OFFICE OF
INSPECTOR GENERAL
Semiannual
Report to Congress
April 1, 2018-September 30, 2018
EPA-350-R-18-003
November 2018
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Index of Reporting Requirements
Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended
Section 5(a
Significant recommendations for corrective action
14-25, 30-31
Section 5(a
Matters referred to prosecutive authorities
26-29, 32, 42-43
57-64
Section 5(a
List of reports issued
44-45
Section 5(a
Audit, inspection and evaluation reports—questioned costs
2, 40-41, 44-45
Section 5(a
Prior audit, inspection and evaluation reports unresolved
41, 46-47
Section 5(a
Significant management decisions with which OIG disagreed
None
Section 5(a
17-18)
Statistics on investigative reports, referrals, prosecutions, indictments
29, 40, 42-43
Section 5(a
20)
Description of whistleblower retaliation
Section 5(a
22)
Closed audits, evaluations and investigations not disclosed to public
57-64
Section 5(a
Information or assistance refused
Section 5(a
14-16)
Peer reviews conducted
65
Section 5(a
Any establishment attempts to interfere with independence
Section 5(a
Audit, inspection and evaluation reports—funds to be put to better use 2, 40-41, 44-45
Section 5(a
Substantiated Investigations involving senior government employees
57-58
Section 5(a
Significant revised management decisions
None
Section 5(a
Reports with corrective action not completed
4-7, 48-56
Section 5(a
Summaries of significant reports
12, 14-25, 30-31
34-36
Section 5(a
Requirement
Subject
Significant problems, abuses and deficiencies
Page
12-32
Abbreviations
CSB U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
FY Fiscal Year
OIG Office of Inspector General
U.S.C. United States Code
SES Senior Executive Service
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Message to Congress
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Office of Inspector
General (OIG) is pleased to present this semiannual report for the period ending
September 30, 2018. The work produced by the OIG the past 6 months was
broad in scope and deep in rigor. The results are a direct reflection of my
predecessor, Inspector General Arthur A. Elkins Jr., who, after more than
8 years, retired on October 12, 2018. As acting Inspector General, my mission—
with the indispensable aid of a staff of high talents and substantial experience—
is to continue to advance the EPA OIG as an independent oversight organization
trusted to speak truth and promote good governance and, by doing so, contribute
to improved human health and the environment.
The EPA OIG confronts ever-increasing pressures to address significant issues of the day in the face of
constrained budgets generally trending downward. Since 2014, our annual budget has shrunk over
$1 million dollars. In fiscal year (FY) 2018, we received an unprecedented number of congressional
requests to audit and investigate. Against the backdrop of much ongoing work, our charge in FY 2018
was to balance important and competing interests and make difficult decisions about accepting new
requests—which could displace ongoing work. At the same time, audits mandated by Congress, more of
which are gradually added to our plate over time, limit our flexibility to accept even worthy requests.
Nonetheless, despite twin constraints of a tight budget and required reports narrowing the band of issues
that we can tackle at our discretion, the EPA OIG continues to generate an impressive body of
accomplishments.
Our Core: Integrity, Health and Environmental Concerns
Our investigators, auditors, evaluators and other staff marshalled collective efforts to comprehensively
and carefully—yet expeditiously—address a range of matters related to Scott Pruitt, the EPA
Administrator until July 2018. These matters included potential threats made against him; his travel,
calendars and security detail; his hiring, reassignment and demotion of staff; and alleged misuse of his
position. Although some requested work was not initiated or able to be completed due to Administrator
Pruitt's resignation, two significant audits were released. While assessing the Administrator's use of
hiring authorities under the Safe Drinking Water Act, we found that six employees received substantial
pay increases along with conversions of their positions. We issued a "management alert" to so notify the
agency while our broader audit work on the matter continues. In addition, our audit of the Administrator's
Protective Service Detail found that the agency had no approved standard operating procedures to address
the level of protection required or how those services are provided.
Other OIG work impacted how the EPA can intervene to help protect communities from drinking water
contamination, the health of our children in schools and the oversight of automobile emissions. A key
report looked at lapses by the EPA when responding to water contamination in Flint, Michigan, including
a recommendation that the EPA establish controls to verify that states are monitoring compliance with all
Lead and Copper Rule requirements, which could improve the quality and safety of our drinking water
nationwide. By using lessons learned from the Flint crisis, the agency can establish clear oversight roles,
Charles J. Sheehan
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
implement an effective system to evaluate risk, and improve the effectiveness of monitoring in the event
of a similar situation.
In another audit, we found that EPA regions significantly reduced or eliminated resources for their
asbestos programs, including inspecting for asbestos in schools. Without inspections, the EPA cannot
know whether schools pose an actual risk of asbestos
exposure to children and staff. We also assessed whether the
EPA has implemented stronger controls to detect instances of
emissions fraud since Volkswagen was found cheating the
emissions testing process in 2015. Our audit found that
although the EPA has augmented its testing, further
improvements could be made to prevent noncompliance with
mobile source regulations, which can lead to excess emissions
of pollutants.
OIG Accomplishments
(this reporting period and fiscal year 2018)
• Questioned costs and potential monetary
benefits (includes results from single audits)
April 1-September 30, 2018: $3,503 million
FY 2018: $378,243 million
• Total fines and recoveries
(includes EPA only and joint investigations)
April 1-September 30, 2018: $1,124 million
FY 2018: $1,651 million
• Reports issued
April 1-September 30, 2018: 34 reports
FY 2018: 52 reports
• Investigative cases closed
April 1-September 30, 2018: 80 cases
FY 2018: 134 cases
• Administrative actions resulting
from investigative cases
April 1-September 30, 2018: 63 actions
FY 2018: 106 actions
• Hotline inquiries closed
April 1-September 30, 2018: 98 inquiries
FY 2018: 221 inquiries
• Hotline inquiries referred for action
April 1-September 30, 2018: 180 inquiries
FY 2018: 377 inquiries
Throughout this body of audits, the OIG continues its tradition
of fair, balanced reporting. When the facts so warrant, as they
frequently did this year, our reports tout agency "noteworthy
achievements" or "best practices." An audit that shows a well-
functioning program or operation with no deficiencies—also
the case in several instances this year—gives due credit and
makes no recommendation for improvements.
Our Influence: OIG Recommendations and
Agency Corrective Actions
An especially telling measurement of our impact is the
agency's recognition of the value of our recommendations and
investigative findings. Of 170 recommendations for
improvement we made in audit reports in FY 2018, agency leadership agreed with 153 (90 percent). Of 18
Reports of Investigation we referred to the agency in FY 2018, 16 were accepted for action (89 percent).
Lastly, this year—the 40th anniversary of the Inspector General Act—is fresh reinforcement of the value
of Inspectors General, who promote and facilitate the efficiency, effectiveness and wise spending of
taxpayer dollars. Our office was one of the original 12 OIGs created in 1978. Our community has grown
to include 73 Inspectors General who oversee nearly every aspect of the federal government. We look
forward to continuing independent and effective oversight of the EPA and the U.S. Chemical Safety and
Hazard Investigation Board, as well as working with our Inspector General community on issues cutting
across the entire federal government.
I
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Charles J. Sheehan
Acting Inspector General
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Table of Contents
About EPA and Its Office of Inspector General 1
Scoreboard of Results 2
FY 2018 EPA Management Challenges Issued 3
Status of OIG Unimplemented Recommendations 4
Acting Administrator Wheeler Emphasizes Need for Cooperation with OIG 8
Furthering EPA's Efforts 9
Status of Whistleblower Retaliation and Interference with Independence 1.1
Significant OIG Activity 12
Conqressionallv Requested Activities 12
Human Health and Environmental Issues 14
Agency Business Practices and Accountability 21
Investigations 26
Hotline Activities 30
Other Activities 34
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board 35
Other Results of OIG Work 37
Follow-Up Is Important Aspect of OIG Efforts 37
Single Audit Reporting Efforts Make Impact 38
Agency Best Practices 39
Statistical Data 40
Profile of Activities and Results 40
Audit Report Resolution 41
Summary of Investigative Results 42
Appendices 44
Appendix 1—Reports Issued 44
Appendix 2—Reports Issued Without Management Decisions 46
Appendix 3—Reports with Corrective Action Not Completed 48
Appendix 4—Closed Investigations Not Publicly Disclosed 57
Appendix 5—Peer Reviews Conducted 65
Appendix 6—OIG Mailing Addresses and Telephone Numbers 66
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
About EPA and Its
Office of Inspector General
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to protect
human health and the environment. As America's steward for the environment since
1970, the EPA has endeavored to ensure that the public has air that is safe to breathe,
water that is clean and safe to drink, food that is free from dangerous pesticide residues,
and communities that are protected from toxic chemicals.
EPA Office of Inspector General
The Office of Inspector General (OIG), established by
the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, 5 U.S.C.
App. 3, is an independent office of the EPA that detects
and prevents fraud, waste and abuse to help the agency
protect human health and the environment more
efficiently and cost effectively. OIG staff are located at
EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C.; the EPA's
10 regional offices; and at Research Triangle Park,
North Carolina, and Cincinnati, Ohio. The EPA Inspector
General also serves as the Inspector General for the
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
(CSB). Our vision, mission and goals are as follows:
Vision
Be the best in public service and oversight for a better environment tomorrow.
Promote economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and prevent and detect fraud, waste, and
abuse through independent oversight of the programs and operations of the EPA and
CSB.
Goals
1. Contribute to improved human health, safety and environment.
2. Contribute to improved EPA and CSB business practices and accountability.
3. Be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.
4. Be the best in government service.
EPA OIG Peer Reviewed
The systems of quality control for the EPA OIG
are peer reviewed by another OIG on a regular
basis to ensure that the EPA OIG satisfies
professional standards. On June 18, 2018, the
EPA OIG audit organization received an
external peer review rating of pass—the
highest rating possible. On June 11, 2018, the
EPA OIG's investigations office was found to
have no deficiencies, as well as to have
internal safeguards and management
procedures compliant with quality standards.
Further details are in Appendix 5.
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Scoreboard of Results
The information below shows taxpayer return on investment for work performed by the EPA OIG during fiscal
year (FY) 2018 compared to FY 2018 annual performance goal targets. All results reported are based on goals and
plans established under the Government Performance and Results Act.
Annual Performance Goal 1:
Environmental and business outcome actions taken; changes, corrections or improvements made;
risks reduced, eliminated or influenced by OIG work
Target: 196
Reported: 103
(53% of goal)
Supporting measures
4 Environmental/health improvements realized or influenced by OIG work
99 Environmental, chemical safety or business policy, practice or process changes made or
decisions implemented
0 Legislative or regulatory changes
Annual Performance Goal 2:
Recommendations, challenges, best practices or risks identified for action
Target: 460
Reported: 759
(165% of goal)
Supporting measures
* 34 Certifications, verifications, validations
* 235 Recommendations for improvement (including risk identified)
19 Referrals for agency action
7 Unimplemented recommendations identified in issued reports
* 462 OIG-identified findings in external reports impacting EPA
2 Beneficial practices identified for potential transfer
Annual Performance Goal 3:
Return on investment: potential dollar return as percentage of OIG budget
Target: 160% of budget
Reported: 588% of target
Supporting measures fin millions)
OIG budget: $50.3
Potential return: $473.1
*$3,192 Questioned costs
$375,051 Potential monetary benefits identified in reports—excluding questioned costs
$90,990 Monetary actions taken or resolved prior to report issuance
$0,389 Fines, penalties, settlements and restitutions resulting from EPA OIG investigations
$0,936 Actual cost savings identified after report issuance
$1.255 Cost avoidance savings/cost savings identified after report issuance or based on
investigative results
$1.261 Fines, penalties, settlements and restitutions resulting from joint investigations
between EPA OIG and other entities
Annual Performance Goal 4:
Criminal, civil and administrative actions reducing risk, and loss of resources
and operational integrity taken or influenced by OIG work
Target: 87
Reported: 330
(379% of goal)
Supporting measures
85 Allegations disproved
6 Indictments, informations and complaints
4 Convictions
1 Civil action
87 Administrative actions taken (other than debarments or suspensions)
19 Suspension or debarment actions
128 Fraud briefings conducted
Other (no targets established)
Savings and recommendations sustained (can include sustained costs for recommendations from prior fiscal year reports):
• * 222 sustained environmental or business recommendations (resolved or agreed-to) for action
• * $9,125 million in sustained questioned costs
• $375.05 million in sustained potential monetary benefits
Sources: The OIG Performance Measurement Results System and the Inspector General Enterprise Management System.
* These measures include single audits, which are generally audits of nonfederal entities performed by private firms.
Further details on single audits are on page 38.
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
FY 2018 EPA Management Challenges Issued
Report No. 18-N-0174, issued May 8, 2018
Attention to agency management challenges—areas with greater vulnerability to waste,
fraud, abuse and mismanagement—could result in better protection for the public and
increased confidence in management integrity and accountability. As required by the
Reports Consolidation Act of 2000, the OIG identified the following issues as the EPA's
key management challenges for FY 2018:
• The EPA Needs to Improve Oversight of States, Territories and Tribes
Authorized to Accomplish Environmental Goals: The EPA has made important
progress, but our work continues to identify challenges throughout agency
programs and regions, and many of our recommendations are still not fully
implemented.
• The EPA Needs to Improve Its Workload Analysis to Accomplish Its Mission
Efficiently and Effectively: The EPA needs to better identify its workload needs
so that it can more effectively prioritize and allocate limited resources to
accomplish its work.
• The EPA Needs to Enhance Information Technology Security to Combat
Cyber Threats: Though the EPA continues to initiate actions to strengthen or
improve its information security program, the agency lacks a holistic approach to
managing accountability over its contractors. It also lacks follow-up on whether
corrective actions are taken.
• The EPA Needs to Improve on Fulfilling Mandated Reporting Requirements:
The agency faces challenges in tracking and submitting reports mandated by law
that contain key program information for Congress, the EPA Administrator and the
public.
• The EPA Needs Improved Data Quality for Program Performance and
Decision-Making: Poor data quality negatively impacts the EPA's effectiveness in
overseeing programs that directly impact public health.
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Semiannual Report to Congress April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Status of OIG Unimplemented
Recommendations
OIG audits provide recommendations to help improve EPA program offices and regions.
Benefits for the agency and the public are realized through the implementation of these
recommendations. To encourage continued progress on completing management action, we
analyzed the list of unimplemented recommendations in Appendix 3 and provide the results
of that analysis below. Unimplemented recommendations include those for which
implementation is past due, as well as those that are due in the future.
Unimplemented Recommendations as of September 30, 2018
(presented by fiscal year issued)
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For the semiannual reporting period ending September 30, 2018, the EPA had
64 unimplemented recommendations, and the CSB had one unimplemented
recommendation in that same period. The potential monetary benefits of these
recommendations for the EPA and CSB are approximately $86 million and $402,000,
respectively. The table below shows the status of the recommendations, which fall into five
categories. The CSB report is included in the "Management and Operations" category.
Total
Potential
Category
No. of
recommendations
monetary benefits
(in $000s)
1. Management and Operations
34
$45,714
2. Water Issues
7
0
3. Environmental Contamination and Cleanup
8
27,800
4. Toxics, Chemical Safety and Pesticides
12
0
5. Air Quality
4
13,000
Total
65
$86,514
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
For each category, we include the benefit(s) of implementing each recommendation as one
or more of the following: (1) improved human health and the environment, (2) more
effective and efficient operations and (3) potential monetary benefits.
Category 1 Management and Operations
The 34 unimplemented recommendations in this category were issued within the following
14 reports and offer the potential for more effective and efficient operations, as well as
potential monetary benefits of $45.7 million:
• Improved oversight of:
o Companies with multiple cleanup liabilities that self-insure
(Report No. 18-P-0059).
o Project managers without the appropriate information technology certification
(Report No. 18-F-0039).
o Leave bank program (Report No. 17-P-0374).
o Use of religious compensatory time (Report No. 16-P-0333).
o Hawaii water quality grants (Report No. 16-P-0218). The potential monetary
benefit of this unimplemented recommendation is $8.3 million.
o CSB future leasing with the General Services Administration
(Report No. 16-P-0179). The potential monetary benefit of this unimplemented
recommendation is $0.4 million.
o Grants execution in the U.S. Virgin Islands (Report No. 15-P-0137). The
potential monetary benefit of this unimplemented recommendation is $37 million.
o Emergency and Rapid Response Contracts (Report No. I4-P-0I09).
o Reassessment of the Community-Focused Exposure and Risk Screening Tool
(Report No. 17-P-0378).
• Institutionalization of the Lean program to reap cost and time benefits
(Report No. 17-P-0346).
• Better processes for information technology regarding:
o Integration and use of cloud services (Report No. 15-P-0295).
o Information security vulnerability program (Report No. 15-P-0290).
o Determining whether infrastructure-as-a-service contracts are in the agency's
best interest (Report No. 14-P-0332).
o Internal controls for applications management (Report No. 10-1-0029).
