NEWS FOR AND ABOUT EPA EMPLOYEES
MAY YOUR HOLIDAYS
BE MERRY
AND THE NEW YEAR CALM
VOLUME 3 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 1985
Celebrating 15 Years of Progress
This month marks the fif-
teenth anniversary of the En-
vironmental Protection Agen-
cy's creation. The history of
EPA's first decade and a half
was described in the Novem-
ber issue of the EPA Journal
and the occasion was marked
at Headquarters with a
colorful ceremony that was
combined with the annual
awards presentations.
The Washington, D.C.
observance, held at a down-
town auditorium, featured
addresses by William Ruck-
elshaus, the Agency's first
administrator, Lee Thomas,
EPA administrator since last
February, and U.S. Senator
Robert Stafford of Vermont.
The program also featured
the first appearance of the
60-voice EPA chorus, a new
film depicting the Agency's
history, and a slide series
The Coalescing of EPA Personnel 1970
HEW

Air Pollution Control
1261
Solid Waste Management
206
Radiological Health
456
Water Hygiene
184
Pesticides Tolerances
213
Other
450
Total
2770
Interior

Water Quality
2996
Pesticide Label Review
88
Total
3084
AEC and
Federal Radiation Council
10
Agriculture
359
EPA
6223
As of
March 1985,
1,910 stalwarts
were still
with EPA.
Music and pomp to get the festivities started were provided
by the U.S. Marine band and color guard.
During a reception after the
anniversary/awards
ceremony, Administrator Lee
Thomas and fill Collins show
off the anniversary poster.
showing hundreds of EPAers
at work. Teamwork by scores
of people in many offices
was involved in planning the
event, which went off with-
out a hitch. Special credit
must be given to the events
"producer" and "director":
Jill Collins and Mary
McCaffery, to the Agency's
audiovisual division, and to
Bob Flanagan for his design
of the anniversary illustra-
tion.
Around the country, the
Agency's Regional offices
held a variety of anniversary
observances—award ceremo-
nies involving both EPA em-
ployees and the public,
speeches by one Senator—
John H. Chafee, (D.RI)—and
one former Senator— Gaylord
Nelson, press luncheons,
special events, and two bake-
offs. One bake-off, in Region
7, was judged by community
officials. The other, a choco-
late bake-off, was judged by
former Administrator Ruck-
elshaus.
No EDB in the recipes, we
hope.
Other anniversary notes:
How did EPA get its name?
Doug Costle, Agency Ad-
ministrator during the Carter
administration and a staffer
at the President's Council on
Reorganization (known as the
Ash Commission) during
Nixon's presidency, recalls
that it didn't take contests or
focus groups or brain-
storming sessions. "We had
just about finished the rec-
ommendations for establish-
ing the new agency, and we
needed a name to go with the
recommendation. Someone
suggested the 'National Pollu-
tion Agency.' We agreed that
even though that was the
agency's purpose it sounded
too negative and limiting.
The second suggestion was,
'Environmental Protection
Agency.' There was very lit-
tle discussion. We just put
that name into the recom-
mendation, and it stuck."
Moving day, December 2,
(Continued on Back.)

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People
Died: Ralph Scott, 74, Environmental Research Lab,
Corvallis, November 1.
Retirees: Doris Longo, 33 years, Region 5 . . . Donald Thomas,
30 years, Ferdinand Suhrer, 17 years, and Ho Young, 22
years, Region 9.
Special Act Awards presented to: Arvella Farmer, Steven
Saunders, Debra Thomas, Ricardo Talento, Helen Stone,
Blake Lewis, Sandra Artis, Rhonda Craig, Emily Glover,
Sandra Moyer, Mary Travers, Neil Pelletier, Diane Ierley,
Bruce Kapner, Josie Hollingsworth, Ingrid Sunzenauer, Mike
Branagan, Linda Vlier, Betty Shackleford, Raymond Krueger,
and Lawrence Culleen, Pesticides and Toxic Substances . . .
