skerh.
Times
NEWS FOR AND ABOUT EPA EMPLOYEES
INSIDE:
~	Black History Month
~	Promotion Facts
~	Smoking Ban
VOLUME 2
NUMBER 9 February 20, 1985
More Money, More People, More Work
by Margherita Pryor
For the second straight
year, EPA has received one
of the largest proposed
funding increases in federal
domestic spending.
President Reagan has pro-
posed an EPA budget for
FY 1986 of $4.67 billion, up
$339 million from this year.
Funding requests include
$1.4 billion and 11,365
workyears* for Agency op-
erating programs; $900 mil-
lion and 1,716 workyears
for the the Superfund pro-
gram; and $2.4 billion for
the construction grants pro-
gram.
These figures include
cuts of about $25 million
coming from across-the-
board administrative ex-
penses (travel, printing,
etc.) and from EPA's share
~A "workyear" is any combination
of permanent, temporary, full-time,
and part-time labor equivalent to
the work done by one full-time
employee in one year.
of a proposed government-
wide five-percent reduction
in employee salaries.
Overall, the proposed
budget calls for an increase
of 505 workyears over 1985
levels. Thus, EPA will be
hiring more people while
most other departments and
agencies plan to reduce
their payrolls. Also, there
has been no request by the
Administration for any cut-
back in the regional offices.
According to Acting Ad-
ministrator Lee Thomas, the
proposed budget confirms
the President's high priority
for EPA programs, es-
pecially when viewed
against the budget freezes
imposed on many other
federal offices. "This budget
not only builds upon the
foundation laid in the last 2
years," said Thomas, "it
also represents a significant
expansion in areas where
our responsibilities must be
met with increased re-
sources.
14000
Four Percent Increase
In Workyears for 1986
Most of the additional
workyears will go to sup-
port the increased effort to
clean up and control
hazardous waste.
The proposed budget is
now subject to Con-
gressional consideration
and negotiations between
the Executive and Legisla-
tive Branches. A final ver-
sion will likely appear in
an appropriations bill some-
time in late summer. ~
Proposed 1986
Program Changes
Superfund gains $280 million and 359 workyears.
This will enable EPA to continue the momentum
gained in the last 2 years and to more than double
the number of sites undergoing the final cleanup
phase of remedial actions.
RCRA gains $54 million and 146 workyears. This
will allow the Agency to begin implementing re-
quirements called for in the 1984 RCRA
reauthorization: banning certain wastes from land
disposal, and regulating underground storage tanks
and small-quantity generators.
Enforcement efforts gain $34 million and 278 work-
years, most of which support the Superfund and
RCRA programs. In the Water program, EPA plans
to emphasize compliance with pretreatment re-
quirements.
Research and Development gains $23 million and 10
workyears, most of which will be focused in three
areas: acid rain, hazardous waste, and toxics/
pesticides.
Construction grants will continue at the 1985 level of
$2.4 billion. This represents the first step of a pro-
posed 4-year phase out of the program. While
EPA anticipates a reduced federal role in construc-
tion financing, the Agency does expect to continue
to fund existing projects which have previously re-
ceived federal funds.
State and local grants will continue at their full 1985
enacted levels, except for Hazardous Waste State
Grants which increase by almost $8 million.
Regional operations will have a substantial increase
in workyears. Of the 505 Agency workyears in-
crease, 391 will be directed towards the regions.
Approximately 83 percent of the Superfund work-
year increase will be for regional activities.

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People
Bronze Medals awarded to: Kenneth Wilk, John Zachar-
ias, Leslie Buie, Richard Soloman, Phillip Mancuso, and
Larrj Cooey, Office of the Inspector General.
