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a��Eo srgTF J S T) $ UNITED STATES ENVIRONiMENTALPROTECTIOM AGENCY REGION IX qt PRo75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94105-3901 September 25, 1995 Res Environmental Protection Agency Staff Furlough and Consequences, McCormick &. Baxter Superfund Site Dear Community Members I am writing to let you know that EPA staff may not be available to assist you regarding the McCormick & Baxter Superfund Site during portions of October and possibly November. As you may know, Congress and the President are trying to reach agreement on a federal budget for fiscal year 1996 which begins ,on October 1, 1995. If the fiscal year 1996 budget issues are not resolved before October 1, 1995, nearly all EPA employees may be placed on furlough (leave of absence without pay) until the budget is signed. Such EPA employees will not be allowed to perform their assigned duties for the duration of the furlough. At this time, we do not know exactly when or how long a furlough will occur. It is likely that we will only know on a day-by-day basis. If you call the EPA office while a furlough is in effect, you will hear a recording stating that no EPA staff are available. While most EPA employees will not be available during the furlough, we will have a few On-Scene Coordinators who can respond to site-related emergencies. If an incident occurs during the furlough that you believe causes or threatens to cause a release of hazardous substances or an endangerment to the public health, welfare, or to the environment, please call the Region 9 Duty Officer at (415) 744-2000. In addition, the State of California has a staff person, Frank Lopez, assigned to this Site. He may be contacted at (916) 255-3700. Work at the McCormick & Baxter site is funded by EPA, not by the owners of the property. Because of this, EPA will maintain site security and continue operation of the groundwater extraction system that controls the groundwater contamination plume. However, ,depending on the length of time the EPA office is shut down, the cleanup of this site may be delayed. There are other factors which may also impact the overall cleanup plans for this site. For example, if Congress approves of an EPA budget which is drastically lower than the President's planned budget, then it may be necessary for us to cut back or slow down the Superfund site work we had planned. In addition, Congress is currently considering making major changes to the Superfund law which could Printed on Recycled Paper