United States June 1980 Environmental Protection OPA 42/0 Agency SER& Introducing the Off ice of Inspector General to EPA Employees ------- What is the Office of Inspector General? What's Your Objective How Do You Do That? In these times of spiraling inflation and increased public attention to governmental spending, it's vital that every Federal-Government dollar be spent wisely. Recognizing this, in October 1978 Congress passed the Inspector General Act of 1978— Public Law 95-452—which created Offices of Inspector General in the Environmental Protection Agency and 12 other Federal agencies. This brochure explains all about EPA's Office of Inspector General: what we do, why we do it, and— most important of all—how you can help! ! Simply put, the purpose of the Office ! of Inspector General is to: • Promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the administration of EPA's programs and operations; and • Prevent and detect fraud, waste, mismanagement, and abuse in EPA's programs and operations- One of the best ways is by conducting frequent audits and investigations of all EPA programs and operations, looking at both internal and external activities. We spend much of our time conducting audits and investigations of the wastewater treatment plant construction grant program, to which EPA devotes nearly 90 percent of its annual budget. ------- How Can I Help? I'd Rather Phone In My Complaint The Inspector General also has responsibility for reviewing existing and proposed legislation and regulations, and for making recommendations concerning their impact. The Inspector General is in continual contact with the Administrator and Deputy Administrator on a wide range of issues important to EPA and its employees. Twice each year, we send a formal report to the Congress, through the Administrator and Deputy Adminis- trator, informing them of the results of our audits and investigations and bringing the Congress up to date on our progress in promoting economy and combating fraud, abuse, mis- management, and waste at EPA. If you ever see, or become aware of, any • Violations of laws or regulations, • Mismanagement, • Gross waste of funds, • Abuses of authority, or • Substantial danger to public health and safety, please let us know! We have representatives in Head- quarters and each EPA Region; their names are listed on the last page of this brochure. The employees of the Office of Inspector General will listen to your complaint and do everything possible to resolve it. Fine. Just dial the "Whistleblowers Hotline" telephone number in your Region (listed on the final page of this brochure). We'll treat your allegation just as we would if you'd stopped by in person. ------- Couldn't Complaining Like That Get Me Into Trouble? What If You Can't Prove My Complaint Is Valid? NOI In fact, if you phone in a complaint, you don't even have to leave your name. But we hope you will identify yourself so that we can follow up on your information and get back in touch with you, if necessary, for more details. We will protect your identity throughout any investigation unless you agree to "going public" or (in rare cases) the Inspector General determines that disclosing your identity is unavoidable during the course of the investigation. Unfortunately, that does happen from time to time. But as long as you don't make a complaint knowing that it's false~(6r, in the words of the Inspector General Act, "with willful disregard for its truth or falsity"), you will be protected in every possible way. If you have any remaining questions about the Office of Inspector General, we'll be happy to answer them. Please call the Assistant Inspector General for Audits, on FTS 557-5076, or the Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, on FTS 245-3090. Thank You For Your Cooperation! Inez Smith Reid Inspector General ------- If You Have Office of Inspector General Hotline A Complaint. RePresentative Number Get In Touch . With Us Region 1 Richard J. Walsh 223-3851 Region 2 George B. Markham 264-0399 Region 3 Charles Moraglia 597-9421 Region 4 John V. Zacharias 257-2618 Region 5 Roger Smith 353-2486 Region 6 Rodman J. Redard 729-2709 Region 7 Gene Barnhart 758-6126 Region 8 Kenneth J. Wilk 327-5388 Region 9 Kenneth F. Heard 556-2365 Region 10 Norman H. Brand 399-7180 Headquarters Paul Olson 472-7146 ------- |