Office of Inspector General

OIG Reports

Following is a listing of all reports issued by the Office of Inspector General.

Reports by Year

Special Reports

Congressionally Requested and Chemical Safety Board Reports

What is the EPA OIG?

The Office of Inspector General is an independent organization that performs audits and investigations of the EPA to detect and prevent fraud, waste and abuse. Learn more

Our Audit and Evaluation Reports

The EPA OIG conducts financial and performance audits to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of agency operations and programs. Audits identify potential fraud, waste and abuse; assess program compliance and management of agency processes; identify opportunities to improve human health and the environment; and offer recommendations for cost savings and other efficiencies.

The EPA OIG also conducts evaluations of EPA programs and activities that support clean air, clear water, safer chemicals, cleaner communities, and scientific research. The office assesses the design, implementation, and measurement of EPA programs, including evidence of program effectiveness and results.

Audits and evaluations differ from our investigations in that they do not deal with criminal activities and generally look at groups, processes, controls or structures, not individual employees. Also, when initiated, most audits are announced publicly, and upon their conclusion, a final report is posted here on the Reports page.

2021 OIG Reports

Date	Title	Publication Number	Environmental Goal(s)	Report Teams
June 7, 2021	EPA's National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory Has Taken Steps to Mitigate Impact of Coronavirus Pandemic on Mobile Source Emission Compliance	21-E-0158	Operating efficiently and effectively, COVID/Pandemic-related, “Flash” report	ER
May 2021	Semiannual Report to Congress: October 1, 2020-March 31, 2021	EPA-350-R-21-001
May 24, 2021	EPA Deviated from Typical Procedures in Its 2018 Dicamba Pesticide Registration Decision	21-E-0146	Ensuring the safety of chemicals	T
May 14, 2021	EPA Complies with Payment Integrity Information Act but Needs to Determine Cost Allowability When Testing for Improper Grant Payments	21-P-0135	Compliance with the law	C
May 13, 2021	Resource Constraints, Leadership Decisions, and Workforce Culture Led to a Decline in Federal Enforcement	21-P-0132	Compliance with the law, Partnering with states and other stakeholders, Operating efficiently and effectively	W
May 12, 2021	Staffing Constraints, Safety and Health Concerns at EPA's National Enforcement Investigations Center May Compromise Ability to Achieve Mission	21-P-0131	Operating efficiently and effectively, Hotline Report	ER
May 11, 2021	EPA Helps States Reduce Trash, Including Plastic, in U.S. Waterways but Needs to Identify Obstacles and Develop Strategies for Further Progress	21-P-0130	Ensuring clean and safe water	W
May 6, 2021	EPA Should Conduct New Residual Risk and Technology Reviews for Chloroprene- and Ethylene Oxide-Emitting Source Categories to Protect Human Health	21-P-0129	Improving air quality	A
May 4, 2021	EPA Did Not Conduct Agencywide Risk Assessment of CARES Act Appropriations, Increasing Risk of Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Mismanagement	21-E-0128	Compliance with the law, Operating efficiently and effectively, COVID/Pandemic-related, “Flash” report	FO
Apr 21, 2021	Improved Review Processes Could Advance EPA Regions 3 and 5 Oversight of State-Issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permits	21-P-0122	Ensuring clean and safe water, Hotline Report	W
Apr 20, 2021	Concerns About the Process Used for the SAFE Vehicles Rule Demonstrate the Need for a Policy on EPA’s Role in Joint Rulemakings	21-E-0125	Operating efficiently and effectively	ER
Apr 16, 2021	EPA Needs to Improve Processes for Updating Guidance, Monitoring Corrective Actions, and Managing Remote Access for External Users	21-E-0124	Compliance with the law, Operating efficiently and effectively	IRM
Apr 15, 2021	EPA Delayed Risk Communication and Issued Instructions Hindering Region 5’s Ability to Address Ethylene Oxide Emissions	21-P-0123	Improving air quality, Congressional Request	A
Mar 31, 2021	EPA Does Not Always Adhere to Its Established Action Development Process for Rulemaking	21-P-0115	Operating efficiently and effectively	ER
March 2021	EPA OIG's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Mar 29, 2021	EPA Does Not Consistently Monitor Hazardous Waste Units Closed with Waste in Place or Track and Report on Facilities That Fall Under the Two Responsible Programs	21-P-0114	Cleaning up and revitalizing land	L
Mar 10, 2021	EPA Improperly Awarded and Managed Information Technology Contracts	21-P-0094		C
Feb 23, 2021	U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board's Compliance in Fiscal Year 2020 with Improper Payments Legislation and Guidance	21-E-0084		C
Feb 10, 2021	EPA Is at Risk of Not Achieving Special Local Needs Program Goals for Pesticides Report updated on 3/1/2021	21-E-0072	Ensuring the safety of chemicals	T
Feb 9, 2021	CSB's Information Security Program Is Not Consistently Implemented; Improvements Are Needed to Address Four Weaknesses	21-E-0071		IRM
Feb 8, 2021	EPA Mostly Adheres to Regulations When Assessing Risks of New Pesticides but Should Improve Internal Controls	21-P-0070	Ensuring the safety of chemicals	T
Jan 6, 2021	Office of Research and Development Initiatives to Address Threats and Risks to Public Health and the Environment from Plastic Pollution Within the Waters of the United States	21-N-0052		W
Jan 5, 2021	EPA's Fiscal Years 2019 and 2018 Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest System Fund Financial Statements	21-F-0045	Operating efficiently and effectively	FA

2020 OIG Reports are available.

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GAGAS and Non-GAGAS Reports

Reports from October 2016 and later marked with a P, F or A in their report number follow GAGAS, Exitofficial examination standards established by the federal government. This sign of quality ensures the integrity, objectivity and independence of our work.

Reports marked with an N, E, B or S signify the limited “non-GAGAS” work that reflects back on our recent recommendations to highlight the impact of our oversight mission.

Report Type	Middle Character (i.e., 20-X-001)
GAGAS-compliant performance audit	P
GAGAS-compliant financial statement audit	F
GAGAS-compliant attestation audit	A
Non-GAGAS or Non-QSIE-compliant report	N
QSIE -compliant evaluation	E
Internal report	B
Single audit report	S

Report Teams

AID - Administrative Investigations
BOD - Business Operations
CSB - US Chemical Safety Board
EII - Environmental Investment and Infrastructure
FA - Financial
IM - Implementation, Execution, and Enforcement
IRM - Information Resources Management
OM - Office of Management
PCC - Pollution Control and Clean Up
PR - Programs, Offices, and Centers Oversight

OIG Independence of EPA

The EPA's Office of Inspector General s 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 Exit.

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.

Office of Inspector General

OIG Reports

Reports by Year

Special Reports

Congressionally Requested and Chemical Safety Board Reports

What is the EPA OIG?

Report Corrections

Our Audit and Evaluation Reports

2021 OIG Reports

GAGAS and Non-GAGAS Reports

Report Teams

OIG Independence of EPA

Office of Inspector General