EPA OIG Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Oversight

Three images - men working on a construction site, buses used for transportation, and a barge being loaded by a digger

We oversee the EPA’s implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to ensure that approximately $60 billion in funds are used effectively and for their intended purposes in support of the president’s infrastructure initiatives. This page is divided into the following linked sections:

EPA OIG IIJA Oversight

The OIG will continually oversee the EPA’s plan and administration of IIJA funding. We will follow up on lessons learned from previous OIG and Government Accountability Office reports and prepare information reports based on them. Information reports will not have recommendations and will present the current status of EPA oversight; this information will be used to plan future work. As part of our regular process, we will conduct capacity audits to formally assess the EPA’s and grantees’ ability to carry out the Agency's stated mission and objectives using infrastructure funds. The OIG will develop multi-year work and inspection plans, propose future audits related to the IIJA, and conduct risk assessments targeting new areas for review.

The OIG’s FY 2022 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Oversight Plan will guide our audits, evaluations, and oversight engagements to address the EPA programs receiving or impacted by IIJA funds.

Planned Infrastructure Oversight Work

For the remainder of FY 2022 the OIG has planned the following projects. Proposed OIG FY 2023 projects will be available in September 2022.

Audit of the EPA’s Awards to Replace School Buses Under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2010
Audit of the EPA’s and States’ Identification and Replacement of Lead Service Lines in Environmental Justice Communities
Audit of Water Infrastructure Resilience Against Climate Change
Audits of the EPA’s Effectiveness of Institutional Controls and Remediation at Superfund Sites
Audit of the EPA’s Oversight of the Public Water System Supervision Grant Program to Tribal Recipients

Ongoing Infrastructure Oversight Work

The following OIG notification memorandums inform the public about ongoing infrastructure oversight projects:

Completed Infrastructure Oversight Work

The following OIG reports inform the public about current completed projects:

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Findings for Consideration in the Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

In 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or IIJA, provided funding for many EPA programs. Many of the same programs received funds in 2009 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General issued various reports on EPA programs that received funds under the ARRA. The OIG initiated this review to identify findings from those reports and develop lessons that may help the Agency prepare, implement, and oversee programs receiving IIJA appropriations.

Brownfields Program-Income Monitoring Deficiencies Persist Because the EPA Did Not Complete All Certified Corrective Actions

On August 23, 2017, the OIG issued 23 recommendations for the EPA to improve its management of the Brownfields Revolving Loan Program (Report No.17-P-0368). The EPA agreed to all recommendations and subsequently certified that all corrective actions were completed. Our follow-up audit revealed, however, that the EPA did not complete corrective actions for five of the recommendations. As a result, deficiencies in program-income monitoring persist, and the integrity of the EPA’s audit report closeout process is in doubt.

The EPA Did Not Follow Agency Policies in Managing the Northbridge Contract and Potentially Violated Appropriations Law

Under Contract EP-C-16-001, Northbridge provided support services to states for their municipal drinking water and wastewater programs. Because the EPA did not adhere to key accounting policies, however, it cannot ensure that $6.8 million in appropriated dollars went toward their intended purposes, potentially violating federal laws. Also, the EPA did not follow established acquisition guidance to review and track the completion of contract deliverables, which means it had no reasonable assurance that Northbridge met performance expectations.

The EPA’s Approval and Oversight of Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Loans Complied with Federal Law and Regulations

The EPA’s loan-award process and monitoring activities for its Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program provided reasonable assurance that WIFIA loans were administered in accordance with federal and EPA requirements and that funding was used as intended to improve America’s public water infrastructure.

Lessons Identified from Prior Oversight of the EPA’s Geographic and National Estuary Programs

We reviewed prior oversight reports and identified lessons to help the EPA administer $1.85 billion in IIJA funds for its 12 geographic programs and National Estuary Program.

Considerations for the EPA’s Implementation of Grants Awarded Pursuant to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

We reviewed prior oversight reports and identified lessons to help the EPA’s administration and oversight of IIJA grant awards. With IIJA appropriations, the EPA will receive approximately $55 billion in additional funding for grants over a five-year period.

OIG Independence of EPA

The EPA's Office of Inspector General is a part of the EPA, although Congress provides our funding separate from the agency, to ensure our independence. We were created pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended.

Environmental Protection Agency | Office of Inspector General
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (2410T) | Washington, DC 20460 | 202-566-2391
OIG Hotline: 1-888-546-8740.