As many of you have probably heard, the EPA's 2007 budget (which Congress
has not yet approved) calls for closing down the Agency's library system to
save $2 million.

EPA own scientists and engineers, and organizations such as the American
Library Association among others, have spoken out against this
short-sighted
plan. EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance has also raised
concerns regarding the adverse impacts this plan could have on enforcement
of public health protections.

The Agency has already eliminated access to some of its libraries.  For
example:

EPA has recently closed libraries that serve people in 15 states:
- Region 5, which served Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and
Wisconsin.
- Regions 6, which serves Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas,
and Iowa.
- Region 7, which serves Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.

EPA has closed public access and reduced staff access in Region 2’s
library, which serves people in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the
Virgin Islands.

EPA has reduced public and staff access at libraries that serve people in
14 states:
- EPA Region 1, which serves Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
- EPA Region 9, which serves Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the
Pacific Islands, and Tribal Nations.
- EPA Region 10, which serves Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Native
Tribes.

Senators Barbara Boxer (CA) and Frank Lautenberg (NJ) are sending a letter
to the Senate Appropriations Committee asking the Committee to direct the
EPA to restore and maintain access to the library system while the EPA
solicits public input on the future of the system.  (The letter is pasted
below.)

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP

The Boxer/Lautenberg letter will have more influence with the Apprpriations
Committee if more Senators sign on to it.  They have circulated it to all
Senate offices and asked their colleagues to consider joining them as
signatories.

Senators will be more likely to sign this letter if their constituents urge
them to do so.  Please call your Senators (the Capitol switchboard number
is 202-224-3121).  When you reach your Senators' offices, tell the
receptionists that you would like the Senator to sign the Boxer/Lautenberg
letter to preserve the EPA library system.  The deadline for signing on to
the letter is November 1.

The letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

Dear Colleague:

We are writing to request that you direct the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) to restore and maintain public access and onsite library
collections and services at EPA’s headquarters, regional, laboratory, and
specialized program libraries while the Agency solicits and considers
public input on its plan to drastically cut its library budget and
services.  Government representatives, businesses and citizens use
information in these libraries to protect public health, enforce
environmental laws, and promote sound decision-making. We are concerned
that EPA is already dismantling its unique library system without
including the public or Members of Congress in the decision-making.
Congress should not allow EPA to gut its library system, which plays a
critical role in supporting the Agency’s mission to protect the environment
and public health.

EPA has already eliminated or reduced library service to the public in
seven EPA regions covering 31 states and is planning to close its
Headquarters’ library and maintain it only as a repository.   EPA has also
closed its pesticide and toxics program library, reducing access to unique
materials needed to assess pesticides and other chemicals’ potential health
effects on children. EPA is implementing these devastating closures on the
grounds that they expect to save $2 million.

EPA’s libraries provide far more benefits than the minor cost reductions
resulting from their closure. A 2004 EPA report found that “[c]alculated
conservatively, the benefit-to-cost ratio for EPA library services ranges
between 2:1 and 5.7:1.” The report noted that libraries saved EPA
professional staff $7.5 million and non-EPA personnel $2.8 million, in
2003; and that one-third of the libraries’ work gave EPA $22 million in
benefits.

The American Library Association, American Association of Law Libraries,
and Special Library Association strongly oppose the cuts, pointing out that
EPA has “unique collections, including an estimated 50,000 one-of-a-kind
primary source documents that are available nowhere else.” Notes provided
by the American Library Association that recount a meeting with EPA on the
library closures state that their warnings that the Agency should develop a
new system before closing libraries “fell on deaf ears.” Unions
representing 10,000 EPA scientists, engineers, and other staff have similar
concerns. They note that “[t]he ability of EPA to respond to emergencies
will be reduced because important reference materials may be unavailable or
take significant time to receive from storage or another library.”

A document from EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA)
about the library restructuring expresses concern about the Agency’s
failure to adequately assess costs and funding needs, maintain critical
information, and ensure data accessibility. OECA notes that the libraries
have information important to specific regions, states and locales, and
unique data on industrial processes and analytical methods. OECA has
indicated that it fears that dispersal of this material without proper
tracking and access could undercut rulemakings and the ability to
“substantiate and support findings, determinations, and guidance.”

We are extremely troubled that EPA is rushing to eliminate or reduce
library operations without adequately consulting Congress or the public. We
respectfully request that you direct EPA in the FY 2007 Interior and
Related Agencies Appropriations Bill to restore and maintain public access
and onsite library ollections and services at EPA’s headquarters, regional,
laboratory, and specialized program libraries to the status they held as of
January 1, 2006. We also ask that you direct EPA to solicit and consider
public and Congressional input, in an open process, prior to making any
decision to close a library, cut services, or dramatically restructure the
Agency’s library system.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer           Frank R. Lautenberg
United States Senator   United States Senator