StEBfc Times NEWS FOR AND ABOUT EPA EMPLOYEES INSIDE: ~ AAs Confirmed ~ Season Opened ~ Security Questioned VOLUME 3 NUMBER 2 NOVEMBER 1985 Making That Extra Effort for CFC The opportunity to give easily is not easily gained. Each year, federal workers are offered a simple and painless way to experience the pleasurable feeling of their own generosity. But this chance only comes from a tremendous amount of hard work by many dedicated people. This year, EPA's Key workers and Coordinators of the Combined Federal Campaign have again shown a readiness to give their efforts so that others may benefit. The EPA Times salutes all Agency volunteers, and we encourage all employees to take a moment to personally thank their CFC contacts for a job well done. In addition to performing the standard tasks of distribution, public speaking, and paper shuffling, EPA volunteers have added a creative twist to the 1985 Campaign: a large orange gourd! "Peppy Pumpkin" is the centerpiece of a promotional drawing designed to add a little fun to the process of encouraging higher donations. By the Campaign's end he will have visited the Fairchild building, Crystal City, and both main lobbies at Waterside Mall. Contributors to the CFC may qualify for the drawing by using special chance cards to guess Peppy's weight. The chance cards are being issued by CFC Keyworkers in accordance with the amount and method of contributions. Several prizes are offered, including a $50 U.S. Savings Bond. Peppy "Rimpkin "• " ¦! I till Mary Cusato holds a 2-year old child with visual impairment problems at the Easter Seal Society. Some offices are doing their own thing to raise funds. The Office of External Affairs, for instance, is planning an auction of employee-donated goods and services. Bidders will have the chance to buy a wide assortment of goodies, ranging from a home-cooked meal to a soak in a private hot tub. The Office of Administration and Resources Management has already held a bake sale in which, rumor has it, a cake baked by the Assistant Administrator sold for $200. And yes, they did raise a lot of dough. Several employees have helped to highlight the valuable work supported by the CFC by taking time out to visit facilities of participating agencies. On October 28, Joy Continued on back. ------- People Letters Congratulations on 30 years of government service to: Donald Thomas, Region 9. Retiree: Charles Lewis, 38 years, Region 5. On September 15, 1985, Mike Cook won the Masters category at the Mason-Dixon Triathlon in York, Pennsylvania. To win, he ran 20 miles, hiked 50 miles and swam 2 miles in 7 hours, 9 minutes and 28 seconds. Cook is the Deputy Directory of the Office of Solid Waste and soon will become Director of the Office of Drinking Water. Marilyn Quinones, Region 2, has been selected by the Coro Foundation as one of the twelve participants in the Public Affairs Leadership Program for Hispanic Women. The Coro Foundation is a non-profit institute that was founded in San Francisco in 1942 to conduct education in the field of public affairs. Quinones is the first federal employee to participate in this program. Sustained Superior Performance Awards to: Richard Kratofil, Office of the Administrator . . . Pamela Lott, Enforcement and Compliance Monitoring. Special Act Awards presented to: Richard Duffy, Renalla Rae, Linda Flick, Nancy Hunt, Richard Innes, Michael Walker, and Michael Wood, Enforcement and Compliance Monitoring . . . Deborah Allen, Katrina Womack, Pamela Marshall, Denise Devoe, Timothy Knutson, and Timothy Laybourne, Pesticides and Toxic Substances . . . Craig Fitzner, Duane Ono, Frances Prosser, Julie Rose, William Wruble, Melanie Blaha, Carolyn Frieber, Roberta Blank, James Broadway, Brenda Buck, David Hanegraaf, David Henderson, Kim Rietdorf, Mark Samolis, M.C. Toliver, Josephine Apellanes, Susanna Aylworth, Paula Bisson, Paul Blais, Stanley Brown, Maria Cruz, Sharon Jang, Richard Martyn, Cynthia McCormick, Nicholas Morgan, Gareth Paredes, Jo Ann Semones, Faye Thompson, Alexander Vitug, Pearl Wong, Debra Caldon, Valerie Cooper, Uedico Scatliffe, and Sanford Sloane, Region 9 (Fourth Annual Awards Ceremony). Quality Step Increase awarded to: Margherita Pryor, External Affairs. ~ ... a means for Agency employees to communicate to other employees whatever messages of criticism, praise, opinion, or explanation they so desire. Brevity and constructive suggestions are encouraged; obscenity 4 rudeness are disallowed. Letters will be published as space allows andlnri be edited for clarity and conciseness. No attempt is made by the editor to confirm any data presented by correspondents and the opinions expressed should not be taken to represent Agency positions, unless signed by the head of the appropriate office. All letters must be signed and accompanied by submitter's office location and telephone number. Dear Editor: I have been an EPA employee for almost 9 years in the San Francisco Regional Office. Before that I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador (1972-1976). I am not alone in this regard, Region 9 has over ten returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs). An idea that has surfaced within this RPCV group centers around Peace Corps projects that have environmental impacts. It seems that a group/agency such as the Peace Corps should incorporate into its projects environmental planning, along the lines of other federal agency EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) documents. EPA has long recognized that pollution does not stop at borders, that it becomes an international concern. Examples like acid rain, DDT, and others come to mind. My idea is to try and solicit a response from EPA, so that EPA and the Peace Corps can start the process of policy and program development. The results of this interagency