EPA Air Wars: Factoids

Clearing the Air

Despite disagreements about how pollution should be regulated, aggregate emissions of pollutants covered by the Clean Air Act have been cut 48 percent since the law was enacted in 1970.

The Cost of Principle

Retiring over policy differences has a price. For example, a Senior Executive Service member in the Civil Service Retirement System who retires at age 55 with 30 years of experience and an average annual salary of $140,000 during his last three years of employment gives up $2,800 per year in retirement benefits.

If his agency does not have early-out authority or denies early retirement, an employee leaving at age 54 with 29 years of experience could either forfeit his pension and request a payout of his retirement contributions without interest, or wait until age 62 when he would become eligible for a deferred annuity. The employee would sacrifice about $550,000 in payments he would have received between the ages of 55 and 62. In addition, his annual pension starting at age 62 would be $2,800 less than it would have been had he retired at age 55 with 30 years of experience.

The annual pension amount is based on the average of the highest three salary years and years of service. A 55-year-old employee with 30 years of experience and an average salary of $140,000 over his last three years of employment can expect:

1.5% of high-three salary for first five years of service

$10,500

1.75% of high-three salary for each of the next five years of service

$12,250

2% of high-three salary for each of the remaining years of service

$56,000

Total annual pension

$78,750