Pandemic-Related Reports and Announced Projects

Report #21-E-0158, June 7, 2021. We examined how the laboratory operations and testing at the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory, which addresses emissions from a range of mobile sources, was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. NVFEL used virtual collaboration tools, conducted remote auditing, and implemented reporting flexibilities to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, which included closing the lab. We highlighted NVFEL’s efforts to minimize the potential for noncompliance during the pandemic as well as the importance of returning to full testing capacity to provide the most effective oversight of mobile sources.

Report #21-E-0128, May 4, 2021. We assessed the internal controls that the EPA implemented to mitigate risks of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement over the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, known as the CARES Act, appropriations. We found that the Agency did not conduct an agencywide risk assessment of internal controls or incorporate requirements from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget or the U.S. Government Accountability Office into its internal control requirements. However, we also found that three of the EPA’s program offices designed internal controls to identify and mitigate fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement regarding the CARES Act funds.

Report #21-E-0124, April 16, 2021. Although we found that the EPA consistently met the requirements listed in the FY 2020 Inspector General Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA) Reporting Metrics, the deficiencies we found in the EPA’s information technology internal controls could exploit weaknesses in Agency applications and hinder the Agency’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to emerging cyberthreats. Those deficiencies include not reviewing outdated procedures in a timely manner, not verifying whether corrective actions are completed, and not enforcing information system control requirements for the Agency’s web application directory system.

Project #OE-FY21-0124, February 18, 2021. The OIG plans to begin an evaluation to examine the EPA Resource Conservation Recovery Act Program’s operations.

Project #OA-FY21-0108, February 8, 2021. The OIG plans to begin fieldwork on the subject audit to examine the EPA’s implementation of the grant flexibilities permitted by the Office of Management and Budget due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Project #OA&E-FY20-0044, February 1, 2021. The OIG is adjusting the scope of this work to focus on EPA Regions 9 and 10, and on the Agency’s experiences working with tribal drinking water systems during the Coronavirus pandemic. The original notification was issued on May 29, 2020.

Project #OE-FY21-0065, December 14, 2020. The OIG plans to assess how COVID-19 impacts air compliance monitoring by EPA state and local agencies to confirm that facilities that emit air pollution comply with the Clean Air Act and federal air regulations.

Project #OE-FY21-0050, December 1, 2020. The OIG plans to begin an evaluation to determine the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on long-term cleanup activities at Superfund National Priorities.

Report #21-E-0030, November 30, 2020. The 13 locations we reviewed had different guidance in their reopening plans on aspects such as face coverings, social distancing, and cleaning and disinfecting. While some differences could be warranted based on local conditions, the EPA should ensure that such differences do not place employees at an increased risk of contracting or spreading the COVID-19 disease as a result of their work location.

Report #21-E-0016, November 18, 2020. SB & Company, which conducted this evaluation, found that the CSB did not follow National Institute of Standards and Technology guidance to perform disaster recovery testing on major information systems during fiscal year 2020 and did not store backup media at an off-site location. The CSB may not be readily able to recover its systems’ operations in the event of a disaster or isolated incident.

Report #20-E-0332, September 28, 2020. We assessed whether the EPA provided sufficient protective measures to its on-scene coordinators, who respond to emergency incidents, during the coronavirus pandemic. More than half of the on-screen coordinators who responded to our survey reported that the coronavirus pandemic impacted their ability to respond to emergencies. They also expressed concerns about the availability of personal protective equipment and indicated that clarification was needed on the EPA’s COVID-19 guidance. Additionally, we found that COVID-19 testing was not available to on-scene coordinators before or after deploying to an incident.

Report #20-N-0231, July 21, 2020. Identifying and resolving top management challenges is essential to the EPA's protection of human health and the environment. We summarized the Agency’s most serious management and performance challenges and the Agency’s progress in achieving those challenges. Some of the challenges we identified include maintaining human health and environmental protections, business operations, and employee safety during the coronavirus pandemic.

Report #20-N-0218, July 6, 2020. Along with two of the challenges that we addressed previously—a lack of board members and developing a policy on the responsibilities of the board members—we identified the continuation of operations during the coronavirus pandemic as a top management challenge. The CSB is planning to limit future deployments to high-consequence incidents and to locations that can be reached through local travel. The CSB needs to develop mitigating measures and methods to handle less-than-high consequence incidents. As the coronavirus persists, the CSB also faces an investigative staffing shortage and the challenge of eventually returning its workforce to federal office spaces.

Report #20-N-0202, June 29, 2020. The Office of Acquisition Solutions created and provided detailed guidance to EPA contracting personnel and contractors related to reimbursements under Section 3610 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, known as the CARES Act. The information in the guidance documents was consistent with the federal statute.

June 17, 2020. The OIG has identified initial challenges to the EPA’s ability to achieve its mission, including enforcement and fraud risks; state, tribe, and territory program implementation; and risk communication to the public. The OIG also identified internal challenges to maintaining a safe and productive workforce, including returning to work safely, effective remote technology, understanding organizational risk, and contract oversight.

Project #OA&E-FY20-0212, May 7, 2020. The OIG has initiated an overall project to research and identify topics for potential audits and evaluations related to the EPA’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Project #OA&E-FY20-0176, May 6, 2020. One objective of this audit is to evaluate elements within the EPA’s System Security Plans to determine whether they provide sufficient details to allow the EPA to make decisions regarding network security during the coronavirus pandemic. The audit also will determine whether the System Security Plans are developed and updated in accordance with the standards published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.