Posted on 09/30/2013 1:53:05 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will take one of the biggest hits of any federal agency if the government shuts down this week, operating with under 7 percent of its employees, according to guidance issued by the agency.
Among those furloughed would be most workers at the Office of Air and Radiation, which is in charge of writing and implementing most of the EPA's major air pollution rules. The clock would also stop, for now, on the EPA's eagerly-awaited proposal on renewable fuel volume standards for 2014.
The EPA said its plan for dealing with a shutdown would classify 1,069 employees, out of 16,205, as essential. These employees would continue to work if Congress fails to secure a budget deal by midnight Monday to avoid disruption to federal funding.
Taking the air and radiation unit off the grid will tighten timelines to meet certain court-imposed deadlines, said one expert.
"People are not going to be able to be working on these rules at home," said Dina Kruger, an environmental regulation consultant and former climate change director at the EPA, who worked at the agency when the government shut down in 1996.
In their guidance to employees, agencies have been clear: government-issued equipment should be returned to home base and work cellphones are not to be used.
Employees have been instructed to come into the office for up to four hours on Tuesday if the government shuts down, to set up voicemail and email "out-of-the office" messages and to secure work documents. They will not be allowed to check those accounts from home or conduct any work that has been pending.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Well DAMN. Now I’m for a PERMANENT shutdown!!!
Now, that’s good news! But why only a 10% layoff during a shutdown? If these guys went away for five years, and a skeleton staff came back to focus only on egregious polluters, it would be a huge economic benefit.
We’ll just have to learn to live without it.
GOOD!
All EPA employees need to have their Carbon footprints reduced to Zer0.
The EPA employees need to buy Carbon Credits from ME.
The EPA has become a pernicious, rogue agency. The country would be better off if their budget was reduced 95%.
I’m all tore up about this. No, really, I am.
Bwahahahahahaha....
yes...fine!
cheerful!
Already the advantages of the govt shutdown are evident!
SHUT ‘ER DOWN BOYS... SHUT ‘ER DOWN!
OHGODNO!!!
HOORAY! DEFUND/DISMANTLE socialist collectives, foreign & domestic.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
http://www.usa.gov/directory/federal/
Now there’s a peach in the sh6tbox.
Good. Most of the agencies hate our freedom. Shut down the bums forever.
” The country would be better off if their budget was reduced 95%.”
No, 100%!
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