About EPA Office of Inspector General

Who We Are

The Office of Inspector General is an independent office within EPA that helps the agency protect the environment in a more efficient and cost effective manner. We consist of auditors, program analysts, investigators, and others with extensive expertise. Although we are a part of EPA, Congress provides us with our funding separate from the agency, to ensure our independence. We were created pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended.

Learn more in our OIG Brochures on Fraud, Waste and Abuse. For explanations of some commonly asked questions and misunderstood terms, visit our Frequently Asked Questions and Terms page.

 

Who We Are Organized

 

Who We Are and What We Do

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General is an independent and objective office that derives its authority from the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, 5 U.S.C. §§ 401–424, which established the OIGs’ duty to conduct oversight of their respective agencies. Since fiscal year 2004, Congress has designated the EPA inspector general to also serve as the inspector general for the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

Our office works to detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse to help the Agency protect human health and the environment more efficiently and effectively. Our efforts pursue accountability, promote good governance, and drive positive change. We conduct and oversee audits, evaluations, and investigations; make evidence-based recommendations; and keep the heads of the agencies, Congress, and the public informed about problems and deficiencies, as well as progress on needed corrective actions. We also operate a hotline that allows anyone to submit information that may lead us to initiate audits, evaluations, inspections, or investigations.

Our values support our mission by setting organizational expectations of integrity, independence, and innovation that motivate our oversight professionals, inspire new processes, and drive continuous improvement at every level. Our goals and objectives, therefore, establish a roadmap that helps us to focus our efforts toward achieving our vision. This document is only one part of our overall strategic planning process, which is a continuous effort that involves ongoing assessments of our projects and initiatives. This strategic plan describes the principles we expect to employ to focus and frame our work in the future as we adapt to emergent issues and other changing circumstances.