^ HQ Cn\iimnmantal Drntaptinn Anonp\i 17-F-0365 < JU, z Office of Inspector General . __ . U.S. Environmental Protection Agency . ,on„v /» ^, ^ August 14,2017 \SSS.< At a Glance Why We Did This Review The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA) requires that we perform an annual audit of the Pesticide Registration Fund (known as the PRIA Fund) financial statements. To expedite the registration of certain pesticides, Congress authorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assess and collect pesticide registration fees. The fees collected are deposited into the PRIA Fund. The agency is required to prepare financial statements that present financial information about the PRIA Fund. PRIA also requires the establishment of decision time review periods for pesticide registration actions, and requires the Office of Inspector General to perform an analysis of the agency's compliance with those review periods. This report addresses the following EPA goal or cross-agency strategy: Fiscal Years 2016 and 2015 Financial Statements for the Pesticide Registration Fund Disclaimer of Opinion We rendered a disclaimer of opinion on the PRIA Fund financial statements for fiscal years (FY) 2016 and 2015, meaning that we were unable to obtain sufficient evidence to determine if they were fairly presented and free of material misstatement. Due to the material weakness in internal controls noted, the agency cannot provide reasonable assurance that financial data provided for the PRIA Fund accurately reflect the agency's financial activities and balances. Internal Control Material Weakness Noted We noted a material weakness in that the EPA cannot adequately support its FY 2016 PRIA Fund costs. The EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs receives its funding from both fees paid by pesticide manufacturers and amounts appropriated by Congress. In FY 2016, the EPA allocated its pesticide funding to use appropriated amounts, which would expire, and retained funding received from fees. Therefore, significant payroll amounts paid from appropriations were not charged directly to the PRIA Fund or other pesticide programs. This resulted in the loss of the audit trail for reporting separate costs and liabilities for the PRIA Fund and other pesticide programs. Because this issue was noted in prior audit reports and the agency is taking corrective actions, we make no new recommendations for this material weakness. Compliance With Applicable Laws and Regulations We did not identify any noncompliances that would result in a material misstatement to the audited financial statements. • Embracing EPA as a high- performing organization. Send all inquiries to our public affairs office at (202) 566-2391 or visit www.epa.gov/oiq. Listing of OIG reports. ------- |