Environmental Phone Directory Has A Good 'Ring' To It by Don Rittner There's an old saying that goes "It's not what you know, but who you know." Anyone who has tried finding that "who" in a federal or state governmental office knows that it's often easier to find a needle in a haystack. Not any more! The editorial staff of Government Institutes has tried to make it a bit easier to find environmental contacts in government by publishing the Environmental Telephone Directory, 1992-1993. If you work in any area of the environment, you can't afford not to have this 235 page publication next to your phone. The Directory is nicely organized into five sections: >US Senators/Representatives/Environmental Aides. Here one can find the complete name, address, and phone number for every Washington Senator and Representative in Congress, and the name and phone number for their environmental aide! Most people probably don't realize that each legislator has a staff member who specializes in the environment- an environmental aide - and experience has shown that these are the folks who really are on top of the issues and can be most helpful in updating you on recent legislation or finding information for you. >US Senate and House Committees and Subcommittees This section lists all the federal committees and subcommittees showing the times they meet, staff makeup (majority and minority members), and jurisdiction (description of what they are responsible for) along with the phone numbers. >Environmental Protection Agency Two sub-directories are included here for this massive bureaucracy. The first part contains an organizational chart and lists the various administrative offices and divisions within the agency along with names, addresses and phone numbers. All FTS phone numbers have been converted to direct dial numbers. The second sub-directory is a breakdown of all EPA regions with complete organizational listings of people, titles, and numbers for each of the ten regions, as well as a listing of each region's divisions, their staff, and field components. >Other Federal Executive, Legislative, and Independent Agencies This list contains agencies that have connections or oversight on environmental policy - the White House, Department of Agriculture, National Marine Fisheries Service, for example. Basically organizations outside EPA that have programs or offices dealing with environmental issues are located here. A brief explanation of each agency's purpose is also included. >State Environmental Agencies Here you can find the names of all commissions, agencies, offices, and departments within each state that deal with environmental issues. These include emergency response, natural resources, health, transportation, labor, pollution control, soil and water conservation, radon, underground tank storage, the Attorney General, and even the state supreme court - all listing personnel, addresses, and phone numbers. Along with all this information is a listing of environmental hotlines on the inside front and back covers. The only complaint I have with this directory is the lack of a complete alphabetical index of all the people's names in the back of the book. This would be extremely helpful for those who have the name of a contact but no other information. RATING: 4.8 (5 being highest) Readability: 4.8 Environmental Significance: 5 Authoriative: 4.8 Definitive: 4.8 SOURCE: Environmental Telephone Directory, 1992-1993. Government Institutes, Inc. 4 Research Place, #200. Rockville, MD 20850. (301) 921-2323. 235 Pages. Price: $79 plus $4 shipping. Copyright, 1991 Don Rittner CONTEST. Each month you are eligible to win a free book, software, or item reviewed in this column. This month is a free copy of PEMD's Environmental CD-ROM that was reviewed in the November 18, 1991 edition of E-Sheet. How do you win? Simply by sending me a picture postcard of your hometown with the words "PEMD" written on it with your name and address. Send it to Don Rittner, 1726 Lenox Rd, Schenectady, NY 12308 USA. The prize will be selected in a random drawing each month and the winner will be printed here.