Quality Step Increases awarded to: John Santos, Cecilia
Scott, Betty Jo Fontaine, and Brenda Frick, Office of the
Administrator . . . Gloria Hendricks, Mark Stevens, and
Carolyn Lowe, External Affairs . . . Kim Pearson, Enforce-
ment & Compliance Monitoring . . . Annette DiLasacio and
Margaret Hardesty, Office of General Counsel . . . Willie
Hampton, Nathan Ives, Amal Manfouz, Beverly Davis,
Mary Jordan, Richard Petrie, Bernard Schneider, and Lin-
da Propst, Pesticides and Toxic Substances . . . Glenda
Williams, Policy, Planning and Evaluation . . . Michael
Binder, John Bonqirne, Anthony Musick, Diane
Yanushefski, Robert Adachi, Melinda Als, Robert Coia,
Marie Cullerton, Lawrence Gunn, William Spinazzola,
and Barbara Vaughn, Office of the Inspector General . . .
Shelly Allen, Administration and Resources Management .
. . Nancy Dillion, Paulette Ballard, Kenneth Adams,
Richard Thomas, Robert Bastian, James Wheeler, James
Shuster, Charles Mooar, and Frances Dudley, Water . . .
Delia Ferguson, Vicki Dellarco, and Brenda Washington,
Research and Development.
Special Act Awards presented to: Brenda Frick, Donald
Bronkema, Susan Vogt, Elouise Agee, Stanley Meiburg,
and Betty Harderman, Office of the Administrator . . .
Alice Nims, Office of General Counsel . . . Michael Gru-
ber, Policy, Planning and Evaluation . . . Kennetta Lyles
and John Walsh, Office of the Inspector General . . . Selma
Attidore, Margaret Binney, John Edwardson, James O'Le-
ary, and Alicia Rood, Administration and Resources Man-
agement . . . Regina Femminella, Air and Radiation . . .
Michael Cullen, Water . . . Janice Jones, Research and De-
velopment.
Continued Superior Performance Awards to: Lori
Eichelberger, Cheryl Bentley, Barbara Robinson, John
Graham, Renae Halsey, Rosemary Carroll, Deborah Good,
Linda Hilwig, Jeralene Green, and Thelma Beverly, Office
of the Administrator . . . Jay Benforado, David Cohen,
Patricia Gaskins, Joan Jennings, Patricia Saylor, Matt
Schweisberg, and Barbara Straughan, External Affairs . . .
Cara Jablon, James Nelson, Douglas Henderson, Arnita
Moore, Catherine Winer, Nancy Hutzel, Glenda Colvin,(
Jacqueline Hawkins, Joseph Freedman, Ellen Siegler, Dov
Weitman, Richard Ossias, Bonita Follins, Deborah War-
rick, and Ralph Colleli, Office of General Counsel . . .
Louvenia Sellers, Maureen Sherill, and John Jamula, Pes-
ticides and Toxic Substances . . . Claudia Payne, Stacey
Katz, Jeanne Briskin, Lorraine Butler, Helen Lovett, and
Renee Howell, Policy, Planning and Evaluation . . . Harry
Clark, Jerry Elliott, Diane Forrest, Jane Kinney, Keith
Reichard, Donald Sullivan, Edward Gekosky, Sheleta
Hudson, James Kreider, and Lana Washington, Office of
the Inspector General . . . Donna Carmical, Saundra
Drayton, Lynn Beasley, Margaret Padgett, Kristen
Skogebo, Brenda Zollicoffer, June Moe, Linda McKay,
David Stutz, Hector Suarez, Mary Miller, Stanley Coach-
man, Patricia Johnson, Frances Hanavan, James
Blumenschien, Joan Broome, and Teresa Harley, Adminis-
tration and Resources Management . . . John Heath, Air
and Radiation . . . Thomas Laverty, Michael Mundell,
David Shedroff, Samuel To, Jennifer Simon, Lionda
Raymon, Saladin Abdul-Hagg, Elisabeth LaRoe, Marcella
DePont, Sylvia Bell, Barbara Burke, Joyce Edwards,
Stephen Kroner, Donna Fletcher, Joyce Lemmon, Peggy
Moran, Joseph Dowd, Yvonne Turner, Penelope Fenner-
Crisp, Sara Neuber, Geraldine Collins-Lynch, Russell
Roegner, Carrie Pope, Renee Rico, Debra Maness, Wood-
ruff Johnson, David Schnare, Patricia Wilkins, Thomas
Pandolfi, Hiranmay Biswas, John Pai, James Plafkin,
Cherly Clark, Charlene Shaw, Walter Gilbert, Kittibell
Miller, Wanda Crawley, Isabella Hodge, Peter Lassovsz^^
Martin Brossman, Charles Delos, Richard Healy, Eleanor
Zimmerman, Elizabeth Southerland, Robert Horn, Eli-
zabeth Barrera, Ronald DeCesare, Jessie Price, Sharon
Evans, Cynthia Widdowson, and Carol Crow, Water . . .
