Science & Technology

Report: CSB Purchase Card Program at Low Risk for Unauthorized Purchases

Report #18-P-0218, July 3, 2018. The CSB's purchase card program, through which the agency spent $321,241 in FY 2017, is at low risk for unauthorized purchases.

Report: Quality Assurance Review of EPA OIG Reports Issued in Fiscal Year 2017

Report #18-N-0219, July 9, 2018. Our audit reports issued in FY 2017 demonstrated high levels of compliance with OIG quality assurance procedures and received compliance scores of nearly 94 percent. Issues identified in FY 2016 have been addressed.

Report: EPA Completed OIG Recommendations for the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program but Lacks Controls over Use of Unverified Results

Report #18-P-0222, July 20, 2018. The EPA discontinued the use of unverified PGCCA results in agency performance metrics, but a lack of documented controls presents risk that these data may be used in the future.

Report: EPA’s Chemical Data Reporting Rule Largely Implemented as Intended, but Opportunities for Improvement Exist

Report #18-P-0226, July 27, 2018. Implementing policies for data quality checks will help tailor the information reported by manufacturers and importers to meet the EPA’s needs and improve its usefulness.

Research Topics

Topic areas for EPA's Emergency Response Research

COVID-19: UV-C Devices and Methods for Surface Disinfection Webinar

Description, presenter bios, and link to a recording of a research webinar on UV-C Devices and Methods for Surface Disinfection of COVID-19.

Report: Incomplete Oversight of State Hazardous Waste Rule Authorization Creates Regulatory Gaps and Human Health and Environmental Risks

Report #18-P-0227, July 31, 2018. The lack of timely authorization of hazardous waste rules by states creates human health and environmental risk.

Vessel Decontamination

Page describing the vessel decontamination task in the AnCOR project

Report: OIG Office of Investigations' Records Demonstrate Compliance with Law Enforcement Availability Pay Requirements

Report #18-B-0228, August 6, 2018. The 2017 LEAP certifications from criminal investigators in the OIG's Office of Investigations were fully supported.

Report: Without E-Invoicing and Stronger Payment Process Controls, EPA Is Placing $1.2 Billion at Risk Annually

Report #18-P-0231, August 16, 2018. The EPA places an annual average of $1.2 billion in taxpayer funds at greater risk by not using an e-invoicing process, not taking advantage of prompt payment discounts and not performing critical oversight duties.

Report: EPA's Purchase Card and Convenience Check Program Controls Are Not Effective for Preventing Improper Purchases

Report #18-P-0232, August 20, 2018. Ineffective oversight at the EPA contributed to improper purchases totaling $57,017 from sampled transactions.

Report: EPA Needs to Finish Prioritization and Resource Allocation Methodologies for Abandoned Uranium Mine Sites on or Near Navajo Lands

Report #18-P-0233, August 22, 2018. Site prioritization will aid EPA-initiated actions where there is imminent danger at numerous sites in the same area.

Report: Without a Process for Monitoring Sensitive Data, EPA Region 4 Risks Unauthorized Access to File Servers and Share Folders

Report #18-P-0234, August 28, 2018. Sensitive data are vulnerable to unauthorized disclosure without a tool or process in place to monitor user activity and access to share folders found on EPA Region 4 file servers.

Report: EPA's June 2018 Issuance of the Delayed Notice of Availability of Farm Worker Protection Training Materials Will Reduce Risks of Injury and Illness

Report #18-P-0238, August 30, 2018. Revisions to the standard, including expanded training, are intended to reduce exposure to pesticides and provide enhanced protection to 2 million agricultural workers, pesticide handlers and their families.

Report: EPA Asserts Statutory Law Enforcement Authority to Protect Its Administrator but Lacks Procedures to Assess Threats and Identify the Proper Level of Protection

Report #18-P-0239, September 4, 2018. Failure to properly justify the level of protective services provided to the Administrator has allowed costs to increase from $1.6 million to $3.5 million in just 11 months.

Report: EPA Needs a Comprehensive Vision and Strategy for Citizen Science that Aligns with Its Strategic Objectives on Public Participation

Report #18-P-0240, September 5, 2018. Without uniform guidance and direction, the EPA will be unable to fully use citizen science data that could contribute to the agency's mission.

Report: EPA Can Strengthen Its Process for Revising Air Quality Dispersion Models that Predict Impact of Pollutant Emissions

Report #18-P-0241, September 5, 2018. Air quality estimates derived from air quality dispersion models are used to make important decisions to protect public health, such as setting emissions limits.

Report: Management Alert - EPA Oversight of Employee Debt Waiver Process Needs Immediate Attention

Report #18-P-0250, September 12, 2018. When debt waiver requests are not resolved in a timely manner, EPA employees may assume their debts have been forgiven.

Report: EPA Needs to Re-Evaluate Its Compliance Monitoring Priorities for Minimizing Asbestos Risks in Schools

Report #18-P-0270, September 17, 2018. Asbestos exposure risk is higher in children because they are more active, breathe at higher rates and through the mouth, and spend more time closer to the floor where asbestos fibers can accumulate.

Report: Delayed Cleanup of Asbestos Debris at the Old Davis Hospital Site Necessitates Changes for EPA Region 4 and North Carolina

Report #18-P-0271, Sept 18, 2018. EPA Region 4 and North Carolina followed procedures at the Old Davis Hospital site; but, those procedures did not result in the timely removal of asbestos that posed a potential threat to human health and the environment.