Denise Mims, Patrick Marshall, Lela Price, Lucy Tanner,
Patricia Spatarella, Karen Stinson, Julia Smith, Nadene
Wright, Teresa Sawyers, Teresa Malone, Shirley Ruffin,
Sandra Martin, Dionne Walker, Lena Price, Brenda Mason,
Carolyn Perry, Tom Davis, Georgette Boddie, Deborah Banks,
William Harrison, David Lindsey, John Adams, Mark Haque,
Leslie Baldwin, Ronald Bachard, Mary Holland, Wayne
Anthofer, Doreen LaFone, Arthur Flaks, Bernadine Davis,
Gabrielle DeSorto, Charles Collins, Barbara Gudger, Sheila
Hall, Rosalind Brown, Sherry Kaschak, Jean Ewing, Teresa
Lau, and Arthur Davis, Administration and Resources
Management . . . Peter Murtha, David Van Slyke, Pasquale
Alberico, Jonathan Libber, and Allyn Stern, Enforcement and
Compliance Monitoring . . . Rachel Holloman, Anthony
Guadagno, Sonia Ruiz, and Sylvia Ghee, Office of the
General Counsel . . . Robert Kenney, Barry Nussbaum,
Richard Kozlowski, and Sylvia Correa, Air and Radiation . . .
Mary Lyon-Allen and Raanana Levin, Policy, Planning, and
Evaluation . . . Robert Wood and Linda Strachan, External
Affairs.
Sustained Superior Performance Awards go to: Joanne
Edwards, Dennis Guse, Judith Loranger, Portia Jenkins,
Dennis Edwards, Jr., Daniel Peacock, Dorothy Portner, Dana
Pilitt, and Aurelia Williams, Pesticides and Toxic Substances
. . . Cynthia Sayers, Jeffrey Meetre, Linda Washington,
Saundra Womack, Loretta Long, Ken Anderson, Gloria
Brooks, Zandra Kerns, Rosalind Frost, Mary McCaffery,
Dixie Taylor, Sterling Wallace, Randall Bacon, Robert
Beverly, Felicia Jackson, and Avis Robinson, Administration
and Resources Management . . . Howard Corcoran, Barbara
Pace, Catherine Winer, Dov Weitman, Barbara Morrison,
William Jordan, Bonita Follins, Diane Weeks, Kendra Sagoff,
Sara Schneeberg, Nancy Ketcham-Colwill, Erik Olson, Louise
Wise, Ellen Siegler, Robert Friedrich, Patricia
Millhouse-Barkley, Lee Tyner, Sheila Dickerson-Brown,
Ralph Colleli Jr., Mark Stanga, Earl Salo, Paul Frazier,
Patricia Roberts, Nancy Hutzel, Gail Cooper, Joseph
Freedman, Robert McLaughlin, Deborah Warrick, Barbara
Jones, Arnita Moore, Susan Schmedes, Laurance Cook, Jane
Roemer, Kevin Lee, Margaret Silver, Steven Silverman, Rose
Arnold, Marlyne Lipfert, Patricia Dozier, Norman
Fazenbaker, Donnell Nantkes, Andrew Gordon, Gaylene
Vasturo, Richard Feldman, Douglas Henderson, Martha
Dickerson, Timothy Backstrom, Alan Carpien, Thressa
Pearson, Cara Jablon, Philip Ross, James Nelson, Richard
Ossias, Stephen Pressman, Susan Butler, Jacqueline Cross,
Lee Schroer, Karen Wardzinski, Alice Mims, Avery Avance,
and Christina Kaneen, Office of the General Counsel . . .
Rochelle Gantt, Air and Radiation . . . Hugh Pitcher,
Theodora McManus, Joel Schwartz, and Indur Goklany,
Policy, Planning, and Evaluation . . . Patricia Miller, Helen
Keplinger, Duane Graham, Eugene O'Neil, Elizabeth Cox,
Theresa Thomas, Amy Svoboda, Carol Barnes, Linda
Thompson, John Barth, Elliott Gilberg, Annie Stubbs, Patricia
Little, Neil Stoloff, Carmelle Sanders, Constance Williams,
Philip Gray, Rachel Jopp, Barbara Jackson, Janice Linett,^^
Gary Hess, Wanda Stevenson, Margie Howard, Heidi Hu^B,
Jonathan Fleuchaus, Charyl Lewis, Richard Ostrov, Kenneth
Farber, and William Walsh, Enforcement and Compliance
Monitoring.