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Category 2 Water Issues
The seven unimplemented recommendations in this category were issued within the
following four reports and offer the potential for improved human health and the
environment, as well as more effective and efficient operations:
• Share the EPA's voluntary WaterSense program practices with the agency's
Program Management Improvement Officer (Report No. 17-P-0352).
• Provide leadership and better guidance to improve fish advisory risk
communications (Report No. 17-P-0174).
• Assess environmental and economic benefits of completed Clean Water State
Revolving Fund green projects (Report No. 16-P-0162).
• Revise outdated or inconsistent EPA/state clean water memorandums of agreement
(Report No. 10-P-0224).
Category 3 Environmental Contamination and Cleanup
The eight unimplemented recommendations in this category were issued within the
following six reports and offer the potential for improved human health and the
environment, more effective and efficient operations, and potential monetary benefits of
$27.8 million:
• Make enhancements to EPA reporting software for noncompliant facilities
(Report No. 18-P-0001).
• Assure distribution of Superfund human resources supports current regional
workload (Report No. 17-P-0397).
• Improve oversight of the Underground Storage Tank/Leaking Underground
Storage Tank program for the U.S. Virgin Islands (Report No. 15-P-0137).
• Revise risk management inspection guidance to recommend minimum inspection
scope and provide detailed examples of minimum reporting
(Report No. 13-P-0178).
• Enter into memorandums of agreement that address oversight of municipalities
conducting inspections of underground storage tanks (Report No. 12-P-0289).
• Make better use of Stringfellow Superfund Special Accounts
(Report No. 08-P-0196). The potential monetary benefit of this unimplemented
recommendation is $27.8 million.
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Category 4 Toxics, Chemical Safety and Pesticides
The 12 unimplemented recommendations in this category were issued within the following
seven reports and have the potential for improved human health and the environment:
• Effectively manage state pesticide cooperative agreements and reduce risk of
misuse (Report No. 18-P-0079).
• Reduce risks from illegal pesticides by effectively identifying imports for
inspection and sampling (Report No. 17-P-0412).
• Assess needs and implement management controls to ensure effective
incorporation of chemical safety research products (Report No. 17-P-0294).
• Strengthen oversight of herbicide resistance with better management controls
(Report No. 17-P-0278).
• Take additional measures to prevent deaths and serious injuries from residential
fumigation (Report No. 17-P-0053).
• Assure continued effectiveness of hospital-level disinfectants
(Report No. 16-P-0316).
• Establish criteria and procedures outlining what chemical or classes of chemicals
will undergo risk assessments (Report No. 10-P-0066).
Category 5 Air Quality
The four unimplemented recommendations in this category were issued within the
following three reports and have the potential for improved human health and the
environment, and potential monetary benefits of $13 million:
• Improve data and oversight to assure compliance with the standards for benzene
content in gasoline (Report No. 17-P-0249).
• Prioritize and update existing oil and gas production emission factors and develop
new factors for processes that do not currently have emission factors
(Report No. 13-P-0161).
• Update the fees rule to recover more motor vehicle and engine compliance program
costs (Report No. I I-P-0701). The potential monetary benefit of this
unimplemented recommendation is $13 million.
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Acting Administrator Wheeler Emphasizes
Need for Cooperation with OIG
In an email issued August 8, 2018, to all agency employees, acting Administrator Andrew
Wheeler emphasized the need for all EPA staff to cooperate with the OIG.
"I recognize the important role that the Office of Inspector General serves in preventing and
identifying fraud, waste and abuse in EPA programs and operations," Wheeler said in the
email, which was prefaced with the subject line Cooperating with the Office of Inspector
General. He continued, "One of the ways we ensure accountability deserving of the
public's trust is through the review and oversight carried out by the OIG. This important
work enables us all to be more effective in achieving the agency's mission with the
resources and authorities provided by Congress."
As the message noted, "The OIG is an independent office within the EPA and, to meet its
statutory mandate under the Inspector General Act, the OIG requires information and
assistance from EPA managers and staff on a regular basis." Consequently, Wheeler
stressed, "It is imperative and expected that agency personnel provide the OIG with access
to personnel, facilities and records or other information or material that is needed by the
OIG to accomplish its mission." In addition, Wheeler said that he expects "all employees to
report fraud, waste and abuse to the OIG. ... Each employee taking the responsibility to
report activity to the OIG which appears wasteful or illegal is one of the most important
and successful means the OIG has for identifying and stopping wrongdoing."
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Furthering EPA's Efforts
When conducting our audit work during the second half of FY 2018, we considered the EPA's key areas of effort.
The table below shows how our reports on the EPA aligned with these areas.
OIG-lssued Reports — Linkage to Key EPA Areas of Effort
OIG report
Report
no.
Improving
air quality
Ensuring
clean/safe
water
Cleaning up/
revitalizing
land
Ensuring
safety of
chemicals
Improving
EPA research
programs
Compliance
with the law
Partnering
with states/
others
Operating
efficiently/
effectively
EPA's Safe and Sustainable Water
Resources Research Program Is
Delivering Timely and Relevant Data to
the Office of Water
18-P-0151
X
X
EPA Complied with Improper Payments
Elimination and Recovery Act
Requirements
18-P-0153
X
Management Alert - Salary Increases for
Certain Administratively Determined
Positions
18-N-0154
X
EPA's Fiscal Year 2018 Management
Challenges
18-N-0174
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
EPA Region 5 Needs to Better Protect
Information Technology Property, and
Areas for Agencywide Improvement
Exist
18-P-0176
X
EPA Did Not Identify Volkswagen
Emissions Cheating; Enhanced Controls
Now Provide Reasonable Assurance of
Fraud Detection
18-P-0181
X
X
Atlanta Is Largely in Compliance with Its
Combined Sewer Overflow Consent
Decree, but Has Not Yet Met All
Requirements
18-P-0206
X
Operational Efficiencies of EPA's Human
Resources Shared Service Centers Not
Measured
18-P-0207
X
Management Alert - To Minimize Risk of
Environmental Harm, the Security
Categorization of Electronic Manifest
System Data Needs to Be Re-Evaluated
18-P-0217
X
EPA Complied with the Statement of
Federal Financial Accounting Standards
No. 47 and Treasury Financial Manual,
Part 2, Chapter 4700
18-P-0220
X
Management Weaknesses Delayed
Response to Flint Water Crisis
18-P-0221
X
X
EPA Completed OIG Recommendations
for the Presidential Green Chemistry
Challenge Awards Program but Lacks
Controls over Use of Unverified Results
18-P-0222
X
EPA's Chemical Data Reporting Rule
Largely Implemented as Intended, but
Opportunities for Improvement Exist
18-P-0226
X
X
Incomplete Oversight of State
Hazardous Waste Rule Authorization
Creates Regulatory Gaps and Human
Health and Environmental Risks
18-P-0227
X
Without E-lnvoicing and Stronger
Payment Process Controls, EPA Is
Placing $1.2 Billion at Risk Annually
18-P-0231
X
EPA's Purchase Card and Convenience
Check Program Controls Are Not
Effective for Preventing Improper
Purchases
18-P-0232
X
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
OIG report
Report
no.
Improving
air quality
Ensuring
clean/safe
water
Cleaning up/
revitalizing
land
Ensuring
safety of
chemicals
Improving
EPA research
programs
Compliance
with the law
Partnering
with states/
others
Operating
efficiently/
effectively
EPA Needs to Finish Prioritization and
Resource Allocation Methodologies for
Abandoned Uranium Mine Sites on or
Near Navajo Lands
18-P-0233
X
Without a Process for Monitoring
Sensitive Data, EPA Region 4 Risks
Unauthorized Access to File Servers and
Share Folders
18-P-0234
X
X
EPA's June 2018 Issuance of the
Delayed Notice of Availability of Farm
Worker Protection Training Materials Will
Reduce Risks of Injury and Illness
18-P-0238
X
EPA Asserts Statutory Law Enforcement
Authority to Protect Its Administrator but
Lacks Procedures to Assess Threats and
Identify the Proper Level of Protection
18-P-0239
X
EPA Needs a Comprehensive Vision and
Strategy for Citizen Science that Aligns
with Its Strategic Objectives on Public
Participation
18-P-0240
X
EPA Can Strengthen Its Process for
Revising Air Quality Dispersion Models
that Predict Impact of Pollutant
Emissions
18-P-0241
X
Management Alert - EPA Oversight of
Employee Debt Waiver Process Needs
Immediate Attention
18-P-0250
X
EPA Needs to Re-Evaluate Its
Compliance Monitoring Priorities for
Minimizing Asbestos Risks in Schools
18-P-0270
X
X
Delayed Cleanup of Asbestos Debris at
the Old Davis Hospital Site Necessitates
Changes for EPA Region 4 and North
Carolina
18-P-0271
X
X
Measures and Management Controls
Needed to Improve EPA's Pesticide
Emergency Exemption Process
18-P-0281
X
Collecting Additional Performance Data
from States Would Help EPA Better
Assess the Effectiveness of Vehicle
Inspection and Maintenance Programs
18-P-0283
X
EPA Paid $14.5 Million to Foreign
Fellows that Could Have Funded
Research by U.S. Citizens or Permanent
Residents
18-P-0288
X
Management Alert: EPA's Incident
Tracking System Lacks Required
Controls to Protect Personal Information
18-P-0298
X
10
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Status of Whistleblower Retaliation and
Interference with Independence
Whistleblower Retaliation
Section 5(a)(20) of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, requires a detailed
description of any instances of whistleblower retaliation noted by the EPA OIG.
This requirement includes information about an official found to have engaged in
retaliation and the consequences the agency imposed to hold that official accountable.
There were no whistleblower retaliation cases closed within the semiannual period
ending September 30, 2018.
Impediments to Independence
Section 5(a)(21) of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, requires a detailed
description of any attempt by the establishment (or, in this case, the EPA or the CSB) to
interfere with the independence of the EPA OIG. This requirement includes budget
constraints designed to limit the OIG's capabilities, as well as incidents where the agency
resisted OIG oversight or delayed OIG access to information. The OIG encountered no
impediments during this semiannual reporting period.
11
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Significant OIG Activity
Congressionally Requested Activities
Atlanta Is Largely in Compliance with Its Combined Sewer Overflow
Consent Decree, but Has Not Yet Met All Requirements
Report No. 18-P-0206, issued May 30, 2018
The OIG examined the city of Atlanta, Georgia's compliance with requirements of a
1998 Combined Sewer Overflow Consent Decree. Combined sewer overflows occur
when untreated or partially treated waste, toxic materials
and debris mix with stormwater and flow into waterbodies.
The decree also addresses sanitary sewer overflows that
occur when sewage escapes sewer systems. The city
completed its combined sewer overflow consent decree
capital improvement projects by 2008 and complied with
reporting requirements, but it has not yet achieved all
consent decree requirements. The combined sewer
overflow continues to have periodic permit violations due
to high levels of fecal coliform, operations-related errors
leading to high levels of chlorine in treated wastewaters,
and missed water quality tests. Sanitary sewer overflows
also continue to occur, with untreated household and human waste being released into
city streets and surface waters. The city has until 2027 to achieve all sanitary sewer
consent decree requirements. We made no recommendations.
Investigations
EPA Administrator's Resignation Leaves investigation into
Allegation of Gift Inconclusive
The OIG conducted an administrative investigation into EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's
lodging agreement with a lobbyist's wife that allegedly constituted a gift. Investigators
interviewed witnesses and reviewed records pertaining to the lodging agreement, which
involved the Administrator renting a room in a townhouse owned by a lobbyist's wife.
Mr. Pniitt resigned prior to being interviewed by investigators. For that reason, the OIG
deemed that the result of the investigation was inconclusive. The case will be closed.
Atlanta's R.M. Clayton Pump Station was built
as a result of the city's 1998 Combined Sewer
Overflow Consent Decree. (EPA OIG photo)
12
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
EPA Administrator's Resignation Leaves Investigation into
Improper Use of Position Inconclusive
The OIG investigated the following allegations: that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt
had subordinates at the EPA assist him in finding personal housing; that he used his
official position and EPA staff to seek a "business opportunity" for his wife with
Chick-fil-A, a fast-food restaurant chain; that he enlisted subordinates at the EPA to
secure a mattress for his personal use; and that he had his security detail run errands for
him. Investigators interviewed witnesses and reviewed records. Mr. Pruitt resigned
prior to being interviewed by investigators. For that reason, the OIG deemed that the
result of the investigation was inconclusive. The case will be closed.
Allegation of Senior Executive Service Employee Nonperformance of
Work Duties Not Supported
A Senior Executive Service (SES)-level employee allegedly did not attend work or
perform work duties from November 2017 through January 2018. It was also alleged that
the subject had subordinates conduct menial tasks. Investigators interviewed witnesses,
who stated that the employee was often in the EPA office and attended meetings during
that time frame. Investigators reviewed records, which showed that the employee worked
during the time specified. Witnesses also stated that the employee did not have
subordinates conduct menial tasks. During an interview, the subject denied both
allegations. The allegations were not supported.
Allegation of EPA Ethics Officials Being Improperly Pressured Not Supported
The OIG conducted an administrative investigation into whether EPA ethics officials
were improperly pressured by EPA officials to render opinions pertaining to EPA
Administrator Scott Pruitt's lodging agreement. Investigators interviewed potential
victims, who stated that they did not feel pressured into rendering opinions pertaining to
the lodging agreement. A review of records showed nothing of investigative merit
supporting the allegation. The allegation was not supported.
Briefings, Requests and Inquiries
During this reporting period, the OIG provided 10 briefings to Congress on the OIG's
work. Specific OIG work receiving considerable congressional interest included that
related to the various allegations against Administrator Scott Pruitt and his staff. During
the reporting period, the OIG also received many congressional requests for specific data.
13
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Human Health and Environmental Issues
Management Weaknesses Delayed Response to Flint Water Crisis
Report No, 18- -0221, issued July 19, 2018
In October 2016, the OIG issued a Management Alert to the
EPA about specific factors that delayed the agency's
emergency response to contamination in the community water
system for the city of Flint, Michigan. Our subsequent and final report, issued July 19,
2018, provided further details about implementation and oversight lapses by the EPA,
state of Michigan and city of Flint. We found that EPA Region 5 did not implement
management controls that could have facilitated more informed and proactive decision-
making when Flint and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality did not
properly implement the Lead and Copper Rule. For example, the region did not establish
clear oversight roles and responsibilities and did not have an effective system to evaluate
risk. We also found that the EPA should strengthen its oversight of state drinking water
programs to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the agency's response to
drinking water emergencies.
We recommended that EPA headquarters and Region 5 use lessons learned from Flint to
improve oversight of Safe Drinking Water Act compliance. We also recommended that
EPA headquarters revise the Lead and Copper Rule to improve the effectiveness of
monitoring requirements. The EPA provided adequate corrective actions for eight of our
nine recommendations. The unresolved recommendation—to establish controls to
annually verify that states are monitoring compliance with all Lead and Copper Rule
requirements—could improve compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule nationwide.
Efforts to resolve this recommendation are ongoing.
pLlNT WATER
Left photo: Lead service lines showing inner surface without any coating (left), coated with a
corrosion inhibitor (right) and fully corroded (middle). (EPA photo)
Right photo: Flint Water Treatment Plant. (EPA OIG photo)
A podcast. video and
slideshow on the Flint water
crisis report are available.
14
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
EPA Needs to Re-Evaluate Its Compliance Monitoring Priorities for
Minimizing Asbestos Risks in Schools
Report No. 18-P-Q270, issued September 17, 2018
Even though the EPA was responsible for conducting Asbestos
Hazard Emergency Response Act compliance inspections in schools
for the majority of states, it conducted fewer inspections overall than
the states responsible for their own inspections. From FYs 2011
through 2015, the EPA conducted 13 percent of pertinent asbestos inspections, whereas
states with jurisdiction over their own
inspections performed 87 percent.
Without the inspections, the EPA
cannot know whether schools pose an
actual risk of asbestos exposure to
students and personnel. EPA regions
have either significantly reduced or
eliminated resources for their asbestos
programs, due largely to competing
priorities. Five of the 10 regions only
inspect for asbestos in schools when
they receive asbestos-related tips or
complaints. We made various recommendations for the EPA to improve its asbestos
monitoring efforts, and the agency agreed to take acceptable corrective actions.
EPA Did Not Identify Volkswagen Emissions Cheating; Enhanced Controls
Now Provide Reasonable Assurance of Fraud Detection
Report No. 18-P-0181. issued May 15, 2018
A podcast on the
asbestos in schools
report is available.
Number of inspections conducted by EPA, FYs 2011-2015
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Source: OIG analysis based on information from the EPA.
Since the discovery of Volkswagen's emissions fraud in 2015,
the EPA has enhanced its testing process to detect emissions
noncompliance in cars and
Vehicle equipped with Portable Emissions
Monitoring System to measure on-road vehicle
exhaust emissions. (EPA OIG photo)
A podcast on the report
about the EPA's controls
to detect vehicle emissions
fraud is available.
trucks weighing up to
14,000 pounds (i.e., the light-duty vehicle sector).