partnership may be very profound. The third world could gain greatly in the environmental area by having expertise from a group like EPA reviewing the long-term effects of proposed and ongoing Peace Corps managed/directed projects. It would be interesting to know if other RPCV's in EPA feel that such a mission would be a good one for our Agency, and how it should be accomplished. If any of this strikes a note with you, please feel free to call me at 415-974-7514. Richard Martyn Region 9 1985 W-2 Forms If you want to be sure to receive your W-2 forms on time this year, take a moment now to confirm that the Headquarters Accounting Branch has your proper address. Please verify the address on your bi-weekly payroll statement. If your address is incomplete or incorrect, submit a new W-4 Form by December 9, 1985. Your new W-4 Form should be mailed to: Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters Accounting Operations Branch (PM-226), Washington, DC 20460. Blank W-4 Forms are available from your Servicing Personnel Office, or if you are in Headquarters, you may get your W-4 Form from the Customer Assistance Section in Room 3407 Mall. The law requires EPA to provide each employee with a W-2 Form by January 31 of each year. The goal is to have the 1985 Forms in the mail by January 15, 1986. Your cooperation will help to achieve that goal. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Assistance Section on 382-5116. ------- Around EPA Thanks to the sustained efforts of the Facilities and Support Se^ices Division, EPA headquarters has obtained some l^®-sought and much-needed new conference spaces. The new EPA Conference Center, consisting of six new rooms, is located adjacent to the Washington Information Center in the mall. Designed to support a variety of conference and group meetings, it will reduce the need to rent outside sites for EPA meetings. Do you receive EPA's Management Memo? Management Memo is a newsletter about matters of interest to the supervisors, managers and executives of EPA. If you belong on our mailing list but aren't, send your name and office mail address to Chris Dean, Distribution, PM-215. Employees are reminded that the 1985 Leave Year ends January 4, 1986 and that non-SES personnel are permitted to carry over a maximum of 240 hours of annual leave from one leave year to the next. Any unused annual leave in excess of this carry-over is forfeited. Agency supervisors should review their employees' leave plans for the remainder of this year to assure that annual leave forfeiture is avoided. Federal leave regulations only allow restoration of forfeited annual leave if it was lost due to an administrative error, illness, or an exigency of the public business. The regulations further stipulate that restoration can only be considered if the leave was formally scheduled and approved in writing before the start of the third biweekly pay period prior to the end of the leave year. Therefore, the last date for approval of potentially restorable leave for this year would be Saturday, November 23, 1985. More detailed information about leave policies may be found in the EPA Leave Manual. Questions should be referred to your servicing Personnel Office. ^¦Dpen Season for Federal Employee Health Benefits Wograms will be held November 4 through December 6, 1985. During Open Season, eligible employees may enroll in a plan or change plans or options. Employees who do not wish to change their current enrollment are not required to take any action. Brochures will be distributed to each Administrative Officer. Those employees wishing to enroll or change their enrollment must complete a Health Benefits Registration Form (SF-2809). These forms are available in Room 3013, Waterside Mall. This form must be completed and submitted to the headquarters personnel office by 5 p.m. on December 6, 1985. New enrollments and changes in current enrollments elected during the Open Season will become effective January 5, 1986. For further information, contact Juelee Street on 382-3276. ~ Region 2 receives a Patriotic Service Award from the Treasury Department for increasing participation in the U.S. Savings Bond drive by 63 percent this year. (Nationwide, EPA increased its participation by 26 percent.) Jane Thomas, Region 2 Bond Drive Coordinator, and Regional Administrator Christopher Daggett hold certificates presented by Richard Steiger, Treasury's Area Manager for Savings Bonds. Agency Activities A final rule has been issued by EPA to control the discharge of wastewater pollutants from the pesticide chemical industry. The rule covers effluent limitations for three subcategories of pesticide-industry plants: organic pesticide chemical manufacturers, metallo-organic pesticide manufacturers, and pesticide chemical formulators and packagers. EPA developed the final limits and standards from data collected by the Agency and supplied by the pesticide industry. EPA announced its intention to list both ethylene oxide and chloroform as hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. Actions have also been taken involving the chemical 1,3-butadiene under both the Clean Air Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act. The agency intends to list the chemical as a hazardous air pollutant under the Clean Air Act. EPA proposed that 38 hazardous waste sites be added to the Agency's priority cleanup list under the Superfund site cleanup program. The proposed sites are located in 18 states, Hth five each in Iowa and Pennsylvania, four each in Minnesota and Indiana, three each in Wisconsin and Michigan, two each in Delaware and Florida, and one each in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Utah, and the State of Washington. A settlement agreement on regulatory measures covering the distribution, sale, and use of pesticides for