Quality Step Increases awarded to: James Gibson,
Marianne Clark, and Douglas Sutherland, Pesticides and
Toxic Substances . . . Helen Smith, Patricia Blacknall,
Frederick Langholz, Lawrence Tucker, Linwood Bryant, and
Martha Burtoff, Administration and Resources Management
. . . Lawrence Groner and Brenda Gross, Enforcement and
Compliance Monitoring.
Region 5 Administrator Valdas V. Adamkus and Regional
Counsel Robert B. Schaefer received the Federal Executive
Board's Certificates of Appreciation for their valuable
services to the Hispanic Employment Program, in support of
the FY 85 Youth Motivation Program.
Lillian Johnson, the Region 2 Superfund Community
Relations Coordinator, was featured in the "Speaking of
People" column in the October issue of EBONY, a monthly
national magazine. All regions have one to four coordinators
to assist affected communities involved in the Superfund
process.
Around EPA		
The Washington Information Center will hold a vendor
show on December 13 that will include demonstrations of
both hardware and software currently on the market. The
products presented at the show, which will run from 9 to
4:30, will feature capabilities that have been judged to be
relevant to the Agency's needs. Hardware exhibits are
expected to include graphics equipment, laser printers,
plotters, mass storage disk units, tape backup units,
3270-terminal emulators and math co-processor chips.
Software will probably include new ISSCO graphics software,
mainframe and PC FOCUS, a new PC space management
package, and other exciting products.
The Graduate School, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
begins its winter session January 13. Courses offered this
winter include computer sciences, technical writing,
economics, editing, and statistics. Register early by phone or
mail until December 20. In-person registration is January 6-11.
Call 447-5885 for more information. ~

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Letters
Dear Editor,
^^pnyone else offended or surprised by the content of
E^ffs recent pamphlet on security? I thought it was totally
irresponsible for EPA to advocate self defense techniques
clearly designed to kill without recourse, warning, or
restraint: "Don't hold back . . . strike, using anything sharp . . .
go for the eyes, groin, throat ... as hard as you can."
It was one thing for Stormy Friday, Facilities Management,
to promote attendance for renowned speakers on self defense
(the Memphis Message) but it's quite another thing for EPA to
openly advocate that all EPA employees resort to lethal
violence, under certain conditions, rather than submit to
assault. I think EPA's latest security pamphlet offers loads of
good advice on preventing problems but creates far greater
problems for all of us by adding a list of ruineously cruel acts
of violence without much greater explanation. The question
of when lethal force is justified is an extremely critical one
for us to face as a society and far beyond the isolated opinion
of EPA's office manager or even its Administrator. Certainly,
the rule of law is quite complex and done a total disservice
by mere explanations on the back of an EPA leaflet.
1 have worked with EPA employees that had lo be warned
by managers to stop carrying guns during business hours.
Maybe that serves to underscore the problem of security we
face, but I don't think so. I worry about the excesses that the
advocates of lethal self defense will cause. Will more
employees carry knives or other weapons to further the self
defense goals that EPA advocates? Nowhere in the leaflet does
EPA bother to warn concerned employees against over
reacting, misinterpreting the situation, or questioning their
judgment carefully. "If you feel you are in danger of
otWous bodily harm ... go for the eyes . . . with a nail file."
This is wrong for some of us if not all of us and EPA is clealy
misguided in pushing it on employees as correct behavior for
all.
There are two sides to every story. I am sure many will not
agree with my own opinion against the use of lethal self
defense in any situation. Everyone has a very emotional
response to the issue of crime and violence, particularly in
the context of piotectiiig employees. I just hope that the men
and women leading this Agency don't forget it either! For
many of us, this may be a moral issue, and we may well have
the right to question why EPA is imposing its own judgment
on 10,000 employees without seeking consensus or allowing
for reservations.
Robert Wright
Air and Radiation
Conferences, Etc.	
EPA's Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory,
Research Triangle Park, and the Electric Power Research
Institute, Palo Alto, CA, are co-sponsoring the 1986 Joint
Symposium on Dry S02 and Simultaneous S02/N0x Control
Technologies. The symposium will hp hplrl Jimp 19HR, at
the Hyatt Regency, Kansas City, MO. The 5 day program is
•Bnded to provide for the exchange of knowledge on
earch, development, and applications of this technology,
and to stimulate new ideas on emissions control processes
based on the injection of drv calcium or sodium sorbents. For
more information, contact Jack Greene, MD-60, EPA, AEERL,
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711. Telephone
919-541-2903. ~
Dear Editor:
In response to letters complaining about the quality of the
diskettes that we provide for our Lexitron word processors, 1
have the following to report to you:
® The contractor has done his best to take action to solve
problems when he has been made aware of them.