Noncompliance can and has led to excess emissions of
pollutants, which have significant negative impacts on
human health and the environment. However, we found
that the EPA could strengthen controls to better address
strategic risks and achieve compliance with emissions
regulations. The agency agreed with our seven
recommendations, including formalizing the role of
special testing and tracking compliance issues.
15
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Measures and Management Controls Needed to Improve EPA's
Pesticide Emergency Exemption Process
Report No. 18-P-0281, issued September 25, 2018
The EPA grants federal and state agencies authority in certain emergency situations to
approve emergency exemptions that allow the limited application of a pesticide for an
unregistered use. However, the EPA does not have outcome measures to determine how
the EPa'proposed corrective actions that meet the
Citrus greening (a bacterial disease) . ^ , . . . , .
occurring on a Florida citrus tree. (U.S. intent of thrcc; the remaining five are unresolved
Department of Agriculture photo) with resolution efforts in progress.
EPA Can Strengthen Its Process for Revising Air Quality Dispersion Models
that Predict Impact of Pollutant Emissions
Report No. 18-P-0241, issued September 5, 2018
Although the EPA had guidance on recommended procedures for reviewing the
development and evaluation of new air quality dispersion models, similar guidance was
not available for model revisions. Air quality dispersion models predict the air quality
impact of pollutants released into the atmosphere. Standard operating procedures and
quality assurance project plans (or
equivalent documents) for model
revisions help assure consistent
application of quality assurance and
control activities. However, from
2006 through 2016, the EPA issued
12 Model Change Bulletins for the
dispersion model it prefers to use for
regulatory purposes (the American
Meteorological Society/EPA
Regulatory Model), but the quality
assurance and control activities for
The American Meteorological Society/EPA Regulatory
Model is the preferred model for estimating the impact
of mobile source emissions—such as from highway
traffic—on air quality. (U.S. Department of
Transportation photo)
these revisions were not as extensive as what EPA guidance recommends for new model
development. The agency agreed to take corrective actions to provide better guidance and
planning documents for model revisions.
16
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Collecting Additional Performance Data from States Would Help EPA Better
Assess the Effectiveness of Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Programs
Report No. 18-P-Q2.83, issued September 25, 2018
The EPA should collect additional program
performance data to better assess the
effectiveness of enhanced inspection and
maintenance programs. Vehicles that are poorly
maintained or have malfunctioning emission
controls contribute to pollutant emissions in the
air. Our audit found that nine states did not
conduct the required biennial program
evaluations to assess the effectiveness of their
programs, and four other states did not conduct
the required on-road testing to obtain
information about the performance of in-use
vehicles. We recommended that the EPA take
actions to assure consistent and effective implementation of their programs, assist states
in complying with requirements, and conduct outreach to states as needed. The EPA
agreed with our recommendations and provided acceptable corrective actions.
Incomplete Oversight of State Hazardous Waste Rule Authorization
Creates Regulatory Gaps and Human Health and Environmental Risks
Report No. 18-P-0227. issued July 31, 2018
Most states are authorized to implement the majority of new required hazardous waste
rules promulgated by the EPA under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
However, states and the EPA have
taken from less than 1 year to more
than 31 years to complete the
authorization process. No state has
been authorized by the EPA for all
required rules. For the 173 required
rules, the number not authorized
ranges from six to 98 per state.
Further, the EPA has not defined
authorization goals to track program
performance. We recommended that
the EPA identify, prioritize and track
rules for which states have not sought authorization and take steps to improve the
authorization process. The agency agreed with the recommendations and is acting to have
those rules authorized.
NC
States implementing enhanced Ttspectxxi
and maintenance programs
The 23 states with enhanced inspection and maintenance
programs, (EPA OIG image)
Cleanup of potential hazardous waste at the Nogales
Wash in Arizona. (EPA photo)
17
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
EPA Needs to Finish Prioritization and Resource Allocation Methodologies for
Abandoned Uranium Mine Sites on or Near Navajo Lands
Report No. 18-P-Q233, issued August 22, 2018
The EPA has taken steps to develop a prioritization methodology for cleaning up the
approximately 50 abandoned uranium mine sites on or near Navajo Nation lands that are
part of a 2015 settlement with a chemical company, Tronox
Incorporated. Approximately $1 billion is in a special
account for cleaning up these sites in Arizona and New
Mexico. In conjunction with the Navajo Nation and other
stakeholders, the EPA has developed a system for
identifying immediate risks and has been gathering data
needed to complete prioritization for site cleanups. Site
prioritization will aid EPA-initiated actions at locations
where there is imminent danger. EPA Regions 6 and 9
agreed on a timeline to complete key activities. It is critical
that the EPA meet its milestones, and we recommended that
the agency complete necessary site removal evaluations and implement prioritization and
resource allocation methodologies.
An EPA contractor and college interns
collecting water and sediment samples in the
Arizona Cove Wash in April 2017. (EPA photo)
EPA Needs a Comprehensive Vision and Strategy for Citizen Science that
Aligns with Its Strategic Objectives on Public Participation
Report No. 18-P-024Q, issued September 5, 2018
Although citizen science is carried out throughout the EPA, the agency has not developed
controls necessary to manage it agencywide. In particular, the agency has not provided a
clear vision or means for using results. Citizen science is a form of open collaboration in
which individuals or organizations participate voluntarily in the scientific process in
various ways, including collecting and analyzing data, to enable members of the public to
participate and support EPA programs. Absent sufficient controls, the EPA cannot
undertake a systematic effort to analyze the risks and opportunities that citizen science
presents. Barriers to effectively using its citizen science results include the lack of a
comprehensive vision and support from senior management, and a lack of understanding
and buy-in. We made recommendations to establish a strategic vision and objectives for
citizen science, as well as various improvements, and the agency agreed with our
recommendations.
Spectrum of citizen science uses
Community
Engagement
Education
Condition
Indicator
Research
Management
Regulatory
Decisions
Regulatory
Standard
Setting
Enforcement
OIG-generated image based on 2016 National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology report.
18
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Delayed Cleanup of Asbestos Debris at the Old Davis Hospital Site
Necessitates Changes for EPA Region 4 and North Carolina
Report No. 18-P-0271, issued September 18, 2018
A podcast on the
Old Davis Hospital
asbestos report is
available.
EPA Region 4 and the state of North Carolina followed appropriate
procedures at the Old Davis Hospital site in Statesville, North
Carolina, regarding asbestos removal, but we questioned the
timeliness of the removal. In late October
2015, personnel from the state observed piles of debris at the
site suspected of containing asbestos, which they later verified.
However, it took over 7 months for the state to request EPA
assistance in performing removal of asbestos at the site—in
early June 2016—during which time there was a potential
threat of asbestos exposure for nearby residents. We
recommended that EPA Region 4, in coordination with North
Carolina, take various steps to improve future remediation
Debris pile in the basement area of the . , . . , , ,
Old Davis Hospital demolition site as of efforts at other locations m the state, and the agency
June 2016. (EPA photo) concurred.
EPA's Chemical Data Reporting Rule Largely Implemented as Intended,
but Opportunities for Improvement Exist
Report No. 18-P-0226. issued July 27, 2018
While the EPA conducts quality checks of the chemical information submitted by
companies under the Chemical Data Reporting Rule, the agency lacked documented
policies and procedures that specify how to select and conduct these checks. The EPA
uses Chemical Data Reporting data to prioritize imported and manufactured chemicals
for the purpose of identifying their potential risks to human health and the environment.
The EPA also uses on-site inspections and
Primary goals of the Chemical Data Reporting rulemaking
Goal
1
Tailor the Chemical Data Reporting information collected
to better meet the EPA's overall information needs.
2
Increase the EPA's ability to effectively provide public
access to Chemical Data Reporting information.
3
Obtain new and updated information relating to potential
exposures to a subset of chemical substances listed on
the Toxic Substances Control Act Inventory.
4
Improve the usefulness of the information reported.
Source: Toxic Substances Control Act Inventory Update
Reporting Modifications; Chemical Data Reporting (Final Rule).
other tools to monitor companies'
compliance with the rule and takes
enforcement action when violations are
identified. We recommended that the
agency develop and implement a policy or
procedure for data quality checks, which
will help prevent the loss of institutional
knowledge resulting from staff turnover or
absence. The agency concurred with our
recommendation.
19
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
An EPA employee sampling
filtered water for assessment
of filter efficacy. (EPA photo)
EPA's Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Research Program
Is Delivering Timely and Relevant Data to the Office of Water
Report No. 18-P-Q151. issued April 9, 2018
The EPA Office of Research and Development's Safe and Sustainable
Water Resources research products were generally delivered in a timely
fashion. We found that 100 percent of the program's research products
were completed by the expected due date. We also found that the products
were relevant to the EPA's efforts to protect America's waters. Therefore,
we made no recommendations regarding the program.
EPA's June 2018 Issuance of the Delayed Notice of Availability of Farm Worker
Protection Training Materials Will Reduce Risks of Injury and Illness
Report No. 18-P-0238, issued August 30, 2018
Per the 2015 revision of the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard, the EPA was to
publish a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register to inform stakeholders when
expanded training materials were available. We found that the EPA did not publish the
notice as required. As a result, agricultural
workers, pesticide handlers and employers did
not have the most recent information about the
revised standard, designed to reduce the risk of
injury and illness from pesticide exposure. On
June 22, 2018, after the start of this audit, the
EPA published the notice for the expanded 2015
revised training materials, so we made no Migrant worker picks peaches.
recommendations. (U.S. Department of Defense photo)
20
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Agency Business Practices and Accountability
Management Alert: Salary Increases for Certain Administratively
Determined Positions
Report No. 18-N-0154, issued April 16, 2018
Our audit of administratively determined positions in the Office of the Administrator
identified six employees whose files contained at least three Request for Personnel Action
forms and the corresponding Notification of Personnel Action indicating employee
position conversions and substantial pay increases. For example, one person was hired as
an administratively determined appointment, converted to a Schedule C appointment and
converted back to an administratively determined appointment. This employee received a
67 percent salary increase—from $97,956 to $164,200, a total increase of $66,244—in
under 13 months. Our management alert made no recommendations, as audit work is
continuing.
Without E-lnvoicing and Stronger Payment Process Controls, EPA Is Placing
$1.2 Billion at Risk Annually
Report No. 18-P-0231, issued August 16, 2018
The EPA can maximize the efficiency of its contract invoice payment process by
implementing an electronic invoicing system, as required by the Office of Management
and Budget, and by performing critical oversight duties related to the review and
processing of invoices. Also, the EPA can save money by paying invoices in a timely
manner to avoid interest penalties and by taking prompt payment discounts when offered.
$1.2 Billion
taxpayer dollars
at greater risk
Depiction of taxpayer funds placed at greater risk. (EPA OIG image)
! % I Not taking advantage of discounts
Not avoiding interest penalties
Not performing critical oversight
No plan for e-invoicing
From October 1, 2015, to
September 30, 2017, the EPA paid
out more than $2.4 billion in contract
invoice payments for 55,549 contract
invoices, an average of $1.2 billion
annually. If the EPA does not
improve its payment process controls,
these tax dollars will remain
vulnerable to waste, fraud and abuse.
The agency agreed with our final
report recommendations.
21
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
EPA Paid $14.5 Million to Foreign Fellows that Could Have Funded Research by
U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents
Report No. 18-P-0288, issued September 26, 2018
107 foreign
fellows:
$14,537,956
A podcast on the
fellowship program
report is available.
Of the 166 fellows hosted at EPA laboratories over an 11-year period
under EPA cooperative agreements awarded to the National
Academy of Sciences, 107 of those fellows (64 percent) were foreign
nationals rather than citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Those
fellowships totaled $14.5 million. The EPA
requires U.S. citizenship or permanent residency
when it directly awards fellowships, but did not
require that for fellowships awarded by third
parties—nonprofit organizations—to whom the
EPA provides funds through cooperative
agreements for the awarding of fellowships. Also,
we noted that fellowship expenses reported to the
EPA from two of the nonprofit organizations
audited were sometimes inaccurate, resulting m
$11,965 in overpayments for two fellows. We
recommended that the EPA stipulate in future
cooperative agreements that fellowships only be
National Academy of Sciences foreign national fellows ded tQ u s cltizcns or those meetmg U S.
and funding over 11 years, (EPA OIG analysis of °
National Academy of Sciences data) residency requirements, and the agency concurred
Indirect costs
$3,355,968
166 Fellows
TOTAL COST:
$25,121,936
59 U.S. citizen
fellows:
$7,228,012
Management Alert: EPA Oversight of Employee Debt Waiver Process Needs
Immediate Attention
Report No. 18-P-0250. issued September 12, 2018
We initiated an audit to determine whether the EPA properly collects salary
overpayments from employees. Although our audit is ongoing, we issued a management
alert to notify the EPA about internal control
weaknesses that failed to detect 18 EPA employee
debt waiver requests totaling $22,015. The agency
has taken several actions to improve debt waiver
processing, but underlying issues have not been
fully addressed. The EPA agreed to analyze and
manage open debt waiver requests and implement
standard operating procedures for processing those
requests. Although the agency disagreed with our
recommendation to record individual accounts
receivable for each employee debt, it adopted a
new procedure to record accounts receivable on a
quarterly basis.
The EPA failed to detect 18 employee
debt waiver requests. (EPA. OIG image)
22
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Management Alert: To Minimize Risk of Environmental Harm, the Security
Categorization of Electronic Manifest System Data Needs to Be Re-Evaluated
Report No. 18-P-0217, issued June 21, 2018
The EPA categorized the sensitivity of the information within its
Electronic Manifest system at such a low level that the required
security controls would not protect the information within the system
to minimize the risk of environmental harm. The Electronic Manifest system was being
designed to track shipment of hazardous waste from a generator's site to another site for
disposition, and a breach of the system may facilitate terrorist or other criminal activities.
Personnel responsible for categorizing the sensitivity of the
system and its information did not sufficiently consider
homeland security implications as they relate to "chemicals of
interest." Also, the EPA did not consider further uses of the
system, such as for use by first responders in the event of an
incident involving transport of waste. The EPA agreed to take
corrective actions.
Without a Process for Monitoring Sensitive Data, EPA Region 4 Risks
Unauthorized Access to File Servers and Share Folders
Report No. 18-P-0234, issued August 28, 2018
We assessed the EPA's implementation of security controls for agency file servers and
found that EPA data were vulnerable to unauthorized access. Specifically, Region 4 did
not create procedures to ensure that EPA
security control requirements were
implemented for file servers and share
folders. The lack of procedures, combined
with the lack of audit logging or an audit
log review process, increased the EPA's
risk of unauthorized activity being
undetected and uninvestigated. We
recommended that Region 4 develop a
process for approving and monitoring
access to share folder content. The region
agreed and completed the proposed Interrelationship of a file, share folder and file
corrective action. server. (EPA OIG image)
A podcast on the
e-Manifest system
report is available.
"Chemicals of interest" are
hazardous chemicals that
the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security wants
to keep out of the hands
of those who would
misuse them.
23
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Operational Efficiencies of EPA's Human Resources Shared Service Centers
Not Measured
Report No. 18-P-Q2Q7, issued May 31, 2018
In 2008, the EPA established Human Resources Shared Service Centers in accordance
with federal guidance. However, the EPA did not establish baseline metrics or collect
data related to performance by the
centers. Therefore, neither the agency
nor the OIG can determine whether the
centers achieved operational efficiencies,
savings or improved customer service.
There was also no direct correlation
between the number of EPA employees
serviced by and the number of human
resources staff employed at each Shared
Service Center and region. In addition,
because some policies were outdated,
Shared Service Center managers often
self-interpreted federal guidance and
policies, thus creating confusion and inconsistencies. The agency concurred with our
three recommendations to address these findings.
EPA's Purchase Card and Convenience Check Program Controls Are Not
Effective for Preventing Improper Purchases
Report No. 18-P-0232, issued August 20, 2018
EPA internal controls for purchase cards and convenience
checks are not effective. After conducting a risk
assessment, we followed up with an audit to determine
whether EPA internal controls over the agency's purchase
card and convenience check program are adequate to
prevent and detect illegal, improper and erroneous
purchases. We found that ineffective oversight contributed
to improper purchases totaling $57,017 from sampled
transactions. Although cardholders and approving officials
must ensure that purchases comply with federal and
agency acquisition and appropriation rules, in most
transactions they did not. The EPA agreed to take
corrective actions on all 11 of our recommendations.
Cost-Benefit
Efficiency &
Effectiveness
Customer
Service
Factors for aligning human resources activities
with an agency's mission, role and performance.
(EPA OIG image)
Laboratory supplies are typical items obtained
through one ofthe sampled purchase card
transactions. (EPA OIG photo)
24
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
EPA Completed OIG Recommendations for the Presidential Green Chemistry
Challenge Awards Program but Lacks Controls over Use of Unverified Results
Report No. 18-P-0222. issued July 20, 2018
In the 2015 audit detailed in Report No. 15-P-0279. we found that even though
Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award results were self-reported by award
recipients and were not validated by the agency, they were still
included as metrics in agency reports. In this follow-up audit,
we verified that the EPA completed the agreed-upon corrective
actions from the 2015 report and discontinued using the award
results as agency metrics. However, we found that the EPA
lacked documented internal controls to prevent the future use of
award results, and we recommended that the agency develop such
controls. The agency agreed with our recommendation.
