-----Original Message-----
From: H-NET List for Environmental History
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mara Drogan
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 11:59 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: EPA destroying archives
From: "Jeremy W. Hubbell" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 11:22 AM
Subject: EPA destroying archives
[Editor's note: H-Environment does not normally post press releases or
political messages, but since this issue is so relevant to the
activities of
our subscribers, we are making an exception. The source of this press
release is Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, "a
national
non-profit alliance of local, state and federal scientists, law
enforcement
officers, land managers and other professionals dedicated to upholding
environmental laws and values."]
EPA Resumes Quietly Dismantling Library System
Environmental Prosecutions at Risk from Loss of Original Documents
and Cost
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 2, 2007
9:30 AM
CONTACT:
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)
Carol Goldberg (202) 265-7337
WASHINGTON - May 2 - Despite promises to consult with Congress before
proceeding with dismantlement of its library system, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency has ordered its libraries to "disperse
or dispose of their contents," according to agency directives released
today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The
move to eliminate physical collections comes as EPA's own enforcement
branch warns about the risks of hampering environmental prosecutions.
New "interim" policies issued by EPA on April 10:
* Direct EPA libraries to "disperse or dispose of" their physical
collections and lay out procedures for offering EPA holdings to
outside libraries and for recycling journals and other technical
documents;
* Place all EPA libraries, including those serving agency
laboratories, under a single political appointee, Molly O'Neill,
the
Chief Information Officer; and
* "Discourage establishment of divisional or branch
mini-libraries'" to prevent the physical accumulation of technical
materials except at pre-designated "repositories."
"Significantly, the end users of the EPA libraries-the agency's own
specialists as well as the academic community and the public-have been
excluded from all decisions about the future of this incomparable
network," stated PEER Associate Director Carol Goldberg, pointing to the
fact that a major labor union is pursuing an unfair labor practice
complaint over EPA's failure to even consult with agency scientists over
library closures.
To illustrate the dangers of EPA's plan to rely solely upon
centrally-maintained digitized documents, the Office of Enforcement and
Compliance (OECA), in a memo dated April 9, 2007, lays out its concerns
about the negative effects on ongoing pollution prosecutions. The memo
outlines the "three primary issues that OECA is concerned about":
1) information access, especially to original documents; 2)
timeliness of
services, worrying that the centralized system EPA is espousing may not
be able to meet tight court-imposed deadlines; 3) cost and funding,
pointing out that uncertainties surround how much EPA's centralized
all-digital system will cost and how it will be funded.
"EPA is determined to leap before it looks as it barrels ahead to shut
libraries," added Goldberg, noting that nearly one-third of EPA's
27-library network has been closed or had services reduced. "EPA has
declared war on libraries and the services they provide without offering
an adequate substitute."
In an extraordinary mass letter of protest last June, labor
representatives for more than half of all EPA staff ascribed the
agency's drive to remove physical collections from libraries as an
attempt to "suppress information on environmental and public
health-related topics."
###
http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0502-02.htm
Read the latest EPA enforcement memo on the need for libraries
View the new interim policy on "Library Materials Dispersion"
See the policy consolidating all libraries under one political appointee
Look at the union grievance and growing accessibility problems
Learn more about the role libraries play in environmental enforcement
Revisit the EPA-wide staff protest of library closures
Find out more about the Bush administration effort to shutter EPA
libraries
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
|
