{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

-------