EPA Complied with Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act
Requirements
Report No. 1S-P-0153, issued April 16, 2018
The EPA complied with requirements of the Improper Payments Elimination and
Recovery Act of 2010 and the Office of Management and Budget when reporting
improper payments in its FY 2017 Agency Financial Report. The EPA—which reported
an estimated $15.79 million of improper payments for FY 2017—published the required
documents and conducted the needed risk assessments. Through compliance with the act,
the EPA provides better assurance that efforts are being made to reduce improper
payments. No recommendations were made.
EPA Complied with the Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Standards
No. 47 and Treasury Financial Manual, Part 2, Chapter 4700
Report No. 18-P-0220. issued July 12, 2018
We conducted a preliminary review of the EPA's classification in the Treasury Financial
Manual, Part 2, Chapter 4700, Appendix 5b, to confirm the agency's classification, at the
request of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. We found that the EPA's classification as
a consolidating entity is proper and complete. We did not identify any discrepancies with
the EPA's information in Appendix 5b. The EPA concurred.
Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge
Awards on display. (EPA photo)
25
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Investigations
Significant Investigations
Computer Store Owner Charged with Defrauding Federal Agencies via
Government Learning Program
On June 20, 2018, Steven E. Mays of Athens, Alabama, was indicted in the U.S. District
Court for the Central District of Illinois on four counts of mail fraud, one count each of
wire fraud and theft of government property, and interstate transportation of stolen property.
These charges stemmed from allegations that Mays fraudulently obtained computer
equipment through the U.S. General Services Administration's Computers for Learning
Program, which is designed to transfer unused government computers and equipment to
schools and educational nonprofit organizations. It is alleged that Mays, a computer store
owner, received thousands of computers and related equipment from various federal
agencies, including the EPA, which he then sold through his business or on eBay. It is
alleged that Mays has received over $22 million in computers and related equipment from
the federal government since 2007, including over $158,000 from the EPA.
This investigation is ongoing and is being conducted jointly with the U.S. General
Services Administration and National Aeronautics and Space Administration OIGs.
EPA Recovers Funds from State Revolving Fund Loan
On June 28, 2018, the EPA recovered $153,258 after an OIG investigation determined
that a Kentucky state employee submitted duplicate invoices to two federal agencies. The
city of Campton, Kentucky, was engaged in a sewer improvement project funded by a
federally assisted State Revolving Fund loan awarded to the Kentucky Infrastructure
Authority by the EPA in the amount of $1.4 million. Based on an independent auditor's
report, it appeared that the Army Corps of Engineers and Appalachian Regional
Commission collectively overpaid the city, and the investigation found that a state
employee had submitted duplicate invoices to the two federal entities. It was later
determined that a project partnership agreement previously had been established between
the city of Campton and the two federal agencies that required invoices to be submitted
for reimbursement. In an attempt to abide by this agreement, the employee submitted the
invoices to both federal agencies, unknowingly causing duplicate payments.
Employee and Organization Debarred for Embezzling Grant Funds
On August 17, 2018, the Mississippi Conference of Black Mayors and an employee were
debarred from participation in federal procurement and nonprocurement programs for
26
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
misappropriating an Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving grant and an
Area-Wide Planning Brownfields grant totaling over $100,000. EPA officials requested
on several occasions that the grantee provide quarterly reports to account for the funds
that had been withdrawn, but their requests were ignored. The grantee and employee
were debarred until December 15, 2019.
City of Atlanta Official Debarred
On June 1, 2018, Adam Smith, former chief procurement officer for the city of Atlanta,
Georgia, was debarred from participating in federal procurement and assistance activities
for 3 years. The investigation stemmed from an ongoing federal investigation into
corruption at city hall. Smith was convicted and sentenced for accepting bribes in
exchange for lucrative city contracts. Smith was debarred due to the proximity of his
work to EPA grants.
Contractor Suspended for Damaging EPA Water Monitors
On August 8, 2018, Kenneth Morrison of Indiana and his metal scrapping business were
suspended by the EPA from future government contracts as a result of a 2017 indictment
in which he was charged with one count of Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property.
In 2015, Morrison was arrested by the State of Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Police Department for illegally disassembling a city rail bridge and stealing the scrap
metal for resale. The disassembly of the bridge resulted in the collapse of the bridge into
the Grand Calumet River. The OIG investigation found that, as a result of the bridge
collapse, several EPA-owned water monitors were damaged. In addition, the debris
removal process impacted a $12 million EPA dredging project that was set to begin in
April 2015.
This case was conducted jointly with the EPA Criminal Investigation Division.
Tribal Council Director Suspended from Government Contracts
On June 19, 2018, David McGraw, former accountant and finance director for the Yukon
River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council in Anchorage, Alaska, was suspended by the EPA
from participating in federal contracts and assistance activities pending the outcome of
his legal proceedings. On March 21, 2018, McGraw was indicted for theft and money
laundering associated with the work he performed while employed by the council. In
each year for FYs 2010 through 2014, the council had been awarded federal grant money
in excess of $1 million. McGraw is alleged to have willfully misapplied over $300,000 of
these funds for his personal benefit.
This investigation was conducted jointly with the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation, the
National Science Foundation OIG and the Internal Revenue Service.
27
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Woman Pleads Guilty to Assault in EPA Reception Area
On August 21, 2018, a woman pleaded guilty in the Northern District of Georgia to
assaulting a federal officer. The woman was sentenced to time served (18 months,
14 days). In 2017, the woman was charged with assault for attacking a security officer at
the EPA Region 4 building in Atlanta, grabbing the officer's gun and then firing a shot.
The woman allegedly entered the EPA Region 4 reception area asking to use the EPA
library, refused to provide identification, became belligerent, engaged in a physical
confrontation with a security officer, removed the security officer's weapon from the
holster and fired a single round before being apprehended. No one was injured by the
shot.
This investigation was conducted jointly with the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security's Federal Protective Service.
Employee Retires in Lieu of Removal for Time-and-Attendance Fraud
On May 17, 2018, an EPA GS-8 employee retired from federal service after the EPA
issued the person a Notice of Proposed Removal for time-and-attendance fraud. The
employee was required to repay $17,633 to the agency. The OIG investigation found
numerous instances where the employee's recorded time on a sign-in log did not match
the time the employee recorded on the official timesheet. Evidence was also obtained that
the employee disregarded numerous orders from the supervisor to amend the employee's
time-and-attendance records. In addition, evidence was obtained that showed the
employee misused Leave Bank hours to take a vacation.
Reports of Investigation
A Report of Investigation documents the facts and findings of an OIG investigation and
generally involves an employee integrity matter. When the OIG's Office of Investigations
issues a Report of Investigation that has at least one "supported" allegation, it requests
that the entity receiving the report—whether it is an office within the EPA or an office
within the EPA OIG—provide a notification to the OIG within 60 days regarding the
administrative action taken or proposed to be taken in the matter. This section provides
information on how many Reports of Investigation with at least one supported allegation
were issued to the agency and to the OIG, and for how many of those Reports of
Investigation a response was not received within a 60-day period.
For the reporting period ending September 30, 2018, the Office of Investigations received
no responses outside the 60-day window for the six Reports of Investigation that were
issued:
28
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Semiannual Report to Congress April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Agency and OIG Reports of Investigation
No. of Reports of
Investigation issued
during reporting
period with findings
Agency
response*
received after
60 days
Awaiting
agency
response
OIG
response*
received
after
60 days
Awaiting
OIG
response
6
0
0
0
0
* Agency or the OIG will or will not take an action, or will conduct a supplemental investigation.
29
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Hotline Activities
The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, requires each OIG to manage a hotline.
The purpose of the hotline is to receive complaints of fraud, waste or abuse in EPA and
CSB programs and operations, including mismanagement or violations of law, rules or
regulations by agency employees or program participants. The hotline also encourages
suggestions for assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of agency programs. Complaints
and requests may be submitted by anyone, including EPA and CSB employees,
participants in EPA and CSB programs, Congress, organizations, and the public. As a
result of these contacts, the OIG may conduct audits, evaluations and investigations.
Details on audit and investigative work during the semiannual reporting period follow.
Audit Reports Initiated via OIG Hotline
EPA Asserts Statutory Law Enforcement Authority to Protect Its Administrator
but Lacks Procedures to Assess Threats and Identify the Proper Level of
Protection
Report No. 18-P-0239, issued September 4, 2018
A podcast on the
Administrator's
Protective Service Detail
report is available.
We found that the Protective Service Detail for the EPA
Administrator had no approved standard operating procedures to
address the level of protection required for the Administrator or
how those services were to be provided. A lack of standard 1
procedures can result in unclear lines of authority, inconsistent practices, inappropriate
staffing and excessive costs. For example, the detail incurred over $3.5 million in costs
from February 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017, for Administrator Scott Pruitt—an
increase of over 110 percent compared to the prior period" s costs of $ 1.6 million for the
previous Administrator—without documented justification. We recommended that the
Protective Service Detail cost comparison for Administrators
D 3/1/16-1/31/17
12/1/17-12/31/17
2,500,000
1,000,000
216%
1.2 mil
739,580
233,887
98%
increase
445,857
224^771^1
1.67 mil
111%
increase
Payroll
The Administrator's Protective Service Detail incurred over $3.5 million
in costs from February 2017 through December 2017—an increase of
over 110 percent over the prior period's costs. (EPA OIG image)
EPA complete a threat analysis on a
regular basis to identify proper
protection required. Also, without a
legal opinion, we could not determine
whether Protective Service Detail
agents possessed law enforcement
authority to provide protective services
for the Administrator; the agency's
Office of General Counsel subsequently
issued a legal opinion asserting that the
EPA has such authority. We also found
that agents worked overtime without
proper justification.
30
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
EPA Region 5 Meeds to Better Protect Information Technology Property, and
Areas for Agencywide Improvement Exist
Report No. 18-P-Q176, issued May 9, 2018
Our review of accountability over EPA Region 5 information technology property,
initiated at the request of a fonner acting Regional Administrator, noted areas of concern.
No policy existed for tracking laptops in transition,
personnel were unaware of property status or
procedural changes, excess property was not always
tracked, and controls for laptops taken out of the office
were insufficient. Further, we audited Region 2 and
EPA headquarters" Office of Water to see if problems
existed elsewhere in the agency, and we noted issues.
In particular, agencywide responsibility for the EPA
property management program rested with a non-
managerial-level employee. A lack of sufficient
property controls can lead to fraud, waste and abuse,
including potential theft and misuse. We recommended
that the agency improve controls and strengthen the
role of the Office of Administration and Resources Management as the agency's overall
property management organization. Corrective actions are underway.
Management Alert: EPA's Incident Tracking System Lacks Required Controls to
Protect Personal Information
Report No. 18-P-0298, issued September 28, 2018
A complaint to the OIG Hotline alleged that the EPA's current incident tracking system
contained personally identifiable information (such as name, date of birth and address) and
sensitive personally identifiable information (such as Social Security numbers, biometric
data, and financial or medical information).
The EPA was unaware that both forms of
personal information were included on
incident tickets handled by help desk
technicians, or that personal information was
visible to anyone with access to the system.
We found that the EPA's incident tracking
system lacks the required privacy and
security controls, which could lead to
identity theft. We recommended that the
EPA to implement a strategy to protect the confidentiality of personal information in the
current incident tracking system, and to update standard operating procedures for help
desk technicians. The agency has initiated corrective actions.
Loaner laptops on a contractor
desk in Region 5. (EPA OIG photo)
AT RISK-
Sensitives
r Personally
Identifiable
Information
Depiction of consequences of at-risk personally identifiable
information. (EPA OIG image)
31
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Significant Investigation Initiated via OIG Hotline
Individual Sentenced for Theft of Federal Funds
On July 30, 2018, Tracy Bronson of Marshall, Michigan, was sentenced to 37 months in
federal prison and 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $573,159 in
restitution. Bronson was the Executive Director of the Calhoun Conservation District in
Calhoun County, Michigan. In calendar years 2014, 2016 and 2017, the district received
federal grant funds from the EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bronson
was accused of misappropriating over $500,000 of those funds for her own personal
benefit and use. On April 6, 2018, Bronson pleaded guilty to one count of theft or bribery
concerning programs receiving federal funds. Bronson admitted she embezzled between
$500,000 and $1,500,000. On March 26, 2018, Bronson was also suspended by the EPA
from future federal contracts and assistance activities.
Hotline Statistics
The following table shows EPA OIG Hotline activity regarding complaints of fraud,
waste, abuse, mismanagement or misconduct in EPA programs and operations during the
semiannual reporting period and annual period ending September 30, 2018.
Semiannual Period Annual Period
(April 1, 2018 - (October 1, 2017 -
September 30, 2018) September 30, 2018)
Issues open at the beginning of the period
Inquiries received during the period
Inquiries closed during the period
Inquiries pending at the end of the period
294 220
183 380
98 221
379 379
Issues referred to others
OIG offices
EPA program offices
Other federal and state/local agencies
Contacts to the EPA OIG Hotline
(telephone, voicemails, emails, website and
correspondence)
165 335
13 31
2 11
4,950 10,293
The chart below details the categories of inquiries the EPA OIG Hotline receives that
are retained by the EPA OIG and reviewed by investigation and audit staff. For FY 2018,
the hotline retained 335 of the 380 inquiries received for review and action.
32
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
335 REFERRALS TO EPA OIG
OCTOBER 1, 2017—SEPTEMBER 30, 2018
Contract Fraud 21
Grant Fraud 19
Computer Crimes 7
Employee Ethics 1 6
Employee Misconduct ' 110
Employee Time and Attendance 16
Threats and Workplace Violence 1 52
Laboratory Fraud H ^
Programmatic and Operational Issues 1 91
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Hotline Confidentiality
The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, and other laws protect those who make
hotline complaints. The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 provides
protection to employees who disclose misconduct or misuse of government resources.
Individuals who contact the hotline are not required to identify themselves and may
request confidentiality when submitting allegations. However, the OIG encourages those
who report allegations to identify themselves so that they can be contacted if the OIG has
additional questions. Pursuant to Section 7 of the Inspector General Act, the OIG will not
disclose the identity of an EPA employee who provides information unless that employee
consents or the Inspector General determines that such disclosure is unavoidable during
the course of the investigation, audit or evaluation. As a matter of policy, the OIG will
provide comparable protection to employees of contractors, grantees and others who
provide information to the OIG and request confidentiality. Individuals concerned about
the confidentiality or anonymity of electronic communication may submit allegations by
telephone or U.S. mail.
EPA OIG Hotline
To report fraud, waste or abuse, contact us through one of the following methods:
email:
OIG Hotline(3)epa.qov
write:
EPA OIG Hotline
phone:
888-546-8740 or 202-566-2476
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
fax:
202-566-0814
Mail Code 2431T
online:
EPA OIG Hotline
Washington, DC 20460
EPA Whistleblower Protection Coordinator
To contact the EPA Whistleblower Coordinator:
phone:
202-566-1513 (anonymity provided)
online:
EPA Whistleblower Protection
33
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Other Activities
OIG Office of Investigations' Records Demonstrate Compliance with
Law Enforcement Availability Pay Requirements
Report No. 18-B-0228, issued August 6, 2018
In conjunction with our audit of the agency's handling of Law Enforcement Availability
Pay for its investigators, we conducted an internal review of the OIG's Office of
Investigations regarding management of this pay. We found that criminal investigators in
the OIG properly recorded Law Enforcement Availability Pay hours in compliance with
federal requirements and OIG policies, certifications were adequately supported, and
required hours were worked. We noted that additional tracking system programming is
needed by the OIG to calculate average times worked, and worksheets were not always
approved within OIG-required timeframes. The OIG initiated corrective actions.
Quality Assurance Review of EPA OIG Reports Issued in Fiscal Year 2017
Report No. 18-N-0219, issued July 9, 2018
OIG quality assurance staff report annually on systemic issues identified during
referencing and compliance monitoring reviews. They found that EPA OIG audit and
evaluation reports issued in FY 2017 demonstrated high levels of compliance with OIG
quality assurance procedures and received average compliance scores of nearly
94 percent. Their reviews of 47 FY 2017 reports indicated only one systemic issue:
timeliness. Specifically, some assignments exceeded timeliness standards, and revisions
to estimated milestones were not always approved and documented. OIG management
agreed with steps recommended to make improvements.
OIG compliance monitoring review categories
Category
Point value
Average score
Planning and Execution
12.00
11.59
Communication
13.00
12.13
Supervision
30.00
28.53
Report Quality
20.00
19.51
Timeliness
15.00
12.36
Post Reporting/Data Quality
10.00
9.58
Total
100.00
93.70
Source: EPA OIG-generated.
34
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation
Board (CSB) was created by the Clean Air Act
Amendments of 1990. The CSB's mission is to
investigate accidental chemical releases at facilities,
report to the public on the root causes and
recommend measures to prevent future occurrences.
