Laws & Regulations

Report: EPA Unable to Assess the Impact of Hundreds of Unregulated Pollutants in Land-Applied Biosolids on Human Health and the Environment

Report #19-P-0002, November 15, 2018. The EPA identified 352 pollutants in biosolids but cannot yet consider these pollutants for further regulation due to either a lack of data or risk assessment tools.

Report: City of Houston Complied with Clean Water State Revolving Fund Requirements

Report #19-P-0041, December 4, 2018. We questioned whether point repairs to address customer complaints under four Houston contracts were eligible under the CWSRF, and EPA Region 6 concluded that they were.

Annual Plan for the EPA and CSB - FY 2019

December 12, 2018. This OIG Annual Plan identifies mandated and discretionary assignment topics continuing from FY 2018, as well as mandated and discretionary assignments scheduled to start during FY 2019.

Report: EPA's Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Program Needs Additional Internal Controls

Report #19-P-0045, December 14, 2018. WIFIA managers need to identify possible risks to the program and develop internal controls to minimize these risks.

Report: EPA Consistently Implements Processes Within Its Information Security Program, but Opportunities for Improvement Exist

Report #19-P-0058, January 30, 2019. Further improvements are needed to strengthen internal processes to better protect human health and environmental data from cybersecurity threats.

Report: U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board's Compliance for Fiscal Year 2018 with Improper Payments Legislation and Guidance

Report #19-N-0070, February 12, 2019. Pursuant to our role under the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act (IPERA) of 2010, we reviewed the CSB's compliance for fiscal year 2018 with improper payments legislation and guidance.

Report: EPA Finalized a Study of the Historical Applications of Coal Ash as Structural Fill

Report #19-N-0084, March 8, 2019. The ORCR determined that no further EPA action is warranted to address historical structural fill applications.

Report: Management Alert - Destruction of a Document Used to Certify Security of EPA's Budget Formulation System

Report #19-N-0085, March 8, 2019. It has come to our attention that personnel within the EPA's Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) destroyed an employee's notes.

Report: Management Alert - Hotline Concerns over Region 9 Regional Administrator's Duty Station and Travel

Report #19-N-0087, March 21, 2019. The EPA OIG initiated an assignment to address a hotline complaint regarding Michael Stoker, the Region 9 Regional Administrator.

Report: EPA's Fiscal Years 2017 and 2016 Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest System Fund Financial Statements

Report #19-F-0086, March 18, 2019. We found the fund's financial statements to be fairly presented and free of material misstatements.

Report: Management Alert - Certain Toxic Release Inventory Data Disclosed to the Public Are Inaccurate

Report #19-N-0115, April 8, 2019. The EPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data pertaining to releases of hazardous substances from Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) are inaccurate.

Report: Corrective Actions and Additional Guidance Have Improved EPA's Fiscal Responsibility over Superfund Interagency Agreements

Report #19-P-0146, May 7, 2019. The agency's corrective actions in response to the OIG's 2007 audit of Superfund IAs directly contributed to improved fiscal responsibility over USACE IAs.

Report: CSB Still Needs to Improve Its 'Incident Response' and 'Identity and Access Management' Information Security Functions

Report #19-P-0147, May 9, 2019. The CSB lacks established procedures for automated processes and authentication technologies, which could permit unauthorized access to agency systems.

Report: EPA Region 5 Needs to Act on Transfer Request and Petition Regarding Ohio's Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Permit Program

Report #19-N-0154, May 15, 2019. EPA Region 5's lack of timely decisions on program transfer requests and petitions leave state programs without clarity and petitioners unaware of petition status.

Report: Actions Needed to Strengthen Controls over the EPA Administrator's and Associated Staff's Travel

Report #19-P-0155, May 16, 2019. Actions need to be taken to strengthen controls over Administrator travel to help prevent the potential for fraud, waste and abuse.

Report: Fiscal Year 2019 U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board Management Challenges

Report #19-N-0156, May 20, 2019. The CSB faces two challenges in FY 2019 that, if not addressed, may impede its ability to efficiently and effectively achieve its mission or meet its goals.

Report: EPA Overpaid Invoices Due to Insufficient Contract Management Controls

Report #19-P-0157, May 20, 2019. All 11 invoices tested did not comply with contract requirements.

Nonattainment Area Redesignation and Clean Data Policy (CDP)

Under the Clean Data Policy, EPA may issue a determination of attainment (known informally as a Clean Data Determination) after notice and comment rulemaking determining that a specific area is attaining the relevant standard.

Regulatory Impact Analysis for the Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers and Process Heaters NESHAP Amendments

ASARCO Bankruptcy Case Summary: Miscellaneous Federal and State Environmental Sites Settlement Information Sheet

Overview of the miscellaneous federal and statement environmental sites settlement agreement in the ASARCO bankruptcy proceeding.