European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 9, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday. January. 1988 the stars and stripes Page 3 a Duck Racli Bath from Tolu Nekr bit Lambert left and Claire Thorp in Holt Lle i. Waterfowl threatened by Oil spill Fallston a. A the million gallon fuel spill into two riven has endangered water foul in Ohio West Virginia and Pennsylvania and volunteers Are scouring Oil Slick a Vars to Rescue injured Birds. Nearly 30 volunteers three experts and game commission officials set up a Hospital and rehabilitation Tenet for in waterfowl trapped in the oily Waters. Bui official say hundreds of other Birds were endangered by the spill the injured Birds including live Domestic a Csc were cleaned weighed and fed. Even their nostrils and eyelids were rinsed the treatment Center was first set up near Midland but a water shortage in that Community prompted officials to move Friday la the Beaver county maintenance building in fall Mon. Rescuers used Dis washing liquid to remove ail from the Birds. They also were Given an ant acid that Coats their stomachs. When oily Birds preen themselves they ingest ail and can dam age their inner organs we probably lost quite a few ducks the first Day. Some franc to  said Fred rim act. Executive director or Audubon society of West Ern Pennsylvania. They be been through a Loi of  one Bird a Grebe died overnight he said. The diesel fuel entered the Monongahela River on Sal Arjay when an Ashland Oil tank collapsed near Pittsburgh. The Oil Lias since Lowed into the Ohio River. The commission s main concern wednesday was a flock of 600 to 700 Canada geese discovered along the Ohio River just below the Penn Sylvania Ohio line. We re watching them. But every time we try to scare them out of the area they Fly right into Itic Oil said Donald Madl a Penn sols Ania came commission wildlife specialist. The Oil Alt cts the Bird in two ways Madl said. It Mats their feathers Down and causes hypothermia because they Ore left without Protection from the cold when they try to preen their feathers they gel sick because they ingest the Oil. They can die in a couple of Days unless they Are  Gao finds serious flaws in Epa waste inspections Washington a environmental inspectors Are mining More than half he serious violations at facilities handling and storing hazardous waste a con Gressional study says. The study by the general accounting office the investigative Wing of Congress blames inadequate training of inspector who work for the environmental Protection Agency for Epa contractors and for he state. Gao said it found incomplete inspections when its observer and Epa expert visited 26 facilities last year o Check on routine inspection being made by a a regional offices Stales and contractors. The inspectors found 200 violations of Federal Law and regulations but missed 181 others Gao said. Of the 381 violations 233 were considered class i. The most serious Type. Inspectors found Only 111 of the 233, Oao said. Epa says thai class i violations require priority attention because they involve hazardous waste re leases into the environment or represent a threat of such releases serious regulatory violations were missed Dur ing inspections significant hazardous waste activities were not adequately reviewed during inspections and inspection reports were incomplete according to the study which was released by the House Energy and Commerce hazardous materials subcommittee. Without thorough and Complete inspections and Well documented inspection reports there it insufficient Assurance that human health and the Environ ment Are protected the report said. When thorough and Complete inspections Are not performed needed enforcement actions can not be taken Gao said. Consequently Public health and the environment May not be protected and facility owners and operators Are Able to continue operations in violation of hazardous waste Laws and regulations the report said missed violations included Unta bled waste containers open containers Iside misled waste storage of waste outside designated areas and one instance of hazardous materials shipped loan improper disposal tile la did not cite cues of actual environmental damage. Gao said a review of inspection records for 42 waste handling facilities timed up 106 missed violations 95 of them clan 1. In one Case barrels of Wane had been awaiting analysis and disposal for More than three years. The study quoted Peter Cook Deputy director of Epa s office of waste program enforcement As saying that the findings were fair and probably  or conditions across the country. Rep. Thomas Luten. A Ohio chairman of the hazardous materials subcommittee said in a statement accompanying the study that Gao has turned up serious flaws in Epa s inspection program. Gao s finding