In FY 2004, Congress designated the EPA Inspector General to serve as the Inspector
General for the CSB. As a result, the EPA OIG has the responsibility to audit, evaluate,
inspect and investigate the CSB's programs, and to review proposed laws and regulations
to determine their potential impact on the CSB's programs and operations. Details on our
work involving the CSB are available on the OIG's webpage about the CSB.
FY 2018 CSB Management Challenges
Report No. 18-N-0208, issued June 4, 2018
As required by the Reports Consolidation Act of 2000, the OIG identified management
challenges and reported them to the CSB for FY 2018. One challenge noted that the
position of CSB Chairperson lacks authority to hold board members accountable, and the
board has been plagued with tension among board members. A second challenge noted that
budget uncertainties and the President's proposals to eliminate the CSB negatively impact
efforts to attract, hire and retain staff. We removed a challenge from FY 2017 regarding
human resources management issues, as the CSB has taken sufficient action in that area.
CSB Audit Reports
CSB Purchase Card Program at Low Risk for Unauthorized Purchases
The CSB's purchase card program, for which it
spent $321,241 in FY 2017, is at low risk for
unauthorized purchases. We conducted this audit
per the Government Charge Card Abuse
Prevention Act of 2012. Our review of 18 purchase
card and two convenience check transactions
found that all but one were legitimate. For the one
of concern, CSB identified the transaction, which
was made by an outside party, as fraudulent; took
proper steps to reverse the charge; and closed the
associated card. We made no recommendations.
Report No. 18-P-0218, issued July 3, 2018
LOW RISK
S-ivytPay 2 tinrt^siotud An^, ^
Fiscal Year 2017
588 transactions:
$306,537
7 convenience checks:
$14,704
Depiction of purchase card and convenience check
transactions, as well as risk determination. (EPA OIG image)
35
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
CSB Complied with Improper Payments Legislation and Requirements for
Fiscal Year 2017
Report No. 18-P-0175, issued May 9, 2018
The CSB was fully compliant with legislation for improper payments during FY 2017. As
required, the CSB published its Performance and Accountability Report and posted that
report and accompanying materials on the agency website. The CSB also conducted a
risk assessment and did not identify any programs and activities susceptible to significant
improper payments. The report made no recommendations.
36
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Other Results of OIG Work
Follow-Up Is Important Aspect of OIG Efforts
It is important for an OIG to follow up on certain previously issued reports to ensure that
appropriate and effective corrective actions have been taken. The following reports issued
during the semiannual reporting period ending September 30, 2018, involved follow-up
on prior OIG reports.
Report no.
Report title
Date
18-P-0153
EPA Complied with Improper Payments Elimination
and Recovery Act Requirements
April 16, 2018
18-P-0218
CSB Purchase Card Program at Low Risk for
Unauthorized Purchases
July 3, 2018
18-N-0219
Quality Assurance Review of EPA OIG Reports Issued
in Fiscal Year 2017
July 9, 2018
18-P-0222
EPA Completed OIG Recommendations for the
Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards
Program but Lacks Controls over Use of Unverified
Results
July 20, 2018
18-P-0232
EPA's Purchase Card and Convenience Check Program
Controls Are Not Effective for Preventing Improper
Purchases
August 20, 2018
18-P-0271
Delayed Cleanup of Asbestos Debris at the Old Davis
Hospital Site Necessitates Changes for EPA Region 4
and North Carolina
September 18, 2018
Source: EPA OIG analysis.
37
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Single Audit Reporting Efforts Make Impact
In accordance with the Single Audit Act of 1984 and Office of Management and Budget
guidance, nonfederal entities that expend more than $750,000 in federal funds (usually in
the form of grants) are required to have a comprehensive annual audit of their financial
statements and compliance with major federal program requirements. The entities
receiving the funds include states, local governments, tribes and nonprofit organizations.
The act provides that grantees are to be subject to one annual comprehensive audit of all
their federal programs versus a separate audit of each federal program, hence the term
"single audit." The audits are usually performed by private firms. Federal agencies rely
upon the results of single audit reporting when performing their grants management
oversight of these entities.
The OIG provides an important customer service to the EPA by performing technical
reviews of single audit reports, and issues memos to the EPA for audit resolution and
corrective action. These memos recommend that EPA action officials confirm that
corrective actions have been taken. If the corrective actions have not been implemented,
the EPA needs to obtain planned corrective actions, with milestone dates, for addressing
the findings in a single report. A summary of single audit reporting actions during the
semiannual reporting period ending September 30, 2018, follows.
Summary of single audit activity in FY 2018
April 1, 2018-
September 30, 2018
Total for FY 2018
No. of single audit memos issued to EPA
116
242
No. of single audit findings reported to EPA
249
507
Questioned costs reported to EPA
$2,943,508
$3,017,310
No. of quality reviews of single audits
reports done by OIG
6
9
Deficiency letters issued to single auditors
by OIG
3
4
Source: EPA OIG analysis.
38
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Agency Best Practices
During the semiannual reporting period, four OIG reports highlighted agency best
practices that have potential value and applicability to other components in the EPA:
• The EPA provides financial support for research fellowships to encourage the
pursuit of science-related careers. These fellowships are awarded directly by the
EPA or by nonprofit organizations through cooperative agreements with the
EPA. When the EPA directly awards fellowships, it requires that recipients have
U.S. citizenship or permanent residency. Two of the three nonprofit
organizations we audited had the same citizenship eligibility requirements, which
we consider a best practice. (Report No. 18-P-0288)
• Region 8 implemented an Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act
compliance monitoring strategy in 2013 that included significant efforts to
conduct inspections and determine compliance levels among local educational
agencies. In addition, since 2006, the region has used a database to track
compliance. Region 8 is the only region to have a specific Asbestos Hazard
Emergency Response Act compliance monitoring strategy despite EPA
recommendations that each region have an overall annual strategy for its Toxic
Substances Control Act compliance monitoring efforts. (Report No. 18-P-0270)
• On September 30, 2015, the White House Office of Science and Technology
Policy directed agencies to advance the application of citizen science. The EPA's
Office of Research and Development's innovation team began to develop a
checklist of administrative and legal considerations for citizen science and
crowdsourcing projects at the EPA. The Office of Research and Development
also drafted an outreach and communication tool that highlights citizen science
projects at the EPA to provide a representative distribution across the agency.
The team intends to link the document to the citizen science intranet site to help
EPA staff understand the breadth of projects underway. (Report No. 18-P-0240)
• Congress gives states the option to assume primary responsibility for
implementing hazardous waste rules, with oversight from the federal
government. For a state to assume the regulatory lead, however, it must be
authorized by the EPA to do so. The EPA has taken steps to improve the state
authorization process, including conducting a Lean effort to reduce the backlog
and time required for authorization, implementing monthly conference calls with
regions, and identifying state authorization as a priority in the FYs 2018-2019
National Program Managers" Guidance. (Report No. 18-P-0227)
39
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Statistical Data
Profile of Activities and Results
OIG audits *
($ in millions)
April 1,2018, to
FY
September 30, 2018
2018
Questioned costs $0,174
$0,174
Potential monetary benefits ** $0,387
$375,051
Reports issued by OIG 34
52
Investigative operations *
($ in millions)
April 1,2018, to
September 30, 2018
FY 2018
EPA OIG
only
Joint***
Total
EPA OIG
only
Joint***
Total
Total fines and recoveries
$0,000
$0,762
$0,762
$0,000
$1.261
$1.261
Cost savings
$0,716
$0,000
$0,716
$1.255
$0,000
$1.255
Civil settlements
$0,362
$0,000
$0,362
$0,362
$0,000
$0,362
Cases opened during period
45
5
50
102
12
114
Indictments/informations/complaints
2
1
3
3
3
6
Cases closed during period
66
14
80
112
22
134
Convictions
2
1
3
2
2
4
Civil judgments/settlements/filings
1
0
1
1
0
1
* Section 5(a)(22) requires detailed descriptions of the particular circumstances of each inspection, evaluation and audit
conducted by the OIG that was closed and not publicly disclosed. There were no instances of inspections, evaluations or
audits that were closed and not publicly disclosed during the semiannual period ending September 30, 2018.
Investigations that were closed but not previously publicly disclosed are found in Appendix 4.
** Questioned costs and potential monetary benefits are subject to change pending further review in the
audit resolution process.
*** With another federal agency.
40
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Audit Report Resolution
Table 1: OIG-issued reports and value of questioned costs for semiannual period ending
September 30, 2018 ($ in thousands)
Report category
No. of
reports
Questioned
costs *
Unsupported
costs
A.
For which no management decision was made by
ApriM, 2018**
10
$3,102
$3,037
B.
New reports issued during period
34
174
0
Subtotals (A + B)
44
3,276
3,037
C.
For which a management decision was made during
the reporting period:
36
(i) Dollar value of disallowed costs
69
0
(ii) Dollar value of costs not disallowed
0
0
D.
For which no management decision was made by
September 30, 2018
8
$3,208
$3,037
* Questioned costs include unsupported costs.
** Any difference in number of reports and amounts of questioned costs between this report and our previous
semiannual report results from corrections made to data in our audit tracking system.
Table 2: OIG-issued reports and recommendations that funds be put to better use for
semiannual period ending September 30, 2018 ($ in thousands)
Report category
No. of
reports
Dollar
value
A. For which no management decision was made by April 1, 2018 *
10
$376,241
B. New reports issued during the reporting period
34
562
Subtotals (A + B)
44
376,803
C. For which a management decision was made during the reporting period:
36
(i) Dollar value of recommendations from reports that were
agreed to by management
8
373,596
(ii) Dollar value of recommendations from reports that were
not agreed to by management
106
D. For which no management decision was made by September 30, 2018
$3,207
* Any difference in number of reports and amounts of funds put to better use between this report and our previous
semiannual report results from corrections made to data in our audit tracking system.
41
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Summary of Investigative Results
Summary of investigative activity during reporting period
Cases open as of April 1, 2018*
207
Cases opened during period
50
Cases closed during period
80
Cases pending as of September 30, 2018
177
Complaints open as of April 1, 2018
23
Complaints opened during period
69
Complaints closed during period
70
Complaints pending as of September 30, 2018
22
* Adjusted from prior period.
Results of prosecutive actions
EPA OIG only
Joint *
Total
Criminal indictments/informations/complaints **
2
1
3
Convictions
2
1
3
Civil judgments/settlements/filings
1
0
1
Criminal fines and recoveries
$0
$573,284
$573,284
Civil recoveries
$361,943
$0
$361,943
Prison time
0 months
55 months
55 months
Prison time suspended
0 months
0 months
0 months
Home detention
0 months
0 months
0 months
Probation
0 months
36 months
36 months
Community service
0 hours
0 hours
0 hours
*With another federal agency.
** Sealed indictments are not included in this category.
Administrative actions
EPA OIG only
Joint *
Total
Suspensions
8
3
11
Debarments
3
2
5
Other administrative actions
41
6
47
Total
52
11
63
Administrative recoveries
$0
$188,838
$188,838
Cost savings
$716,178
$0
$716,178
*With another federal agency.
42
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Summary of investigative reports issued and referrals
Number of investigative reports issued
6
Number of persons referred to U.S. Department of Justice for criminal prosecution
20
Number of persons referred to state and local authorities for criminal prosecution
0
Number of criminal indictments and informations resulting from any prior referrals to
prosecutive authorities
2
* Investigative reports are comprised of final Reports of Investigation, final summary reports, interim reports of
investigation and supplemental reports of investigation. In calculating the number of referrals, corporate entities were
counted as "persons."
Employee integrity cases*
Political
appointees
SES
GS-14/15
GS-13 and
below
Misc.
Total
Pending as of April 1, 2018
3
8
55
68
7
141
Opened*
4
2
1
6
3
16
Closed*
1
3
9
11
4
28
Pending as of September 30, 2018 **
6
9
46
63
7
131
* Integrity investigation cases involve allegations of criminal activity or serious misconduct by agency employees that
could threaten the credibility of the agency, the validity of executive decisions, the security of personnel or business
information entrusted to the agency, or financial loss to the agency (such as abuse of government bank cards or theft of
agency funds). Allegations against former employees are included under "Misc."
** Pending numbers as of September 30, 2018, may not add up due to investigative developments resulting in subjects
being added or changed.
The chart below provides a breakdown by grade and number of employees who are the subject of
employee integrity investigations.
Employee integrity cases: Breakdown by grade and number of employees
7
6
63
4G
i Political Appointees
I SE5
14/15
113 and below
Misc
43
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Appendices
Appendix 1—Reports Issued
Section 5(a)(6) of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, requires a listing, subdivided according to subject matter, of each
report issued by the OIG during the reporting period. For each report, where applicable, the Inspector General Act also requires a listing
of the dollar value of questioned costs and the dollar value of recommendations that funds be put to better use.
Questioned costs
Report no.
Report title
Date
Ineligible Unsupported Unreasonable
Potential
monetary
benefits
INTERNAL AUDIT OF EPA OIG
18-B-0228 OIG Office of Investigations' Records Demonstrate
Compliance with Law Enforcement Availability Pay
Requirements
SUBTOTAL = 1
PROJECTS NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH
GENERALLY ACCEPTED GOVERNMENT AUDITING STANDARDS
18-N-0154 Management Alert - Salary Increases for Certain
Administratively Determined Positions
18-N-0174 EPA's Fiscal Year 2018 Management Challenges
18-N-0208 Fiscal Year 2018 U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard
Investigation Board Management Challenges
18-N-0219 Quality Assurance Review of EPA OIG Reports Issued in
Fiscal Year 2017
SUBTOTAL = 4
PERFORMANCE AUDITS IN ACCORDANCE WITH
GENERALLY ACCEPTED GOVERNMENT AUDITING STANDARDS
18-P-0151 EPA's Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Research
Program Is Delivering Timely and Relevant Data to the Office
of Water
18-P-0153 EPA Complied with Improper Payments Elimination and
Recovery Act Requirements
18-P-0175 CSB Complied with Improper Payments Legislation and
Requirements for Fiscal Year 2017
18-P-0176 EPA Region 5 Needs to Better Protect Information
Technology Property, and Areas for Agencywide Improvement
Exist
18-P-0181 EPA Did Not Identify Volkswagen Emissions Cheating;
Enhanced Controls Now Provide Reasonable Assurance of
Fraud Detection
18-P-0206 Atlanta Is Largely in Compliance with Its Combined Sewer
Overflow Consent Decree, but Has Not Yet Met All
Requirements
18-P-0207 Operational Efficiencies of EPA's Human Resources Shared
Service Centers Not Measured
18-P-0217 Management Alert - To Minimize Risk of Environmental Harm,
the Security Categorization of Electronic Manifest System
Data Needs to Be Re-Evaluated
18-P-0218 CSB Purchase Card Program at Low Risk for Unauthorized
Purchases
18-P-0220 EPA Complied with the Statement of Federal Financial
Accounting Standards No. 47 and Treasury Financial Manual,
Part 2, Chapter 4700
18-P-0221 Management Weaknesses Delayed Response to Flint Water
Crisis
18-P-0222 EPA Completed OIG Recommendations for the Presidential
Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program but Lacks
Controls over Use of Unverified Results
8/6/18
4/16/18
5/8/18
6/4/18
7/9/18
4/9/18
4/16/18
5/9/18
5/9/18
5/15/18
5/30/18
5/31/18
6/21/18
7/3/18
7/12/18
7/19/18
7/20/18
$0
0
0
0
$0
$0
0
0
0
$0
$0
0
0
0
$0
$0
0
0
0
$0
44
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Report no.
