Science & Technology

Report: Fiscal Years 2016 and 2015 Financial Statements for the Pesticides Reregistration and Expedited Processing Fund

Report #17-F-0364, August 14, 2017. Due to the material weakness in internal controls noted, the agency cannot provide reasonable assurance that financial data provided for the FIFRA Fund accurately reflect the agency’s financial activities and balances.

Report: Fiscal Years 2016 and 2015 Financial Statements for the Pesticide Registration Fund

Report #17-F-0365, August 14, 2017. Due to the material weakness in internal controls noted, the agency cannot provide reasonable assurance that financial data provided for the PRIA Fund accurately reflect the agency’s financial activities and balances.

Report: Improved Management of the Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Program Is Required to Maximize Cleanups

Report #17-P-0368, August 23, 2017. For 10 of the 20 closed Brownfields RLF cooperative agreements reviewed, approximately $10.9 million available to clean up brownfields is not being used as intended.

Report: EPA Needs to Increase Oversight of Leave Bank Program to Improve Efficiency and Reduce Risk of Misuse

Report #17-P-0374, August 28, 2017. The stewardship of leave bank resources is vulnerable to fraud, waste and misuse because the EPA has not implemented adequate internal controls.

Report: EPA’s Travel Card Program at Low Risk for Unauthorized Purchases

Report #17-P-0377, September 6, 2017. Our assessment determined that the EPA’s travel card program is at low risk for unauthorized purchases.

Report: Management Alert - EPA Should Promptly Reassess Community Risk Screening Tool

Report #17-P-0378, September 7, 2017. C-FERST overlaps with other tools and is not yet widely used, underscoring its $400,000 planned yearly investment as a risk.

Report: EPA’s Alternative Dispute Resolution and Public Involvement Contract Needs Better Management

Report #17-P-0380, September 12, 2017. The EPA must provide better assurance that it effectively receives services and correctly pays for billings under this $51 million contract.

Report: EPA Needs to Manage Pesticide Funds More Efficiently

Report #17-P-0395, September 18, 2017. With improved funds management, the EPA may achieve maximum use of its FIFRA and PRIA Funds and will reduce the reliance on appropriated funds.

Report: Eleven Years After Agreement, EPA Has Not Developed Reliable Emission Estimation Methods to Determine Whether Animal Feeding Operations Comply With Clean Air Act and Other Statutes

Report #17-P-0396, September 19, 2017. Until the EPA develops sound methods to estimate emissions, the agency cannot reliably determine whether animal feeding operations comply with applicable Clean Air Act requirements.

Report: EPA’s Distribution of Superfund Human Resources Does Not Support Current Regional Workload

Report #17-P-0397, September 19, 2017. Due to insufficient human resources to cover all Superfund site work, some regions have had to slow down or discontinue their efforts to protect human health and the environment.

Report: Region 2 Needs to Improve Its Internal Processes Over Puerto Rico’s Assistance Agreements

Report #17-P-0402, September 25, 2017. Region 2 may have inefficiently used over $217,000 in taxpayer funds by not confirming equipment was used as intended or obtaining support for requested fringe benefit costs.

Report: Follow-Up Audit - EPA Needs to Strengthen Internal Controls Over Retention Incentives

Report #17-P-0407, September 26, 2017. Additional actions are needed to strengthen internal controls over monitoring and to effectively resolve the cause of the prior audit findings. We question $1,605 of irregular payments.

Report: EPA Needs to Improve Oversight of Its Audio Conference Services

Report #17-P-0408, September 26, 2017. The EPA is unable to substantiate whether its audio conference service usage totaling $8.4 million was cost-effective.

Report: Management Alert - EPA Has Not Initiated Required Background Investigations for Information Systems Contractor Personnel

Report #17-P-0409, September 27, 2017. Not vetting contractor personnel before granting them network access exposes the EPA to risks. Contractor personnel with potentially questionable backgrounds who access sensitive agency data could cause harm.

Report: Management Alert - Controls Failed to Prevent Employee From Receiving Payment in Excess of Statutory Limit

Report #17-P-0410, September 27, 2017. Our audit identified an unauthorized pay adjustment of $23,413 for a Protective Service Detail agent.

Report: EPA Can Better Reduce Risks From Illegal Pesticides by Effectively Identifying Imports for Inspection and Sampling

Report #17-P-0412, September 28, 2017. Low rates of inspections and sampling can create a risk that the EPA may not be identifying and deterring the import of pesticides harmful to people or the environment.

Report: Analysis of Toxics Release Inventory Data Identifies Few Noncompliant Facilities

Report #18-P-0001, October 5, 2017. Noncompliance among facilities that must comply with multiple environmental laws or programs can be reduced by making minimal enhancements to EPA reporting software.

Windblown Dust in CMAQ

CMAQ uses a physics-based model that includes the effects of wind speed, surface roughness, soil moisture, vegetation coverage, soil type and texture, and air density on dust emissions, which can affect weather, climate, air quality, and human health.

Report: EPA Telework Program Is Consistent With U.S. Office of Personnel Management Guidance

Report #18-P-0024, October 16, 2017. The EPA’s telework policies have resulted in nearly all managers being trained to supervise their teleworking employees.

Report: Improvements Needed in CSB’s Identity and Access Management and Incident Response Security Functions

Report #18-P-0030, October 30, 2017. Weaknesses in the Identity and Access Management and Incident Response metric domains leave the CSB vulnerable to attacks occurring and not being detected in a timely manner.