{2? i&z) West Lake Update pRot^7 March 1R. 901S -L March 18, 2015 :m Karl Brooks Bids Farewell, Mark Hague New Acting R.A. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy recently announced that EPA Region 7 Administra- tor Karl Brooks will join the Headquarters leadership team in EPA's Office of Administra- tion and Resources Manage- ment as the Deputy Assistant Administrator. Karl, who has served as Region 7 Admin- istrator since February 2010, began his new duties with the headquarters office in Wash- ington, D.C., on March 9, 2015. The Office of Administration and Resources Man- agement (OARM) provides national leadership, policy, and management of many essential functions for the Agency, including human resources management, acquisition activities (contracts), grants management, and management and protection of EPA's facilities and other critical assets nationwide. Administrator McCarthy has selected Mark Hague, Region 7 s Deputy Regional Administrator, to serve as the regions Acting Regional Administrator. Prior to assuming his role as the Deputy Regional Administrator in 2011, Mark served as the Direc- tor of the Enforcement Coordination Office, which also coordinates the Region 7 Environmental Justice Program. Mark has also served as the Acting Assistant Regional Administrator for Policy and Management in EPA Region 7. Mark began his career at EPA in Washington, D.C., in 1980 and joined Region 7 in the spring of 1989. During his time at Headquarters, Mark worked on the planning staff for the Office of Noise Abatement and Control and in the Office of the Chief Financial Offi- cer, primarily working on Pesticides and Toxic Sub- stances programs. Mark also worked in the Executive Office of the President in the Office of Management and Budget. Mark graduated from Northwest Missouri State Uni- versity in May 1980 with a degree in Political Science/ Public Administration. He has two sons and enjoys biking, cooking, and volunteering. Under Mark's leadership, EPA Region 7 priorities at the West Lake Landfill remain unchanged, protect- ing human health and the environment as the Agency continues working towards a long-term remedy for the site. A Personal Note From Mark Throughout my career in EPA, I've focused on serving the American public. My colleagues and I are dedicated to act with integrity and a commitment to public service. On a daily basis, we demonstrate those values by making decisions to protect public health and the environ- ment. Our decisions are based on sound science and engineer- ing practices that comply with the laws we are entrusted to implement. As the Acting Re- gional Administrator for EPA Region 7,1 will lead this organization in making and sharing the decisions that must be made at the West Lake Landfill Super- fund Site. This is what every citizen in the Heartland should expect from me and my colleagues. In the months and years ahead, there are many com- plex decisions we will face delivering a final remedy. We continue to work with our partners at the US. Army Corps of Engineers (USAGE) on the science and engineering challenges. We recognize it's our responsibility to reach decisions that lead to a feasible and protective remedy to problems at the West Lake Landfill Superfund Site. The capable men and women of EPA and the USAGE are known for tackling these kinds of challenges across our great country. If you live and work around the West Lake Landfill, you can expect EPA to hold the Potentially Respon- sible Parties accountable and to review any potential solutions with a critical eye. In the last issue of West Lake Update, we shared with you our process for moving forward in selecting and implementing a final long-term remedy that will protect the public from the contaminants in the landfill. We will build on the important connections between EPA and the state of Missouri, elected leaders, businesses, unions and com- munity members as we complete our work at the West Lake Landfill Superfund Site. Community Inquiries Ben Washburn 913-551-7364 Washburn.Ben@epa.gov Find Us On www.facebook.com/eparegion7 www.twitter.com/eparegion7 www.scribd.com/eparegion7 www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/west_lake_landfill ------- |