Report title
Date
Questioned costs
Ineligible Unsupported Unreasonable
Potential
monetary
benefits
18-P-0226 EPA's Chemical Data Reporting Rule Largely Implemented as 7/27/18 0
Intended, but Opportunities for Improvement Exist
18-P-0227 Incomplete Oversight of State Hazardous Waste Rule 7/31/18 0
Authorization Creates Regulatory Gaps and Human Health
and Environmental Risks
18-P-0231 Without E-lnvoicing and Stronger Payment Process Controls, 8/16/18 0
EPA Is Placing $1.2 Billion at Risk Annually
18-P-0232 EPA's Purchase Card and Convenience Check Program 8/20/18 57,017
Controls Are Not Effective for Preventing Improper Purchases
18-P-0233 EPA Needs to Finish Prioritization and Resource Allocation 8/22/18 0
Methodologies for Abandoned Uranium Mine Sites on or Near
Navajo Lands
18-P-0234 Without a Process for Monitoring Sensitive Data, 8/28/18 0
EPA Region 4 Risks Unauthorized Access to File Servers
and Share Folders
18-P-0238 EPA's June 2018 Issuance of the Delayed Notice of 8/30/18 0
Availability of Farm Worker Protection Training Materials Will
Reduce Risks of Injury and Illness
18-P-0239 EPA Asserts Statutory Law Enforcement Authority to Protect 9/4/18 106,000
Its Administrator but Lacks Procedures to Assess Threats and
Identify the Proper Level of Protection
18-P-0240 EPA Needs a Comprehensive Vision and Strategy for Citizen 9/5/18 0
Science that Aligns with Its Strategic Objectives on Public
Participation
18-P-0241 EPA Can Strengthen Its Process for Revising Air Quality 9/5/18 0
Dispersion Models that Predict Impact of Pollutant Emissions
18-P-0250 Management Alert - EPA Oversight of Employee Debt Waiver 9/12/18 0
Process Needs Immediate Attention
18-P-0270 EPA Needs to Re-Evaluate Its Compliance Monitoring 9/17/18 0
Priorities for Minimizing Asbestos Risks in Schools
18-P-0271 Delayed Cleanup of Asbestos Debris at the Old Davis 9/18/18 0
Hospital Site Necessitates Changes for EPA Region 4 and
North Carolina
18-P-0281 Measures and Management Controls Needed to Improve 9/25/18 0
EPA's Pesticide Emergency Exemption Process
18-P-0283 Collecting Additional Performance Data from States Would 9/25/18 0
Help EPA Better Assess the Effectiveness of Vehicle
Inspection and Maintenance Programs
18-P-0288 EPA Paid $14.5 Million to Foreign Fellows that Could Have 9/26/18 11,965
Funded Research by U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents
18-P-0298 Management Alert: EPA's Incident Tracking System Lacks 9/28/18 0
Required Controls to Protect Personal Information
SUBTOTAL = 29 $174,982
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
$0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
$0
0
0
292,000
94,983
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
$386,983
TOTAL REPORTS ISSUED = 34
$174,982
$0
$0
$386,983
45
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Appendix 2—Reports Issued Without Management Decisions
For Reporting Period Ended September 30, 2018
Section 5(a)(10)(B) of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, requires a summary of each audit, inspection
and evaluation report issued during the reporting period for which no establishment comment was returned within
60 days of providing the report to the establishment. The literal language of Section 5(a)(10)(B) requests the OIG to
track reports issued prior to commencement of the reporting period. However, given that this provision was intended
to codify the February 27, 2015, semiannual requests from Senators Grassley and Johnson, the OIG interprets this
provision to apply to reports within the semiannual period. There were no reports for which we did not receive a
response within 60 days during the semiannual period.
Section 5(a)(10)(A) of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, requires a summary of each audit, inspection
and evaluation report issued before the commencement of the reporting period for which no management decision
had been made by the end of the reporting period, an explanation of the reasons such management decision had not
been made, and a statement concerning the desired timetable for achieving a management decision on each such
report. Office of Management and Budget Circular A-50 requires resolution within 6 months of a final report being
issued. In this section, we report on audits and evaluations with no management decision or resolution within
6 months of final report issuance. In the summaries below, we provide the resolution status of management decisions
not made as of September 30, 2018, which the OIG desires to resolve as soon as possible.
Office of the Administrator
Report No. 17-P-0378. Management Alert: EPA Should Promptly Reassess Community Risk Screening Tool,
September 7, 2017
Summary: Our review substantiated some hotline allegations about the Community-Focused Exposure and Risk
Screening Tool, known as C-FERST. We found that the EPA's Office of Research and Development took 8 years to
develop a tool that is different from its intended purpose, requires effective training to use, overlaps with other EPA
tools, and has not been widely used in the approximately 9 months after it was publicly released. Without metrics to
measure performance, it is unclear whether the Community-Focused Exposure and Risk Screening Tool is being
used for its intended purpose or meets user needs. Further, having multiple agency mapping tools that perform
similar functions can confuse potential users. One recommendation—for the Deputy Administrator to examine all of
the EPA's web-based screening and mapping tools to ensure the need for each tool and to avoid potential overlap,
duplication and waste—is unresolved.
Resolution Status: The OIG received the EPA's response. The agency and the OIG continue to have discussions
regarding the unresolved recommendation.
Office of Air and Radiation
Report No. 17-P-0249. Improved Data and EPA Oversight Are Needed to Assure Compliance with the
Standards for Benzene Content in Gasoline, June 8, 2017
Summary: The EPA could improve the effectiveness of its oversight processes and controls for the benzene fuels
program to better assure that refineries and importers report accurate and complete data, and comply with the
gasoline benzene standards. We reviewed all batch and annual benzene reports for the period 2011 through 2014.
Reported annual volumes and/or annual average benzene concentrations did not match supporting batch reports for
over 25 percent of the regulated facilities. We identified potential noncompliance with the benzene standards at
40 facilities. EPA staff had never reviewed 16 of these facilities for compliance using the compliance assessment tool,
conducted an on-site compliance audit as of the time of our review, or reviewed the facilities prior to the year in which
we identified the potential noncompliance. According to data reported to the EPA at the time of our review, these 16
facilities produced or imported over 13 billion gallons of gasoline during 2011 through 2014, which potentially did not
meet applicable benzene standards for gasoline (about 3 percent of total U.S. volume during that period). We made
10 recommendations for the EPA to improve data quality and completeness, and review instances of potential
noncompliance. Two recommendations remain unresolved.
Resolution Status: The agency provided a response to the final report on October 19, 2017. Discussion regarding
the two remaining unresolved recommendations is ongoing between the OIG and agency management.
46
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
Report No. 18-P-0080. EPA Needs to Evaluate the Impact of the Revised Agricultural Worker Protection
Standard on Pesticide Exposure Incidents, February 15, 2018
Summary: The EPA had policies and procedures to implement the revised Agricultural Worker Protection Standard,
designed to protect the nation's more than 2 million agricultural workers and pesticide handlers from pesticide
exposure. However, management controls to implement the revised standard were not fully adequate as of
January 2, 2017, when compliance with most of the revised rule was required. Although required training was
provided, essential materials were not available when the majority of the training was conducted. Also, the EPA did
not have the ability to collect pesticide exposure incident data to measure impact. The agency did not agree with the
recommendation to develop a methodology to evaluate incident data.
Resolution Status: The OIG received the EPA's response. The agency and the OIG continue to have discussions
regarding the proposed corrective actions.
Region 8—Regional Administrator
Report No. 2007-4-00078. Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Outlays Reported Under Five EPA Assistance
Agreements, September 24, 2007
Summary: The tribe did not comply with the financial and program management standards under the Code of
Federal Regulations and Office of Management and Budget Circular A-87. We questioned $3,101,827 ofthe
$3,736,560 in outlays reported. The tribe's internal controls were not sufficient to ensure that outlays reported
complied with federal cost principles, regulations and grant conditions. In some instances, the tribe also was not able
to demonstrate that it had completed all work under the agreements and had achieved the intended results.
Resolution Status: The OIG has not received a response from the EPA.
Total reports issued before reporting period for which
no management decision had been made as of September 30, 2018 = 4
47
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Appendix 3—Reports with Corrective Action Not Completed
In compliance with reporting requirements of Sections 5(a)(3) and 5(a)(10)(C) of the Inspector General Act of 1978,
as amended, we are to identify each significant recommendation described in previous semiannual reports on which
corrective action has not been completed, and a summary of each audit, inspection and evaluation report for which
there are any outstanding unimplemented recommendations. We are also to identify the aggregate potential
monetary benefits of the unimplemented recommendations.
This appendix contains separate tables of unimplemented recommendations for the EPA and the CSB from 2001 to
September 30, 2018.
There is a total of 64 current and unimplemented recommendations for the EPA with total potential monetary benefits
of approximately $86 million, which was sustained by the agency. Sustained cost is the dollar value of questioned
costs or monetary benefits identified by the OIG during an audit/evaluation and agreed to in whole or in part by the
agency. There is one unimplemented CSB recommendation with a total potential monetary benefit of approximately
$0,402 million, all of which was sustained by the CSB.
In this report, corrective actions (CAs) and sub-recommendations (a., b. c., etc.) are not individually counted as
recommendations.
Below is a listing of the responsible EPA offices to which recommendations included in the following tables are
directed. While a recommendation may be listed as unimplemented, the agency may be on track to complete agreed-
upon corrective actions by the planned due date.
Responsible EPA Offices:
OAR
Office
of Air and Radiation
OARM
Office
of Administration and Resources Management
OCFO
Office
of the Chief Financial Officer
OCSPP
Office
of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
OECA
Office
of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
OEI
Office
of Environmental Information
OLEM
Office
of Land and Emergency Management
OP
Office
of Policy (within the Office of the Administrator)
ORD
Office
of Research and Development
OW
Office
of Water
Region 2
Region 6
Region 9
48
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Semiannual Report to Congress April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
EPA Reports with Unimplemented Recommendations
Report title, number
and date
Office
Unimplemented recommendation
Planned
completion
date
Revised
completion
date
Potential
monetary benefits
recommended
(in $000s)
EPA Can Better Manage State
Pesticide Cooperative
Agreements to More Effectively
Use Funds and Reduce Risk of
Pesticide Misuse
18-P-0079
2/13/18
OECA
1. Develop and implement additional Federal Insecticide, Fungicide,
and Rodenticide Act guidance to assist Project Officers in evaluating
whether funding is reasonable given projected work plan tasks.
11/30/19
2. Conduct a national review of state work plans and performance
for Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act cooperative
agreements to verify the consistent application of agency guidance
and achievement of agency goals and requirements.
5/31/19
Self-Insurance for Companies
with Multiple Cleanup Liabilities
Presents Financial and
Environmental Risks for EPA
and the Public
18-P-0059
12/22/17
Note: Recommendations listed
here differ from the
recommendations published in
the final report and reflect
changes agreed upon by the
OIG and the agency.
OLEM&
OECA
1. Conduct a study to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze and
evaluate the program effectiveness and resource requirements to
EPA of the corporate self-insurance instruments, including the
financial test and corporate guarantee, in the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act regulations and the Superfund
Program for current settlements and orders. Assess adequacy of
self-insurance instruments for companies with multiple
environmental liabilities and the nature and extent of any problems
identified.
3/31/19
2. Once the study in Recommendation 1 is complete, use the
information to develop appropriate risk management actions to
mitigate any identified problems in line with agency practices for
enterprise risk management under Office of Management and
Budget Circular A-123, and determine whether additional controls,
such as the requirement for full disclosure of all self-insured
environmental liabilities over corporate self-insurance, should be
implemented and if corporate self-insurance should continue as an
option.
9/30/20
3. Update standard operating procedures and data systems to
accommodate the implemented risk management actions.
9/30/21
4. Train staff on the implemented risk management actions.
12/31/22
12/31/21
5. Develop or update existing standard operating procedures to
outline the Office of Land and Emergency Management and Office
of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance roles and
responsibilities for overseeing the validity of Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act and Superfund financial assurance instruments,
where needed.
6/30/20
3/31/19
6. Develop and include procedures for checking with other regions
for facilities/sites with multiple self-insured liabilities in the standard
operating procedures created for Recommendation 5.
6/30/20
3/31/19
7. In the standard operating procedures created for
Recommendation 5, develop and include instructions on (1) the
steps to take when an invalid financial assurance instrument
(expired, insufficient in dollar amount, or not provided) is identified
and (2) how to collect information on the causes of invalid financial
assurance.
6/30/20
3/31/19
8. Train staff on the procedures and instructions developed for
Recommendations 5 through 7.
9/30/20
9/30/19
9a. Develop and distribute to EPA regions and states annual reports
that include the total dollar amount of Superfund financial assurance
required and provided.
Unprovided
12/31/19
49
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Report title, number
and date
Office
Unimplemented recommendation
Planned
completion
date
Revised
completion
date
Potential
monetary benefits
recommended
(in $000s)
9b. Work with EPA regions and states to identify and implement
appropriate metrics, including metrics to help identify, track and
correct, on a facility level, where there are monetary gaps in the
amount of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act financial
assurance required and provided. Develop and distribute to EPA
regions and states annual reports on these metrics.
12/31/20
12/31/19
10. Develop and distribute to EPA regions and states annual reports
that include progress on the reduction of financial assurance that is
expired, insufficient and/or not provided.
9/30/19
12/31/19
11. To more accurately determine the value of insufficient
instruments, add a data field(s) to the data system used for
Superfund financial assurance to track when a lower amount of
Superfund financial assurance is accepted by the EPA region or
headquarters through negotiations with a responsible party or other
arrangements.
12/31/18
12. Train staff on how to use the new data field created for
Recommendation 11.
12/31/18
EPA's Fiscal Years 2017 and
2016 Consolidated Financial
Statements
18-F-0039
11/15/17
OCFO
1 .Require the Compass Financials Project Manager to obtain the
Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers
with the Information Technology specialization within the 1-year
deadline, as required by the Office of Management and Budget, and
take corrective actions if the Project Manager is not able to
complete the certification requirements by the deadline.
10/31/18
Analysis of Toxics Release
Inventory Data Identifies Few
Noncompliant Facilities
18-P-0001
10/5/17
OECA
2. After the implementation of mandatory electronic Discharge
Monitoring Reports, review the usefulness of the Discharge
Monitoring Report Comparison Dashboard for identifying possible
unpermitted surface water dischargers using Toxics Release
Inventory data, and modify as appropriate.
6/30/18
12/28/18
EPA Can Better Reduce Risks
from Illegal Pesticides by
Effectively Identifying Imports for
Inspection and Sampling
17-P-0412
9/28/17
OECA
1. Establish national compliance monitoring goals based on
assessment and consideration of available regional resources.
9/30/19
2. Implement internal controls to monitor and communicate progress
on regional goals.
9/30/19
4. Direct each EPA region to develop guidance or protocols that
define how the region will coordinate with local U.S. Customs and
Border Protection offices on illegal pesticides that are imported
without Notices of Arrival.
9/30/18
3/30/19
EPA's Distribution of Superfund
Human Resources Does Not
Support Current Regional
Workload
17-P-0397
9/19/17
OLEM
1. In coordination with the Chief Financial Officer, develop and
implement actions to address past obstacles that have affected the
EPA's ability to make progress on the allocation of human
resources. Obstacles include management's unwillingness to
change its human resource allocation process and perceived short-
term disruptions that would result from such a change.
9/30/18
1/31/19
3. Implement a national prioritization of all sites including risk and
other factors in the prioritization and regularly distribute regional full-
time equivalents according to the national prioritization.
9/30/18
1/31/19
Management Alert: EPA Should
Promptly Reassess Community
Risk Screening Tool
17-P-0378
9/7/17
ORD
1. Review the Community-Focused Exposure and Risk Screening
Tool and develop an action plan with timeframes to address issues
identified, including considerations on whether to retain the tool. If
retained:
a. Develop metrics for measuring the tool's performance and
establish a regular schedule for performance evaluations.
b. Survey users to obtain feedback on tool utilization and any
needed improvements.
9/30/19
50
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Report title, number
and date
Office
Unimplemented recommendation
Planned
completion
date
Revised
completion
date
Potential
monetary benefits
recommended
(in $000s)
2. Develop policies and procedures for planning, developing,
implementing and monitoring the performance of web-based
research tools. Policies and procedures could build on the draft
guidance for web-based tools developed by the National Exposure
Research Laboratory, and should ensure that any new Office of
Research and Development research tool stems from a clear project
proposal that includes ongoing monitoring metrics and outcome
measures, and vetting to ensure there is a need and no overlap with
other tools.
9/30/18
3. Review new and existing Office of Research and Development
research tools to determine the applicability of the agency's
information technology requirements.
9/30/19
4. Work with agency offices responsible for other geospatial
mapping tools to develop a decision support matrix for when to use
certain tools and for what purposes.
9/30/19
EPA Needs to Increase
Oversight of Leave Bank
Program to Improve Efficiency
and Reduce Risk of Misuse
17-P-0374
8/28/17
OARM
6. Issue guidance to and train supervisors on the leave bank and
leave transfer programs and their roles and responsibilities for
approving and attesting timesheets of employees using the leave
programs.
6/30/18
EPA's Voluntary WaterSense
Program Demonstrated Success
17-P-0352
8/1/17
OW
1. Share WaterSense program practices in program design,
implementation and reporting with the agency's Program
Management Improvement Officer.
9/30/18
EPA Needs to Institutionalize Its
"Lean" Program to Reap Cost
and Time Benefits
17-P-0346
7/31/17
OP
1. Implement a strategy for institutionalizing the Lean Government
Initiative within the agency by integrating the application of Lean
practices and business process improvement approaches.
6/30/18
2. Develop policies that specify how to plan, design, oversee and
implement Lean practices within the agency.
6/30/18
3. Develop a process for monitoring, tracking and measuring
quantifiable results, including cost savings, for Lean projects.
1/31/18
4. Develop a process for a) vetting projects that have the potential
for standardized implementation across the agency and b)
collaborating on projects to maximize the application of Lean, as
well as sharing experiences and lessons learned agencywide.
6/30/18
5. Develop and implement a consistent and standardized Lean
training effort for the EPA's staff.
6/30/18
EPA Should Assess Needs and
Implement Management
Controls to Ensure Effective
Incorporation of Chemical Safety
Research Products
17-P-0294
6/23/17
OCSPP
1. Conduct a needs assessment that identifies and addresses the
challenges, timeframes, training and resources necessary to
effectively incorporate Office of Research and Development
products into Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
programs.
5/31/18
11/30/18
2. Develop and implement management controls that formalize the
Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention's processes for
collaborating with the Office of Research and Development to
maintain current products and develop future products.