• There is still dissatisfaction with the diskettes and I have
taken action to resolve the problems.
The Facilities and Support Services, and Procurement and
Contracts Management Divisions are conducting an
investigation into the quality of the diskettes currently being
provided. We have designed a controlled study which will
document diskette problems over a 2-month period.
To participate in this study, all Lexitron users should report
any problems with the diskettes to their Word Processing
Coordinator who will document the specific problem
encountered, attempt to solve it or seek assistance from the
WIC. Through this study, the Office of Administration expects
to gather data which can be used to provide specifications to
ensure that in the fuluie EPA mrill contract for the purchase of
high quality diskettes.
Meanwhile, please bear with us. Don't throw away the
diskette that's giving you a problem. Advise your Word
Processing Coordinator of those problems. If you don't know
your Coordinator, contact the Supply Store for guidance. We
want to help and can only do so when we are aware of the
problems. Keep us advised. We are working to come up with
solutions.
Frank E. Powers
Property Management Officer
Available Information	
Selections from recent acquisitions by the EPA Library which may be of
general interest.
Indoor Air and Human Health. By Richaid D. Gaiuiuage,
et. al. RA575.5 .153. 1985.
Going Sour: Science and Politics of Acid Rain. By Roy
Gould. TD196 .A25G68. 1985.
Environmental Planning and Decision Making. By
Leonard Ortolano. HC79 .E5078. 1984.
Natural Resources: Rureaucratic Myths and
Environmental Management. By Richard L. Stroup, et. al.
HC103.7 .S84. 1983.
Directory of U.S. College and University Programs in
Environmental Studies and Natural Resources
Management. International Earthcare Center. S94G .D57.
1983.
The McGraw-Hill Environmental Auditing Handbook: A
Guide to Corporate and Environmental Risk Management.
L. Lee Harrison, ed. HD69 .P6M33. 1984.
Sustaining Tomorrow: A Strategy for World Conservation
and Development. Francis R. Thibodeau and Hermann H.
Field, ed. HC79 .E5S87. 1984. ~
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 382-4350. Iiifuinidtiun
selected for publication will be edited as necessary in keeping with
space available.

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Dallas Employees
Capture Intruder
Protecting the Environment
In Our Backyard
by Robert A. Drummond
by Mary
TV sleuths Cagney and
Lacey could learn from EPA's
Cathy Bius and Mary Con-
treraz about apprehending
culprits. They played their
own version of cops and rob-
bers recently when they
chased a male intruder flee-
ing a ladies restroom, col-
lared him in an elevator, and
held him some 10 minutes
before security police put
him in handcuffs.
Both young women are Re-
gion 6 Water Division em-
ployees in the permit
enforcement program.
Though their normal duties
are administrative, they take
their enforcement responsibi-
lities seriously.
Contreraz, who is deaf,
could not hear the accosted
woman's screams but dis-
regarded her own safety and
chased the intruder when he
rushed past her and out the
restroom door. As she was
leaving her office, Bius heard
Ellen Guay
the commotion and also gave
chase down the hall to the
29th floor elevator. She
grabbed his coat lapels, pin-
ning him against the elevator
wall while holding the door
open with her foot.
Water Division staff in a
nearby conference room, dis-
turbed by the loud screams of
the intended victim, rushed
to assist the three women.
A relieved Bius told the
group calmly, "I'm going
back to my desk. Would you
all like to hold the elevator?"
An investigation revealed
that the intruder had been
arrested five times previously
and was carrying stolen prop-
erty. The victim, owner of a
private business on the 29th
floor, only days before had
had a frightening experience
at a parking garage. She
praised the ladies' quick and
courageous assistance and
said, "EPA people are really
great!" ~
EPA Scholarship Fund
Agency personnel are fre-
quently offered honoraria
when they speak before
groups or write articles for
publication. Since federal
regulations prohibit accept-
ance of such honoraria by
Government employees act-
ing in official capacity, an
EPA Scholarship Fund was
created to be supported by
contributions in lieu of hon-
oraria. All such contributions
are strictly voluntary.