preserving wood has been reached by EPA and major parties representing the wood preserving industry. Specifically, the settlement agreement includes provisions for restricting most uses of wood preservatives to certified applicators; label changes governing the use of the preservatives; and measures to reduce worker exposure, including the wearing of protective clothing. The Agency is fining 12 companies a total of $90,000 for failing to comply with its chemical import certification requirements. Three other companies also were fined a total of $75,000 for violating chemical testing requirements. These are the first enforcement actions to be taken by EPA for import violations under Section 13 of the Toxic Substances Control Act and testing violations under Section 4. ~ The EPA Times is published monthly 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: Marilyn Rogers, Editor, The EPA Times, Office of Public Affairs (A-107). Telephone 382-4355. Information selected for publication will be edited as necessary in keeping with space available. ------- EPA Promotes Minority Business Two Confirmed as Assistant Administrators Hattie Bickmore, Margie Wiison, and ferry Dodson (HTP) give information on EPA to representatives of firms attending the Minority Enterprise Development exhibition. CFC Efforts CovRr-story- Lawrence J. Jensen is the new Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water, and Jennifer Joy Manson is the new Assistant Administrator for the Office of External Affairs. Jensen's responsibilities in- clude drinking water stand- ards, effluent guidelines, construction grants, and ground-water and estuarine protection. Jensen comes to EPA from the Department of Interior, where he was Associate Soli- citor for Energy and Re- sources. He has also served as the department's Associate Solicitor for Indian Affairs and as a trial lawyer in the Civil Division of the Depart- ment of Justice. He earned his law degree from Brigham Young Univer- sity in 1976. Manson assumes responsi- bility for managing the Agen- cy's public affairs; Con- gressional relations; and liaison with other federal agencies, state and local gov- ernments, and environmental and other private organiza- tions. She is now the nation- al program manager for dredge-and-fill oversight under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, and is re- sponsible for coordination of federal-facilities compliance and Indian policy efforts. EPA's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization participated in the MED (Minority Enterprise DevelopmentJ exhibition October 6-12 at the Lowe's L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. The De- partment of Commerce and the Small Business Adminis- tration also participated in the event. Federal agencies and private corporations dis- played their brochures and made their personnel avail- able at the exhibits. The EPA exhibit was de- veloped by John M. Ropes' Office of Small and Dis- advantaged Business Utiliza- tion. That office is charged with the responsibility for furthering EPA's social and minority business utilization program. Margie Wilson worked with the other agen- cies and firms in coordinat- ing this event. William Kas- chak of EPA's Superfund pro- gram took part in a panel dis- cussion at the conference. Over 700 minority business persons partcipated in the week-long conference. There was also a White House reception honoring the minority business enter- prises. Hattie Bickmore, the National Coordinator of the MED event, said, "Each year this conference grows larger and better. We are here to celebrate those successful en- trepreneurs on the private side, and provide a place where networking can take place between private minor- ity businesssmen, govern- ment officials, and corporate representatives." For more information on the MED event itself, contact Margie Wilson at 557-7305. ~ Lawrence J. fensen Jennifer Joy Manson Since 1975, Manson has' held policy and management positions with the White House, the Virginia gov- ernor's office, the U.S. Sen- ate, and several political campaigns. Most recently, she managed the successful re-election campaign of Sena- tor John Warner (R-Va.). Manson received a B.A. in Speech from the University of North Carolina in 1974. ~ Manson, EPA's new Assistant Administrator for External Affairs, visited the American Cancer Society and, the next day, Mary Cusato, President of AFGE Local 3331, visited the Easter Seal Society. There has been one change in the administrative procedures from last year, and last year's major change has been carried over to the 1985 Campaign. While official CFC materials no longer describe the work of various agencies, potential CFC contributors could have access to more information than ever before about specific private voluntary agencies. Under new rules, charities have been distributing brochures to federal workers in public areas at or near the entrance to office buildings. In years past, employees interested in designating a specific charity could choose only from the private and voluntary agencies that fall under the CFC umbrella. But, as of last year, contributors interested in helping an unlisted charity are at liberty to write in that agency's name and address. CFC then forwards to that organization the dollar amount specified, minus a nominal handling charge (which applies to listed designees as well). The only specific qualification a "write-in" designee must meet is: it must be a human health and welfare charity recognized as tax-exempt by the Internal Revenue Service. Should a "write-in" charity fail to meet IRS standards, CFC will notify the EPA donor and give him or her another chance to designate a specif charity. EPA hopes to raise $250,000 this year. It is an ambitious goal, but unarguably worth pursuing. ~ ------- |