5/31/18
11/30/18
EPA Can Strengthen Its
Oversight of Herbicide
Resistance with Better
Management Controls
17-P-0278
6/21/17
OCSPP
1. Consider requiring mechanisms of action be included on relevant
herbicide labels.
6/30/19
2. Determine whether synergistic effects data should be required for
the pesticide registration process and document the results of that
determination.
6/30/19
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Report title, number
and date
Office
Unimplemented recommendation
Planned
completion
date
Revised
completion
date
Potential
monetary benefits
recommended
(in $000s)
Improved Data and EPA
Oversight Are Needed to Assure
Compliance with the Standards
for Benzene Content in Gasoline
OAR
4. Ensure the integrity of benzene credit trading by developing and
implementing a process to verify the annual average benzene
concentration and total volume values that facilities input into the
trading database are supported by batch reports.
9/30/20
17-P-0249
6/8/17
5. Revise the annual benzene report so that facilities must report the
number of benzene deficits or credits at the end of the current
reporting year.
9/30/20
EPA Needs to Provide
Leadership and Better Guidance
to Improve Fish Advisory Risk
Communications
17-P-0174
4/12/17
OW
1. Provide updated guidance to states and tribes on clear and
effective risk communication methods for fish advisories, especially
for high-risk groups. This guidance could recommend posting fish
advisory information at locations where fish are caught and using
up-to-date communication methods that include social media,
webinars, emails, newsletters, etc.
3/31/20
2. Working with states and tribes, develop and disseminate best
practices they can use to evaluate the effectiveness of fish
advisories in providing risk information to subpopulations, such as
subsistence fishers, tribes and other high fish-consuming groups.
3/30/20
3. Develop and implement methods to ensure that tribal members
receive current fish advisory information.
9/30/18
ORD
4. Conduct an assessment for methylmercury to determine whether
the reference dose requires updating, as indicated by the Integrated
Risk Information System, and as proposed in the system's 2012 and
2015 agendas.
12/31/18
Additional Measures Can Be
Taken to Prevent Deaths and
Serious Injuries from Residential
Fumigations
17-P-0053
12/12/16
OCSPP
2. Provide label language that clearly defines the criteria for meeting
the applicator stewardship training requirement, including the
frequency of training.
5/31/18
1/31/19
Religious Compensatory Time Is
Subject to Abuse
16-P-0333
9/27/16
OCFO
4. Modify the EPA's payroll and time and attendance system to
include the enhanced internal controls, preventing employees from
accumulating Religious Compensatory Time hours inconsistent with
revised policies and procedures.
9/30/18
11/30/18
EPA Needs a Risk-Based
Strategy to Assure Continued
Effectiveness of Hospital-Level
Disinfectants
OCSPP
2. Develop a risk-based antimicrobial testing strategy to assure the
effectiveness of public health pesticides used in hospital settings
once products are in the marketplace. At a minimum, the strategy
should:
11/30/18
16-P-0316
9/19/16
a. Include a framework for periodic testing to assure products
continue to be effective after registration.
b. Define a program scope that is flexible and responsive to
current and relevant public health risks.
c. Identify risk factors for selecting products to test.
d. Identify the method to be used for obtaining samples for
testing.
e. Designate a date to commence risk-based post-registration
testing.
Hawaii Department of Health
Needs to Reduce Open Grants
and Unspent Funds
16-P-0218
6/28/16
Region
9
1. Re-evaluate the status of the fundable projects and the Hawaii
Department of Health's progress on implementing the corrective
action plan items prior to awarding the FY 2016 allotment of
$8,312,000 and any future award. The re-evaluation should
continue until the Hawaii Department of Health meets the agency's
funding utilization target.
7/31/17
11/30/18
$8,312
52
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Report title, number
and date
Office
Unimplemented recommendation
Planned
completion
date
Revised
completion
date
Potential
monetary benefits
recommended
(in $000s)
EPA Needs to Assess
Environmental and Economic
Benefits of Completed Clean
Water State Revolving Fund
Green Projects
16-P-0162
5/2/16
OW
2. Implement a process (through a grant requirement or otherwise)
for routine collection of Green Project Reserve benefits of
completed projects as part of the EPA's regular oversight of state
programs.
3/31/18
9/30/18
EPA Needs to Improve the
Recognition and Administration
of Cloud Services for the Office
of Water's Permit Management
Oversight System
15-P-0295
9/24/15
ow
4. Develop and implement an approved system authorization
package (i.e., a risk assessment, System Security Plan and
Authorization to Operate) and perform annual security assessments
for the Permit Management Oversight System application.
5/31/16
Incomplete Contractor Systems
Inventory and a Lack of
Oversight Limit EPA's Ability to
Facilitate IT Governance
15-P-0290
9/21/15
OEI
5. Implement the recommendation of the EPA's Information Security
Task Force to manage the vulnerability management program.
9/30/18
Conditions in the U.S.
Virgin Islands Warrant EPA
Withdrawing Approval and
Taking Over Management of
Some Environmental Programs
and Improving Oversight of
Others
Region
2
13. To improve oversight of the Underground Storage Tank/
Leaking Underground Storage Tank program, establish an updated
Underground Storage Tank/Leaking Underground Storage Tank
Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Virgin Islands that reflects
changes and new provisions results from the Energy Policy Act of
2005. The memorandum of agreement should also outline roles,
responsibilities and expectations.
9/30/18
3/31/19
15-P-0137
4/17/15
18. Develop a plan to address currently uncompleted tasks and
activities, and develop a schedule for reprogramming grant funds to
accomplish these tasks if the U.S. Virgin Islands does not or cannot
complete them. Upon completion of the financial management
corrective actions, follow the Office of the Chief Financial Officer's
Resource Management Directive System 2520-03 to determine
whether any of the current unspent funds of approximately
$37 million under the U.S. Virgin Islands' assistance agreements
could be put to better use.
9/30/18
3/31/19
$37,000
Cloud Oversight Resulted in
Unsubstantiated and Missed
Opportunities for Savings,
Unused and Undelivered
Services, and Incomplete
Policies
14-P-0332
7/24/14
OEI
4. Prior to entering into any future Infrastructure-as-a-Service
contracts, perform a formal documented analysis to determine
whether such contracts are in the EPA's best interest that includes
the investments the EPA would have to make to address integration
requirements, obstacles and gaps identified as a result of the
current Infrastructure-as-a-Service contract.
10/16/17
10/31/18
Internal Controls Needed to
Control Costs of Emergency and
Rapid Response Services
Contracts, as Exemplified in
Region 6
14-P-0109
2/4/14
Region
6
3. Direct Contracting Officers to require that the contractor adjust all
its billings to reflect the application of the correct rate to team
subcontract Other Direct Costs.
9/30/24
53
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Report title, number
and date
Office
Unimplemented recommendation
Planned
completion
date
Revised
completion
date
Potential
monetary benefits
recommended
(in $000s)
Improvements Needed in EPA
Training and Oversight for Risk
Management Program
Inspections
13-P-0178
3/21/13
OLEM
7. Coordinate with the Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance to revise inspection guidance to recommend
minimum inspection scope for the various types of facilities covered
under the program and provide detailed examples of minimum
reporting.
2/28/19
8. Coordinate with the Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance to develop and implement an inspection
monitoring and oversight program to better manage and assess the
quality of program inspections, reports, supervisory oversight and
compliance with inspection guidance.
2/28/20
EPA Needs to Improve Air
Emissions Data for the Oil and
Natural Gas Production Sector
13-P-0161
2/20/13
OAR
2. Prioritize and update existing oil and gas production emission
factors that are in greatest need of improvement and develop new
emission factors for key oil and gas production processes that do
not currently have emission factors.
CA2.4 - The EPA will set forth procedures for developing
emissions factors based on data collected with non-traditional
measurement techniques and incorporate those procedures into
the Web Information Retrieval System (WebFIRE).
9/30/19
Controls Over State
Underground Storage Tank
Inspection Programs in EPA
Regions Generally Effective
12-P-0289
2/15/12
OLEM
1. Require the EPA and states to enter into memorandums of
agreement that reflect program changes from the 2005 Energy
Policy Act and address oversight of municipalities conducting
inspections.
10/13/18
EPA Needs to Further Improve
How It Manages Its Oil Pollution
Prevention Program
12-P-0253
2/6/12
OLEM
1. Improve oversight of facilities regulated by the EPA's oil pollution
prevention program by:
d. Producing a biennial public assessment of the quality and
consistency of Spill Prevention, Control, Countermeasure Plans
and Facility Response Plans based on inspected facilities.
CA1 -2: A summary of findings will be developed by October
2013. These findings will help to identify areas where additional
guidance and outreach are needed to improve the quality and
consistency of Spill Prevention, Control, Countermeasure Plans.
CA1-3: The model developed for the Spill Prevention, Control,
Countermeasure program will then be used to develop a review
protocol for Facility Response Plan by September 2013 to
examine Facility Response Plan inspections conducted during
the FY 2013 inspection cycle.
CA1 -4: A summary of findings will be developed by October
2014. These findings will help to identify areas where additional
guidance and external outreach are needed to improve the
quality and consistency of Facility Response Plans.
6/30/20
EPA Should Update Its Fees
Rule to Recover More Motor
Vehicle and Engine Compliance
Program Costs
11-P-0701
9/23/11
OAR
1. Update the 2004 fees rule to increase the amount of Motor
Vehicle and Engine Compliance Program costs it can recover.
12/31/18
$13,000
EPA Should Revise Outdated or
Inconsistent EPA-State Clean
Water Memoranda of Agreement
10-P-0224
9/14/10
OECA
2-2. Develop a systematic approach to identify which states have
outdated or inconsistent memorandums of agreements; renegotiate
and update those Memoranda of Agreements using the
Memorandum of Agreements template; and secure the active
involvement and final, documented concurrence of headquarters to
ensure national consistency.
9/28/18
9/30/20
54
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Report title, number
and date
Office
Unimplemented recommendation
Planned
completion
date
Revised
completion
date
Potential
monetary benefits
recommended
(in $000s)
EPA Needs a Coordinated Plan
to Oversee Its Toxic Substances
Control Act Responsibilities
10-P-0066
2/17/10
OCSPP
2-4 Establish criteria and procedures outlining what chemical or
classes of chemicals will undergo risk assessments for low-level
and cumulative exposure. Periodically, update and revise risk
assessment tools and models with the latest research and
technology developments.
12/31/17
Audit of EPA's Fiscal 2009 and
2008 (Restated) Consolidated
Financial Statements
10-1-0029
11/16/09
OCFO
27. Ensure that all new financial management systems (including
the Integrated Financial Management System replacement system)
and those undergoing upgrades include a system requirement that
the fielded system include an automated control to enforce
separation of duties.
CA27.9: The Office of Technology Solutions will modify
Compass user profiles to create specific security roles to allow
Compass Security Officers to better manage user access.
CA27.10: The Office of Technology Solutions will enhance the
Access Request Form application to add additional controls and
automatic logic to check for approved waivers on file to prevent
users from submitting security options that violate the separation
of duties policy.
12/31/18
Making Better Use of
Stringfellow Superfund Special
Accounts
08-P-0196
7/9/08
Region
9
2. Reclassify or transfer to the Trust Fund, as appropriate,
$27.8 million (plus any earned interest less oversight costs) of the
Stringfellow special accounts in annual reviews, and at other
milestones including the end of Fiscal Year 2010, when the record
of decision is signed and the final settlement is achieved.
12/31/12
$27,800
Total
$86,112
55
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Semiannual Report to Congress April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
CSB Reports with Unimplemented Recommendations
Report title, number
and date
Office
Unimplemented recommendation
Planned
completion
date
Revised
completion
date
Potential monetary
benefits
recommended
(in $000s)
CSB Needs to Continue to
Improve Agency Governance
and Operations
16-P-0179
5/23/16
CSB
6. Include the General Services Administration in any future
office leasing plans and revisit office needs for a potential
adjustment or supplement to the Washington, D.C., and
Denver office leases to reduce space within the General
Services Administration benchmarks.
D.C.
10/20/22
Denver
11/30/19
$402
Total
$402
56
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Appendix 4—Closed Investigations Not Publicly Disclosed
For Reporting Period Ended September 30, 2018
Details on each investigation conducted by the OIG involving both senior and non-senior employees closed
during the semiannual reporting period ending September 30, 2018, are provided below. We also include a
separate listing of investigations conducted by the OIG and closed during the semiannual reporting period
involving non-employees such as grant recipients, contractors and former EPA employees.
Investigations Involving Presidential Appointees Not Previously Publicly Disclosed
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2018-ADM-0081
This case addressed multiple allegations against the EPA Administrator. This case was subsequently split into
subsidiary cases addressing the separate specific allegations. The OIG does not identify or acknowledge the
existence of any open cases.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2018-AFD-0112
The Inspector General reported his EPA OIG badge and credential as missing. The items could not be located,
and this information was entered into the National Crime Information Center database.
Investigations Involving Senior Employees Not Previously Publicly Disclosed
CASE NUMBER: OI-HQ-2016-ADM-008Q
An EPA SES-level director allegedly verbally and physically assaulted a subordinate employee during a
workplace meeting. The Federal Protective Service was contacted. The OIG investigation was inconclusive but
was referred to the EPA. Subsequently, the EPA conducted its own review. The SES employee retired after
receiving a notice of suspension from EPA management for lack of candor in an official investigation.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2016-ADM-0063
An EPA SES-level director allegedly failed to attend a conference while on official government travel and was
instead absent without leave. The allegation was not supported.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2018-ADM-0072
An EPA SES-level employee allegedly viewed classified material without a security clearance. This employee
was allegedly allowed to view the material by a GS-14 employee. The investigation revealed that the SES
employee maintained the proper security clearance. Therefore, the GS-14 employee did not commit a violation
for allowing access to classified information. Neither allegation was supported.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2018-ADM-0066
An EPA SES-level employee allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior with three subordinate female
employees. It was alleged that two of the subordinate employees resigned due to their relationship with the SES
employee and the remaining subordinate was promoted due to the relationship with the SES employee. Based
on an extensive review of EPA documents and interviews of witnesses and the subject, it was determined that
the allegations were not supported.
CASE NUMBER: OI-BO-2018-OTH-OQ67
The personal cell phone, government-issued cell phone and personal credit cards of an EPA OIG GS-15
employee were allegedly stolen while the employee was on official travel. The investigation found sufficient
evidence to support that the employee's personal credit cards were stolen and used to make unauthorized
purchases. However, the cell phones could not be recovered, and the identity of the suspect could not be
determined.
CASE NUMBER: OI-BO-2016-CAC-OOQ1
An EPA GS-15 employee allegedly retroactively manipulated timecards to falsely reflect telework or annual
leave following a medical procedure. The employee also allegedly falsely claimed and received public transit
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
reimbursement. The investigation did not develop sufficient evidence to support the allegation that the employee
improperly recorded time and attendance. However, the investigation, which looked at a 19-month period, did
develop sufficient evidence to support the allegation that the employee claimed and received public transit
reimbursement while not actually commuting to the office via public transit. The employee reimbursed the EPA
$2,690 and was issued a letter of reprimand for the submission of inaccurate public transit subsidy claims. The
case was referred to and declined for prosecution by the U.S. Department of Justice on May 24, 2016.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2017-ADM-0036
An EPA GS-15 employee allegedly allowed a subordinate employee to attend school during core working hours.
The investigation did not support the allegation.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2017-CAC-0048
An EPA GS-15 employee allegedly possessed marijuana while on official EPA travel. It was also alleged that
the employee sold marijuana to EPA employees. The investigation supported the first allegation but not the
second. The employee received a 3-day suspension. The case was referred to and declined for prosecution by
the U.S. Department of Justice on June 7, 2017.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2018-ADM-0017
An EPA GS-15 employee allegedly traveled to a high-risk country with an EPA computer and, during the trip, the
computer became infected with malware, was decrypted by unknown individuals, and was possibly used to
compromise EPA network security. It was discovered during the investigation that the EPA had mistakenly turned
off the encryption on the computer and the computer was not infected with malware. The allegation of traveling to
a high-risk country with an EPA computer and compromising EPA network security was not supported.
CASE NUMBER: QI-AT-2017-CFD-0145
An EPA GS-15 supervisor allegedly had EPA contractors come to the supervisor's home regularly and promised
work to these contractors. The investigation found no evidence of bribery or that the supervisor steered work to
contractors. However, the investigation obtained evidence that showed the supervisor created an appearance of
a loss of impartiality in interactions with EPA contractors and grantees. The supervisor frequently met with
contractors for lunch or dinner and hosted contractors at home. On one occasion, the supervisor invited an EPA
contractor to stay overnight at the supervisor's home in lieu of staying at a local hotel. Additionally, emails
between the supervisor and EPA contractors contained references to alcohol and facilitating meetings with high-
level EPA officials. The investigation found that the supervisor received a gift of alcohol from an EPA grantee.