Elizabeth Price, Linda Pennington, Mary Alice Bolten,
Morris Altschuller, Mary Delvin and Becky Parrott, Re-
search and Development, n
Around EPA	
Smoking banned in Region 1 offices as of March 4,
1985. Region 1 employees may select a stop-smoking pro-
gram to attend during normal working hours. EPA will pay
the costs up to $100.00.
"Solving a problem, not creating a crisis" is the theme of
the Michigan Industrial Hazardous Waste Conference to
be held May 13-15, 1985 at the Hillcrest Convention Cen-
ter, Mt. Clemens, Michigan. For further information con-
tact: EMCEE Group, Inc., P.O. Box 7367, Ann Arbor, MI
48107.
Abstracts are due on March 15, for papers submitted to
the Eighth Annual Madison Waste Conference. The con-
ference takes place in Madison, Wisconsin on September
18 and 19. For further information contact Philip O'Leary
on 608-262-0493. a
Letters 	
To the Employees of EPA:
EPA, in conjunction with the American Red Cross,
.would like to thank the employees for their participation
in the Blood Donor Program throughout the year. Through
your giving spirit, we received over 600 units of blood.
Although our goal this year was 550, 600 were realized.
Many in the Washington community have benefited from
your donation and numerous lives have been saved
through your .generosity in the Washington Metropolitan
Area.
Because of your outstanding effort, the agency, on
November 29, 1984, was honored by receiving the Amei^
ican Red Cross' "Outstanding Achievement Award."
Thank you for a job well done!
Leigh Diggs
Personnel Management Division

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Merit Promotion Facts
October, EPA issued a revised Merit Promotion Pro-
SPrn covering most employees in grades 1 to 15. Major
changes include: new procedures for evaluating promotion
candidates, consideration of recent performance ap-
praisals, optional use of panels, and new forms. Some of
the more frequently asked questions are answered below.
Q. Is the new Program applicable in filling all EPA
positions?
A. No, historically the Merit Promotion Program is
applicable in filling non-bargaining unit positions up to
grade 15. However, the new Program is consistent with the
AFGE Master Agreement signed in June 1984, so that the
procedures are also applicable in filling AFGE bargaining
unit positions. Promotion procedures for other bargaining
unit positions are subject to negotiations.
Q. Is it true that now more employees can be upgraded
without going through competition?
A. Yes, the revised Program is consistent with the Federal
Personnel Manual procedures that allow employees to be
promoted when their jobs are upgraded (i.e., given higher
graded duties and responsibilities) without having to
compete for their own positions.
Q. Do employees applying for a reassignment under
merit promotion have to compete?
A. Under the Merit Promotion Program issued in 1977,
«y did have to compete. However, under the revised Pro-
m, employees bidding on a vacancy with the same
grade as their present grade will normally be referred for
consideration on a separate list except when there is great-
er promotion potential in the vacancy than the applicant's
own position.
Q. How does the method of evaluating candidates
change with the revised Program?
