Contracts: EPA may require background checks.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering asking certain outside contractors, including those working on Superfund sites, to conduct background checks on their employees to ensure those workers do not pose a threat to national security. EPA, which has its own procurement rules, has taken extra precautions since Sept. 11, 2001. But some construction groups are of the view that the cost of doing background checks may possibly affect smaller firms from competing for EPA work. "We believe that the suitability determination is better made by the government," says Mike Pearlstein, manager of federal regulatory affairs for the Associated Builders and Contractors.