The object and purposes of
the Fund are exclusively
charitable and educational.
They are specifically limited
to provision of financial aid
to assist or enable deserving
children of present or recent-
ly separated career em-
ployees of the Agency to pur-
sue educational studies in ac-
credited institutions of higher
learning in the U.S.
The Fund collected
$10,807.40 this past year and
received 27 applications. The
Board approved distribution
of $1,000 scholarships to ten
students: Nathan Dean (son
of Roger Dean) and David
Mohr (son of Jack Mohr, Jr.)
Region 8 . . . Maria Blazevich
(daughter of Joseph
Blazevich) Region 10 . . .
Darin Cosby (son of Roger
Cosby) Region 6 . . . Christo-
pher Holliday, (son of Mary
Holliday) and Syed
Naseeruddin (son of Syed
Noorddin, deceased in 1984)
Region 4 . . . Donald Kloster-
man (son of Donald Kloster-
man), Patricia Gehring
(daughter of Robert Gehring)
and Julie Chang (daughter of
Lina Chang) Cincinnati . . .
April Cheer (daughter of Sue
Cheer) Narragansett.
For more information on
the Scholarship Fund, con-
tact Charlotte Englert in the
Administrator's office, 382-
7957. ~
Sometimes EPA em-
ployees become so involved
with helping to protect and
improve our environment
that they overlook their own
"backyard." Until recently,
employees at the Environ-
mental Research Laboratory
in Duluth MN were in this
category. A few wildlife-
minded employees have
started a program to change
this.
They formed a group called
the Committee Handling En-
vironmental Aesthetics Proj-
ects (CHEAP) in keeping with
government acronyms. The
committee wrote up a long-
range plan for enhancing
wildlife populations on ERL-
D grounds. Plans call for var-
ious projects that not only
benefit wildlife but help to
beautify the landscape in the
process.
One of the major goals was
to plant various trees and
shrubs that would naturally
attract birds and other small
animals. The property is not
large enough (approximately
13 acres) to support a resi-
(Cover Story J
15 Years
1970: The Agency came
into being with virtually no
moving-day publicity. If it
were not for the herrings
about Ruckelshaus' confirma-
tion as administrator on the
same day and news stories
that referred to the
coincidence of dates, you'd
never have have known that
over 6,000 employees had be-
come a part of the brand new
EPA.
The Washington Post
buried the story on an inside
page, although the day after
the confirmation hearing the
paper had an eight-column
headline over a story about a
Maryland community that
was suffering health prob-
lems due to its proximity to a
chemical plant. The New
York Times front-paged the
confirmation hearings and
creation of the new agency,
but that was largely because
dent population of large arT"
imals. However, deer, bear,
and moose do wander
through on occasion. During
the fall of 1985, volunteer
ERL-D employees dug up and
transplanted 110 trees com-
posed mostly of Norway
pines, sugar maples, and
green ash. These trees were
planted along a previously
barren border area. A variety
of shrubs beneficial to wild-
life will be planted next
spring to complete this area.
Most of the trees planted
were obtained free from the
City of Duluth's Park and
Recreation Department. ERL-
D volunteers donated other
trees and have contributed
both time and money to this
worthy endeavor.
Future projects include
building purple martin
houses and bluebird nesting
boxes; adding more "islands
of vegetation"; and perhaps
setting up a mini self-guid®
nature trail.
What can you do to im-
prove your EPA "backyard"
environment? ~
Ruckelshaus protested a
move by Interior to relax oil
spill regulations before he
took office; he protested to the
White House and Congress.
He won.
There was no media men-
tion of what was happening
to the EPA staffers who were
changing agencies that day.
Hundreds moved into the
Normandy Building on K
street, others stayed in old
locations like the Parklawn
Building with new signs on
their nffirps In coastal Mis-
sissippi, for one group of
workers the changeover
meant leaving a beat-up
USDA quonset hut laboratory
where they had been doinj^®
pesticide research for a bea^^
tiful NASA building in Bay
St. Louis. One of the chem-
ists had been with USDA for
just one day when he moved
again to EPA. ~

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