A. Under the 1977 Program, applicants were rated in
four elements: experience, training, potential, and promo-
tion appraisal. Total points added up to 100 and up to 10
candidates with the highest scores above 80 were referred
to the selecting official in rank order.
Under the new Program, applicants will be rated against
the knowledges, skill, abilities, and other characteristics
(KSAO's) identified by a subject matter expert as necessary
for successful performance in the job. KSAO's will be de-
fined at four levels and applicants rated on a 4,3,2,1 scale
for each factor. Applicants who receive a 3.0 average are
considered highly qualified. The top 10 candidates are re-
ferred to the selection official in alphabetical order.
Q. What is a subject matter expert?
A. A subject matter expert (SME) is an individual who is
thoroughly familiar with the duties and requirements for a
given occupation. Normally the SME has worked in the
f pupation or supervised others in the occupation. SME's
) recommended by the selecting official and work with
e personnel specialist in developing the rating specifica-
tions. The SME's must be at least equivalent to the grade
of the position being filled and not be an applicant for
the position. The selecting official should not serve as the
subject matter expert unless no other SME is available.
Q. What forms must be submitted by an applicant for
promotion consideration?
A. The Merit Promotion Vacancy Announcement lists
the forms required for a particular vacancy. Generally they
are: a current Personal Qualifications Statement, SF-171; a
copy of your more recent annual performance appraisal; a
copy of your most recent Notice of Personnel Action, SF-
50; and a Merit Promotion Information Record, EPA-3115-
9, which acknowledges application receipt and is used to
send you the final results.
Q. With the interview optional rather than required,
does this mean most candidates will not meet the select-
ing official?
A. No, it should have little effect on the interview proc-
ess. Most, if not all, vacancy announcements will be wide
open with no particular candidate having an advantage.
Selecting officials generally prefer to interview to help
them decide whom to pick. If the interview is used, all
"highly qualified" candidates will be interviewed unless
unavailable for more than a week or if they were pre-
viously interviewed by the same selecting official for a
similar position in the past year. ~
Agency Activities	
Conditional waiver granted to E.I. Dupont de Nemours &
Co., Inc. to market a new blend of unleaded gasoline con-
taining methanol and other cosolvents. Dupont has de-
veloped an evaporative emissions index which will help
determine the environmental impact of the new fuel
blend.
Bubble approach used for first time under new source
performance standards (NSPS) of the Clean Air Act. For
example, Central Illinois Public Service (CIPS) power
plant can reduce sulfur dioxide emissions at two of its
boilers by imposing a tighter than necessary emission limit
on one unit to offset a less strict limit on the other. This
will reduce the overall sulfur dioxide emissions from the
two boilers by 3,100 tons a year while allowing CIPS the
flexibility to use less costly fuel.
General Motors Corporation agrees to voluntarily recall
approximately 225,000 1981 and 1982 vehicles to repair
catalytic converters that may be defective. California vehi-
cles are included in the recall. The recall affects vehicles
equipped with 4.1 liter V-6 gasoline engines. ~
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 themselves and of fellow employees, letters of opinion,
questions, comments, and suggestions to: Miles Allen, Editor, The EPA
Times, Office of Public Affairs (A-107). Telephone 382-4359. Information
selected for publication will be edited as necessary in keeping with
space available.

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Black History Month Observed
Maureen Bunyan speaks at Black History Month ceremony.
By Marilyn Sogers
Black History Month this
year marks the 59th an-
niversary of this com-
memoration of the contribu-
tions of black people to
America. The Association
for the Study of Afro-
American Life and History,
organized by Carter G.
Woodson, established this
annual celebration in 1926
as "Negro History Week."
Originally this observance
took place in February be-
tween the birthdays of
Frederick Douglass and
Abraham Lincoln. However,
beginning with the
Bicentennial, the celebra-
tion was extended from one
week to the entire month of
February.
