Report: The EPA Does Not Always Track the Use of Build America, Buy America Act Waivers for Infrastructure Projects

Report # 24-N-0037, May 8, 2024

Why We Did This Report

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General conducted this project to quantify the extent to which the EPA is issuing Build America, Buy America Act waivers for infrastructure projects.
 

Summary of Findings

As of December 2023, the EPA had issued 11 Build America, Buy America Act waivers. We found that the EPA did not track the use of ten of these waivers across EPA-funded infrastructure projects. Build America, Buy America Act waivers can be categorized into two types: project-specific waivers and general applicability waivers. The Agency was unable to provide the number of award recipients that fall under either type of waiver and does not have a method in place to track this information. With approximately $60.3 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act projects potentially subject to Build America, Buy America Act requirements, the EPA needs to develop and implement a method to track all waiver use. Without tracking the use of such waivers, the EPA may not be able to maximize use of U.S. goods, products, and materials in EPA-funded infrastructure projects. 

Report Materials

• At a Glance- 24-N-0037 (pdf) (1.37 KB)
• Full Report - 24-N-0037 (pdf) (1.37 KB)
• Press Release - 24-N-0037 (pdf) (1.37 KB)
• Project reviewing the EPA’s Build America, Buy America Act Waivers on Infrastructure Projects