Sewanee, Tennes-
see.
A resident of Wood-
bridge, Virginia, Thomas is
married and has two
sons. ~

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Sharing Experiences and Visions
At the Human Resources Conference
In late November repre-
sentatives for every EPA
program, region, and lab
complex gathered at the
Hunt Valley Inn, just north
of Baltimore. For 3 days
their interactions were con-
centrated on ways to main-
tain and improve the pro-
fessionalism, competence,
efficiency, and satisfaction
of Agency employees. In
the following article, Kirke
Harper, Director of the
Office of Human Resources
Management, tells some of
the things that happened at
the conference.
At our first meeting of the
EPA Human Resources
Council we tapped a vital
source of information and
energy to change the way
we treat people at EPA.
Over 50 participants
came together to exchange
views and present examples
of programs that have
worked.
We learned of Region l's
mandatory training for su-
pervisors and managers,
built around real-life situa-
tions, which stresses com-
munication skills and a lot
of practice. Along the same
lines, the Personnel Man-
agement Division has
launched a pilot program to
assess managerial skills, ti-
tled the Management Ex-
cellence Inventory. The re-
suit? Change. Better super-
visors, better employee
morale and greater produc-
tivity.
Regions 2 and 3 pre-
sented new approaches to
employee orientation and
development techniques
which make it easier for
employees to understand
where they fit in and how
they can grow in their jobs.
We heard how rotational
assignments are working
within the Dallas Regional
Office and with state and
local agencies in Region 9.
this we will be mindful of
the need to respect the
many dimensions that
characterize an employee's
life beyond the job itself:
family, community, the
need for economic security,
and the like."
Howard Messner, AA for
Administration and Re-
sources Management, gave a
luncheon address which
was upbeat, encouraging,
and typically insightful. He
stressed the critical balance
of environmental manage-
ment activities and the
roles of career employees
and political leadership in
achieving our goals. He
emphasized the positive
aspects of forging an en-
lightened partnership in
moving and managing peo-
ple as our principal re-
source. Messner com-
missioned us to recognize
the power we have to s^Bs
our own destiny as an
Agency and to use that
power creatively for change.
We in the Office of Hu-
man Resources Management
held this conference to be-
gin to build a communica-
tions network which will
reach out and touch each
and every employee in
EPA. Our efforts will suc-
ceed only through the ac-
tive involvement of em-
ployees in all our locations
and at all levels in our or-
ganization.
The Human Resources
Council includes broad
representation from across
the Agency. It will generate
ideas, serve as a sounding
board, advise our office on
strategies and programs,
and help turn ideas into
reality. We plan to gather
the members together again
in the Spring, and reguh«U'
thereafter, in an effort t^^--
sure their active involve-
ment in developing strat-
egies to help us reach our
vision of a better EPA. ~
Managers and employees
alike believe these de-
velopmental experiences
can benefit them personally
and professionally, and
help to establish vital com-
munication links and better
working relationships.
Better performance man-
agement strategies were dis-
cussed by Chicago's region-
al representative. Top man-
agers there have helped to
shape new performance
standards which more
accurately reflect real-world
duties.
Region 4 recounted their
experience in anticipating
changes in the skills needed
by Atlanta's staff. It was a
self-contained project, from
the ground up, with em-
ployees analyzing the in-
formation and making rec-
ommendations about future
actions.
Similarly, Region 10 and
the Office of Pesticides and
Toxic Substances show-
cased their innovative
efforts to aggressively pur-
sue management excellence.
They argued convincingly
that their employees'
morale and productivity
have improved and they
want to expand their efforts
further.
Deputy Administrator Al
Aim opened the conference,
presenting a strategic vision
for developing EPA's hu-
man resources over the next
decade and beyond.
Recognizing that "an in-
stitution is no better than
the people that compose it."
Aim said that, "We must
revolutionize career pat-
terns that have become
worn and comfortable, but
that impede us from doing
the task at hand. In doing
Region 2 representative presents innovations in human
resource management.
Sharing good ideas and good times.

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