Atom link problem - my feed URL's filter by parameters &<something>=<something>, my feeds drop dead when I plug in the url with these parameters

Hello nice people,
I'm having a difficulty meeting your standard and need some help.  hope
this is the right way to ask.

EPA generates more than 170 feeds from its newsroom database.
The majority of these contain parameters in their URLs.  The URL
construction for the parameters is &parameter=value

Example:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/RSSByLocation~Category?OpenView&RestrictToCategory=headquarters~

The parameter is "RestrictToCategory" and the value is "headquarters~"

When I mirror this URL in the atom tag I get an improperly formed token
error and the feed does not render in IE.
<atom:link
href="http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/RSSByLocation~Category?OpenView&RestrictToCategory=headquarters~"
 rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />

I can get IE to render the feedby substituting the &RestrictToCategory
with &amp;RestrictToCategory.  This changes the error as the URL
specified is no longer the same as the URL.

<atom:link
href="http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/RSSByLocation~Category?OpenView&amp;RestrictToCategory=headquarters~"
 rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />

I can't change my filter parameters in the URL as the database (Lotus
Notes) has specific filter criteria.  Is there a work-around I can use
when creating the atom tag?

Thank you for any help you can provide,

Mike

Michael Hanson
(202) 564-1320
Office of Executive Services
The Office of The Administrator
Environmental Protection Agency