Under the leadership of
Nathaniel Scurry, Director
of EPA's Office of Civil
Rights, the first program
"The Afro-American Fami-
ly: Historical Strengths for
the New Century" took
place February 4 at a Wash-
ington, D.C. elementary
school.
Maureen Bunyan, Anchor-
person for WDVM-TV's
6 p.m. news, was the key-
note speaker. Also partici-
pating in the celebration
were Oxon Hill High
School's Color Guard, and
its Championship Drill
Team.
Other scheduled pro-
grams include: a panel dis-
cussion on "How To Get
Ahead in EPA"; a lecture/
demonstration on "Contri-
butions of Blacks to the
Evolution of Music"; and a
wine-and-cheese reception,
sponsored by the EPA
Chapter of Blacks in Gov-
ernment, following the clos-
ing ceremonies.
Black History Month
prompts us to reflect on the
struggles of all people to
rise above their cultural re-
strictions. The following ex-
cerpt from Robert Louis
Tinsley's works seems
worth quoting.
We can learn many posi-
tive lessons from the water
lily that grows in less than
ideal surroundings. One
may wonder how it is pos-
sible for a water lily to
maintain its fresh, clean
appearance while sur-
rounded by mucky water.
The answer is simple: The
water lily resides in its im-
pure environment but
draws its life-giving nutri-
ents through its stems,
which are implanted deep
into the earth—far beneath
the filthy waters.
Those who live in less
than pleasant or ideal en-
vironments need not be-
come negative products of
those environments. In-
stead, the key to successful
survival is to tie one's prin-
ciples and values to the
firm foundation of
religious, moral and social
ideals. When this is done,
one becomes like the water
lily— overcoming the neg<^
tive factors and in/Juence^j
of its immediate environ-
ment and surviving pro-
ductively, gracefully and
with a great deal of dig-
nity. ~
Environmental News
"Indians may kill bald eagles and other protected an-
imals on reservation lands as long as the feathers and body
parts are used only for religious purposes, a federal ap-
peals court has ruled. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Ap-
peals said that century-old treaties that gave Indians
reservation lands included exclusive hunting
privileges."—Washington Post, 1/11.
"Engine 614—the 1948 vintage Chesapeake & Ohio
steam locomotive—has been refurbished and is now haul-
ing freight six days a week across the 100 miles between
Huntington and Hinton, W. Va. The service is a monthlong
experiment set up by Ross Rowland Jr., a millionaire New
York City commodities broker and train buff, to
demonstrate that railroads should scrap their diesel en-
gines and return to coal-fired steam power. Rowland con-
tends that rebuilt steam locomotives, still burning coal but
equipped with new antipollution devices, can now run
more cleanly than diesels."—Time, 1/21.
"A private investment firm has been awarded a contract
to rent 11,000 square feet of space in downtown Kansas
City, Kansas to the Environmental Protection Agency. The
awarding of the lease removed one of the last obstacles to
the transfer of the environmental agency's regional offices
from Missouri to Kansas. The contract, worth $825,000
over 10 years, was awarded Friday to Minnesota Center,
Inc. for space at 742 Minnesota Avenue."—The Kansas
City Star, 12/23.
"William Marks, a longtime environmental activist from
New Jersey, may have found a prescription for reviving
ponds damaged by acid rain. He dumps seashells in them.
Recent tests of Harlick's Pond—a biologically dead pond
when it was loaded with seashells a year ago—show that
acidity around the shells is being neutralized. In less than
a year, the pH level went from 4.0—very acidic—to 5.5.
'That's a considerable improvement—5.5 is suitable for
trout,' Marks said."—Providence Journal, 12/23.
"You undoubtedly have heard of noise pollution. But
how about fighting pollution with noise? Researchers at
Pennsylvania State University have been studying a way
clean pollutants from smokestacks with high-intensity
sound. The sound waves cause tiny soot particles to
clump together, making it easier to trap tbem before they
enter the atmosphere."—Newsday, 1/8. ~
SYSTEMS
GPO 91 3-076

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