that a serious number of serious violations went undetected. Reveals that Epa is failing to serve As the watchdog for protecting the american people from the threats posed by mismanagement of hazardous waste Luken said. Oao said a major cause of the problem is untrained and inexperienced inspectors. Cook said in an interview thai Epa is revising its inspection guidance materials and Hopes to retrain All Epa and As Many state inspectors As possible by next summer. The study also said Epa should improve the qualify and Quantity of its programs to ensure adequate inspections sending out inspectors to Check he work of Field inspectors. In 1981, Epa had a target of conducting such Over sight inspections on one of every 10 Field inspections. That goal has been dropped for 1988, but Cook said the Agency plans to reinstate the 10 percent target for 1989. We want to lighten up Quality and consistency he said Cook said thai because two inspectors could View a violation differently up to 20 percent of the missed violations cited by Oao could be genuine differences of technical  Robin Woods an Epa spokeswoman said the Agency is investigating the facilities that had unreported violations and is taxing appropriate  Consumers Nof fee no full Brunt of Dollar s foil on world markets new York a american Consumers Aren t suffering the full effects of the Dollar s nearly three year decline despite Bip Price rises for items such As cutlery cameras and China. Imported Coffee fruits and vegetables Are cheaper now than when the Dollar peaked in Early 1989. Ii Cost 18.95 for a bottle of mod & Chandon Champagne on new York s fashionable upper East Side but that s Only is More Shan in the fall of 1986. A cheaper Dollar makes imports More expensive but fears of a round of serious import Price inflation have eased in recent Days along with the Dollar s rebound from its depressed level of the final Days of 1987. The Only drawback to the modest import Price in creases is that it Means the tailing Dollar is not helping . Manufacturers combat the flood of imports As much As expected. The Bureau of labor statistics says cutlery Rose 40 percent cameras 39 percent and China to percent in its tabulation of import prices Between March 198 and september 1937. Price increases have been smaller for footwear about 14 percent furniture about 19 percent and apparel about 13 percent. Even though the japanese yen Rose 70 percent against the Dollar in the two Yean from october 1985 to october 1987, the Price of a typical car from Toyota motor corp. Climbed Only 24 percent. Toyota s Basic four door Corolla Sedan Rose j4.5 percent during the period to a suggested list Price of 18,898 from j7.143. The 1988 Model though has a fancier Interior longer who Elbash belter suspension and More efficient engine. How docs Toyota do it Japan t nothing but a big factory. Raw materials come to at one end and finished products come out a the other and raw materials prices have gone Down said James Olson spokesman for Toyota motor sales Lisa inc. In Torrance Calif. Toyota also Cut overhead costs froze hiring and Olson said took a huge hit in profits to maintain its . Sales Toyota s . Market share actually Rose by the end of 1987 to 6 percent from 5.6 percent a year earlier he said. French winemakers have tried to hold the line on their prices in order to hang onto their share of the . Market. Even the modest French Price increases have Given an Edge to winemakers in the United stain As Well As emerging wine Nakin countries such As Australia and Chile whose currencies have fallen or steadied against the Dollar. Coffee prices Are Down 11 percent since Early 1985, partly because of belter crops and partly because the Dollar has risen against currencies of the latin Ameri can nations that produce inc Beans. Sugar likewise is up a scant 7 percent according to Bureau of labor statistics data for the period from March 1985 to september 1987. Consumer import prices Overall Rose 21 percent Dur ing the 2w-year period the Agency said. Import Price increases for the months since september will not be available until the end of january. The Price of televisions fell 3.2 percent during the itt year period the Agency said partly because the japanese dominance of Fth Market has been challenged by countries such As South Korea whose currencies Are closely linked to the Dollar. In contrast the Dollar s Rise against inc Weil Ger Man Mark has contributed to a roughly 40 percent Rise in prices of cameras binoculars telescopes and similar items from West Germany. Companies usually work hardest to hold inc line on consumer prices because Consumers Are More sensitive to Price than business customers. Sony corp., for example on monday put through Price increases of 5 Perchm to 6 percent on consumer goods and 7 percent on professional products