Laws & Regulations

Report: Audits on EPA Recovery Act-Funded Diesel Emission Reduction Act Assistance Agreements Reported Programmatic and Management Challenges

Report #14-R-0355, September 15, 2014. EPA should consider the issues identified in our prior reports as it takes actions directed by the Office of Management and Budget to assess risk inherent in its programs.

Report: National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Research Foundation Needs to Comply With Certain Federal Requirements and EPA Award Conditions to Ensure the Success of Pesticide Safety Education Programs

Report #14-P-0131, March 10, 2014. We questioned $571,626 of potentially unallowable costs.

Report: Complaints Regarding Debris Management at the West, Texas, Fertilizer Plant Explosion Have Been Addressed

Report #14-P-0123, February 24, 2014. Debris from a fertilizer plant explosion was moved without EPA or TCEQ knowledge but is being managed. A water main break existed under the debris but has been addressed. The debris was found to be non-hazardous.

Report: Review of Hotline Complaint Concerning the Region 4 Environmental Justice Small Grants Selection Process

Report #13-P-0299, June 21, 2013. Our review of the EPA’s Region 4 Office of Environmental Justice found that management had controls in place to protect against bias, fraud, and preselection of EJ Small Grants recipients during FYs 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Report: EPA Has Not Reported to Congress on BEACH Act Progress as Statutorily Required or Fully Documented Budget Decisions

Report #18-P-0071, January 18, 2018. Failure to submit required reports and keep required records limits congressional, public and EPA knowledge about the impact of the agency's BEACH Act program and decisions regarding the use of taxpayer dollars.

Report: Environmental Benefits Being Considered in Award of Great Lakes Grants

Report #14-P-0004, November 5, 2013. Region 5 plans to assure the $8.5 million of infrastructure grants will result in reducing discharges to the Great Lakes.

Report: EPA OIG Not Fully Compliant With OIG Policy on Time and Attendance Reporting

Report #15-B-0074, February 4, 2015. Lack of complete and accurate time sheets can result in improper payments.

Report: No Indications of Bias Found in a Sample of Freedom of Information Act Fee Waiver Decisions But the EPA Could Improve Its Process

Report #14-P-0319, July 16, 2014. EPA should address variability in time to respond to FOIA fee waiver requests and should clarify what requesters must demonstrate to receive a fee waiver.

Report: No Significant Residual Contamination Found at Deleted Superfund Sites, But Security Fences Were Damaged at Some Sites

Report #15-P-0013, November 10, 2014. Continued security breaches at some sites could impair the effectiveness of the remedy to protect human health and the environment and could expose trespassers to safety or health risks.

Report: Implementation Plan With Cost Sharing Methodology Needed for Region 8 Senior Environmental Employee Work on Lead Risk Reduction

Report #13-P-0430, September 24, 2013. The two Region 8 program offices that jointly implement the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program do not have methodology or agreement for sharing SEE funding, which has led to confusion.

Report: Increased Emphasis on Strategic Sourcing Can Result in Substantial Cost Savings for EPA

Report #14-P-0338, August 26, 2014. The EPA could save $30 to $60 million annually by fully implementing its strategic sourcing program.

Report: Fiscal Years 2012 and 2011 (Restated) Financial Statements for the Pesticides Reregistration and Expedited Processing Fund

Report #14-1-0041, December 17, 2013. The agency corrected material misstatements due to weaknesses in internal controls we identified.

Report: EPA Should Collect Full Costs for Its Interagency Agreements and Report Full Costs for Great Lakes Legacy Act Project Agreements

Report #15-P-0300, September 30, 2015. By reallocating direct costs to indirect costs, the EPA may not have provided all of the services needed by the other parties to the interagency agreement.

Report: The EPA Should Improve Monitoring of Controls in the Renewable Fuel Standard Program

Report #13-P-0373, September 5, 2013. The EPA has worked with external RFS program stakeholders to develop additional controls to reduce fraud in the program.

Report: Improved Internal Controls Needed in the Gulf of Mexico Program Office

Report #13-P-0271, May 30, 2013. Two of GMPO’s performance measures are unrealistic in that they do not reflect what the office was set up to achieve.

Report: Quick Reaction Report: EPA Oversight Needed to Ensure Beach Safety in U.S. Virgin Islands

Report #14-P-0155, March 31, 2014. The lapse in sampling of USVI beaches created risk that the public was exposed to unsafe levels of bacteria and the environment may have been endangered.

Report: Benefits of EPA Initiative to Promote Renewable Energy on Contaminated Lands Have Not Been Established

Report #15-P-0198, July 16, 2015. EPA does not know the benefits realized from its efforts to promote siting renewable energy on contaminated lands. As a result, the agency is unable to demonstrate benefits realized for the $4 million it stated it has inve

Report: Recipient Subawards to Fellows Did Not Comply With Federal Requirements and EPA’s Involvement in Fellow Selection Process Creates the Appearance EPA Could Be Circumventing the Hiring Process

Report #14-P-0357, September 17, 2014. ASPH’s subawards to fellows made under the CA are contrary to federal requirements ... and ... creates an appearance that the EPA could be circumventing the hiring process.

Report: Some Safeguards in Place for Long-Term Care of Disposed Hazardous Waste, But Challenges Remain

Report #15-P-0169, June 17, 2015. Safe disposal of hazardous waste requires commitment to long-term care of closed disposal units.

Report: EPA Needs to Demonstrate Public Health Benefits of Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Projects

Report #15-P-0032, December 5, 2014. The EPA needs to enforce grant requirements for collecting DWSRF project information to demonstrate the public health results of the $11.37 billion it has invested in drinking water infrastructure since 2009.