The supervisor received a 5-day suspension for "exercising poor judgment (social interactions with EPA
contractor leading to the appearance of impropriety)." The case was referred to the U.S. Department of Justice
on January 26, 2018, and declined for prosecution on March 1, 2018.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2015-ADM-0084
An EPA GS-15 employee allegedly provided false information on a federal job application. The investigation
found information to support the allegation that the employee provided false information on Standard Form 85P,
Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions. On the form, the employee claimed to have attained an associate
degree from an area college. The employee admitted that the degree was not attained but said that enough
credit hours were completed to be eligible for an associate degree. The employee's supervisor stated that a
degree is not part of the criteria for that position, and no administrative action was taken by EPA management.
The case was referred to the U.S. Department of Justice on September 4, 2015, and declined for prosecution on
September 9, 2015.
CASE NUMBER: QI-AR-2016-ADM-0036
An EPA GS-15 employee allegedly used his official position to influence a contractor to hire a former EPA
colleague. Multiple interviews and record reviews were conducted, and an EPA ethics official reviewed the facts
of the case. The investigation did not support the allegation.
Investigations Involving Non Senior Employees Not Previously Publicly Disclosed
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2017-ADM-0141
An EPA GS-14 employee allegedly misrepresented employment history on the employee's job application. The
investigation discovered that periods of unemployment were omitted. The employee was within the 1-year new
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Semiannual Report to Congress
April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
employee probationary period, and the employee's management terminated the individual's employment with
the EPA.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2017-ADM-0071
An investigation was initiated into whether an EPA GS-14 employee posed a potential threat when another
employee found printed material about firearms in the GS-14 employee's workspace. Investigators were
informed that the GS-14 employee had no work-related reason to have this type of material in the workspace.
However, the investigation determined that the employee is a firearms collector and did not a pose a threat to
self or other EPA employees. The allegation was not supported.
CASE NUMBER: OI-HQ-2016-ADM-00Q7
An EPA GS-14 Criminal Investigator in the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division allegedly used a government-
owned vehicle to travel out of town on a personal trip without approval. The Criminal Investigator allegedly
allowed a fellow Criminal Investigation Division agent, who was off duty, to go on the unauthorized trip. The
allegations were supported. It was also discovered that significant damage occurred to the government-owned
vehicle during the trip. There were no corresponding vehicle reports, and EPA management was not notified of
the vehicle damage. The actions of the GS-14 Criminal Investigator violated the office's policy and procedure
related to the use of government-owned vehicles. The GS-14 Criminal Investigator retired from federal service
after management issued a notice of proposed removal. This case is related to case number
OI-HQ-2015-CAC-0090 (immediately below).
CASE NUMBER: OI-HQ-2015-CAC-009Q
An EPA GS-13 Criminal Investigator in the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division traveled as a passenger while
off duty with another Criminal Investigation Division agent on an unauthorized trip. The GS-13 Criminal
Investigator was given 14 days' leave without pay for unauthorized use of a government-owned vehicle. This
case is related to case number OI-HQ-2016-ADM-0007 (immediately above).
CASE NUMBER: QI-WI-2017-ADM-0017
An EPA GS-13 employee was arrested on sexual assault-related charges unrelated to the employee's EPA
employment. The charges were a result of a 2003 case in which new evidence was developed. The employee
was suspended and barred from EPA premises while the charges were pending. Due to the statute of limitations
expiring, the case was dismissed by the court and the employee was reinstated.
CASE NUMBER: QI-SA-2018-ADM-0041
An EPA GS-13 employee was arrested for felony charges relating to destruction of private property and assault
with the use of a vehicle. The arrest did not occur during work hours or while the employee was representing the
EPA. The EPA employee was screened to determine if a threat within the workplace existed. The employee had
already engaged the EPA Employee Assistance Program, has kept management advised of the situation, and is
awaiting the outcome of the pending charges. It was determined that the EPA employee did not pose a threat
within the workplace.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2016-CAC-0024
An EPA GS-13 employee allegedly allowed contractors to include commute times in billing for the hours that
they were supposed to be completing work at an EPA site. The investigation supported the allegation. The
employee received a written warning, additional training and enhanced supervision. The EPA was reimbursed
by the contractor for the billed commuting time.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2018-ADM-0014
An EPA GS-13 employee allegedly lied on a resume and Standard Form 85P, Questionnaire for Public Trust
Positions. The investigation did not find that any incorrect or false information was reported. The allegations
were not supported.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2014-ADM-0049
An EPA GS-13 Criminal Investigator in the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division allegedly discharged a service
weapon by accident, causing injury to self. The allegation was supported. The Criminal Investigator accidentally
discharged a bullet into the Criminal Investigator's leg while holstering the firearm while sitting in a vehicle,
causing injury.
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April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
CASE NUMBER: QI-CI-2016-ADM-0039
An EPA GS-13 employee allegedly misused the official government travel card. The investigation found that the
employee made numerous cash withdrawals not associated with official travel. The employee had no
recollection of making the cash withdrawals but acknowledged the withdrawals were made. The card balance
was paid in full, and no further action was taken.
CASE NUMBER: QI-DA-2017-ADM-0051
An EPA GS-13 employee allegedly used an EPA email account and computer for personal business. The
investigation supported the allegations. The employee admitted to using the EPA email account and computer
to conduct personal business during work hours for several years. The employee received a letter of reprimand
and was suspended from participation in the telework program for 1 year.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2017-ADM-0115
An EPA OIG GS-13 employee allegedly engaged in time-and-attendance fraud. The investigation did not
support the allegation.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2017-ADM-0130
An EPA GS-13 employee was allegedly in possession of a counterfeit Personal Identity Verification card. The
investigation supported the allegation in that the employee had created an almost identical copy of the EPA-
issued Personal Identity Verification card. EPA management issued the employee a 4-day suspension.
CASE NUMBER: QI-AT-2017-ADM-0123
An investigation was initiated after an EPA GS-11 employee was arrested for soliciting a prostitute. The
employee allegedly used an EPA cell phone and computer to facilitate the crime. The allegation was not
supported, but the investigation found that the employee engaged in other activities facilitating the crime during
official duty hours and falsely recorded the total number of work hours in the EPA timekeeping system for the
date on which the arrest occurred. When confronted, the employee provided EPA management and OIG
investigators with false and/or misleading information related to the arrest. The employee received a 14-day
suspension for displaying a lack of candor in statements made to the supervisor and OIG investigators,
engaging in conduct inappropriate for the workplace, and misusing official duty time.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2018-PFD-0038
An EPA employee was found unresponsive in an EPA facility restroom. The local fire department responded
and found that the employee had died. An investigation was opened in case the results of the autopsy showed
that the employee did not die from natural causes. The medical examiner ruled the employee's death was from
natural causes.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2018-ADM-0028
An unknown EPA employee(s) allegedly accessed and disclosed, without authorization, the EPA Administrator's
official EPA travel records regarding a trip abroad. Employees with access to the Administrator's travel account
were interviewed and all denied committing the unauthorized release. The investigation was inconclusive.
Investigations Involving Non Employees Not Previously Publicly Disclosed
CASE NUMBER: OI-CH-2018-ADM-00Q1
An EPA supervisor notified the OIG of suspected child pornography on an EPA computer. The supervisor had
received a computer from a former EPA employee approximately a year after the employee separated from the
EPA. A review of the computer showed suspicious child pornography wording on the computer files. Adult
pornography, but not child pornography, was found on the computer. As the EPA employee already was
separated from the EPA, no administrative action was taken.
CASE NUMBER: OI-AR-2017-CAC-00Q3
A network storage server hosted by the Office of Environmental Information was found to be unsecured, which
could have enabled users to access the file shares on the server. This server routinely had been used to
transfer the email files and folders of subjects under investigation by the OIG. The investigation determined that
the audit log functions of the server were not enabled; therefore, detailed audit records were not available.
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Semiannual Report to Congress
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Without audit records, the root cause determination is not available. The server was secured, and no evidence
of data exfiltration was observed.
CASE NUMBER: QI-NE-2014-CFR-0121
It was alleged that a company was not performing a certain water testing procedure in accordance with EPA
regulations on an EPA-funded contract. The investigation found that the required testing procedure was not
being followed, but it was inconclusive as to whether the analysts were purposely not following the proper
testing procedure. In addition, the investigation was inconclusive as to whether the improper testing procedure
that was used had any impact on projects funded directly or indirectly by the EPA.
CASE NUMBER: QI-DA-2014-CFR-0098
An investigation into an EPA grant recipient for potential fraudulent activity was initiated after the recipient was
consistently unable to account for how EPA water grant funds were spent. The investigation determined that the
grant recipient had charged labor hours based on estimated hours or percentages rather than actual hours
worked. The EPA received from the grant recipient a repayment of $172,045, while the remaining funds were
deobligated and the grant was closed.
CASE NUMBER: OI-SA-2017-OTH-Q128
A public safety officer allegedly conducted an inappropriate security screening and harassed an EPA employee
at the checkpoint of a federal building. Investigators interviewed all parties involved and reviewed the security
video footage. The investigation did not support the allegation.
CASE NUMBER: QI-DE-2013-CAC-0064
Contractors at a Superfund remediation site allegedly did not replace air filters in the vehicles used to haul
asbestos-contaminated material prior to releasing the vehicles from the site to be used for general purposes.
The investigation found no violations of company policy and procedures or contractual requirements regarding
proper replacement of air filters. The allegation was not supported.
CASE NUMBER: OI-HQ-2018-ADM-002Q
An unknown individual contacted the offices of a state Senator and the Speaker of the U.S. House of
Representatives via email and impersonated the acting Deputy Director of the EPA's Criminal Investigation
Division. Investigative techniques identified the use of numerous proxy servers to mask the location and identity
of the sender, who was located abroad. The investigation was closed.
CASE NUMBER: QI-CH-2017-AFD-0134
An employee at an EPA-funded wastewater treatment plant allegedly accepted bribes from various
contractors. The investigation found that the allegation was supported. Due to the death of the individual, the
case did not move forward toward prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: QI-PH-2018-CFD-0013
A Canadian valve supplier was alleged to have supplied valves not compliant with the American Iron and Steel
provision under a State Revolving Fund project. The investigation determined that the supplier complied with the
requirements of the provision; therefore, the allegation was not supported.
CASE NUMBER: QI-DA-2018-ADM-0035
An individual was investigated for possible threats against the EPA. The suspect had a long history of contacting
the EPA OIG Hotline and becoming offensive when matters were not addressed to the individual's satisfaction.
During a 3-week period, the individual made four visits to Federal Bureau of Investigation offices in San Antonio
and Houston, Texas, and the EPA Region 6 office in Dallas, Texas. While visiting the EPA office, the individual
alleged that a former employer, who is a government contractor, committed fraud on a Superfund site over
10 years ago. The OIG investigated the allegation; it was not supported. However, due to the escalation in
behavior exhibited by the individual in an effort to be heard, a bar notice was issued for the individual in EPA
Region 6.
CASE NUMBER: OI-SA-2018-PFD-00Q3
An air purifier company allegedly claimed as part of its advertising and marketing to be funded by and partnering
with the EPA. The company also may have used these claims to lure venture capitalists to invest in the
company. The investigation supported the allegation that the company was misusing the EPA seal and logo, as
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well as falsely claiming to be funded by and partnering with the EPA. The investigation did not support the
allegation of defrauding investors. The EPA submitted a letter to the company stating that it was to stop using
the EPA seal and logo and remove all claims regarding EPA partnership and funding from its website and
advertising. The investigation also found that the company had not engaged the EPA regarding proper
registration of potential pesticide products or devices, including nanotechnology. The matter was referred to the
EPA Office of Pesticide Programs for further action.
CASE NUMBER: QI-DE-2013-CAC-0063
Contractors on a Superfund remediation site allegedly remediated residential and public properties with
amphibole asbestos-contaminated soil. The investigation showed that applicable policy, procedures and
contractual requirements were followed regarding the remediation of properties in and around the Superfund
remediation site. The allegations were not supported.
CASE NUMBER: QI-AT-2015-CFR-0092
It was alleged that an engineering company falsified the hours worked in requests for payment claims made to a
Leaking Underground Storage Tank trust fund awarded to a state by the EPA. The allegation was supported.
The investigation identified instances where the company falsely reported the total hours spent at the Leaking
Underground Storage Tank site and instances where the company was paid for geologist site visits that were
either not conducted or were conducted by a field technician. The total loss due to fraudulent claims was
identified as approximately $31,000, of which approximately $10,000 was associated with the federally funded
Leaking Underground Storage Tank sites. The U.S. Department of Justice declined pursuit of federal remedies
against any individual or entity identified in this investigation in lieu of state administrative actions associated
with the recovery of lost funds from the engineering company.
CASE NUMBER: QI-SA-2017-CAC-0084
Four individuals associated with two companies allegedly conspired to defraud a Drinking Water State
Revolving Fund to relieve themselves of the responsibility to repay a $200,000 loan, which was funded by the
EPA. A company that owned a mobile home park obtained funds from a Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to
build and operate an arsenic treatment facility. After the facility was constructed, the company failed to properly
fund and maintain the facility. The company also ceased all communications with the State Revolving Fund
controlling entity. The investigation supported the allegation. Communications and business records were found
showing that individuals within the company that owned the mobile home park conspired with other individuals—
with whom they were already familiar and conducting business in other ventures—to put the mobile home park
on notice of being foreclosed and up for auction and to have the second company purchase it. The second
company then sold the mobile home park to a third, nonconnected series of investors. The first company was
then dissolved, and the individuals associated with that company stated that they were no longer responsible for
repayment of the loan. The OIG referred the case to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Nevada Attorney
General, but they declined to prosecute or take civil action.
CASE NUMBER: QI-DE-2013-CFR-0111
Contractors on a Superfund remediation site allegedly violated the Response Action Work Plans by failing to
restore properties to a condition equal to that which existed before the remediation work. No incidents were
noted where the remediation contractors did not either restore residential properties to their pre-remediation
condition or provide homeowners with monetary compensation for any damage sustained due to remediation
work. The allegation was not supported.
CASE NUMBER: QI-DE-2014-CFR-0075
An EPA contract associated with the renovation of an environmental building located on a tribal reservation may
have been fraudulently awarded. Further, the contractor may have submitted fraudulent documentation to
request reimbursement from an EPA grant for materials never received and work never completed. The
contracting authority went through three different bidding processes to ensure that proper protocol was followed
surrounding the award of the contract. The investigation determined that the tribe's finance department
mistakenly interpreted three documents submitted by the contractor as representing actual costs incurred rather
than cost estimates for the renovation project. The tribe issued a check to pay the invoices but caught the
invoicing mistake prior to the check being mailed. The check was subsequently voided. The allegations were not
supported.
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CASE NUMBER: QI-RTP-2018-CFD-0106
A former employee of an EPA contractor alleged contract fraud by that employer. The complainant believed that
the contractor—the recent recipient of an EPA contract—intentionally did not request or obtain information
needed to ensure an efficient transition from the previous contractor, resulting in overcharges to the EPA for
work not completed during the transition period. This delay also allegedly resulted in security vulnerabilities for
the EPA systems maintained under the contract. The investigation found that although the transition between
the contractors did not occur smoothly and required the involvement of EPA contracting officers, no actual
measurable loss to the EPA resulted. Upgrades to some EPA systems were temporarily delayed but ultimately
completed. No security vulnerabilities were noted. The allegations were not supported.
CASE NUMBER: OI-CH-2018-THT-008Q
An individual allegedly left a threatening voice message directed at EPA Office of Water employees. The
allegation was not supported.
CASE NUMBER: QI-RTP-2018-THT-0055
An EPA office advised of a potential threat made by a former employee of an EPA contractor. The EPA
contractor had fired the employee and barred the employee from the workplace, an EPA facility. Later that day,
the former employee returned to the EPA facility but was denied access by security. The employee became
agitated and made a comment that security believed was a veiled threat. The former contractor employee's
EPA-issued desktop and laptop computers were seized by investigators as evidence. Interviews with coworkers
and EPA employees with oversight responsibilities for the former employee indicated no previous threats or
violent behavior by the individual. Review of the computers did not show any evidence of violent or threatening
behavior. When interviewed, the former employee vigorously denied making a threat and apologized repeatedly
for the misunderstanding. Since no threat was identified, the investigation was closed.
CASE NUMBER: QI-DE-2017-CAC-0118
An individual allegedly verbally threatened EPA personnel and contractors who were working to remove
asbestos from an EPA cleanup site. Interviews of the parties involved disclosed that the individual was
extremely intoxicated and did not recall the incident. After all the interviews were conducted, the investigation
was determined to be inconclusive.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2016-CAC-0049
A private citizen sent threatening messages to numerous government officials, including a former EPA
Administrator. The individual was located and contacted by investigators, admitted to sending the threatening
messages, and agreed to cease the activity. The U.S. attorney's office declined the case for prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: OI-HQ-2017-CAC-006Q
An unknown individual or group sent potentially dangerous mailings to family members of numerous presidential
Cabinet nominees. The mailings each consisted of a plastic package of a white powdery substance and a card
with the President's name written on it. The substance was tested and determined not to be harmful. This case
was opened in anticipation of the EPA Administrator or his family receiving such a mailing, but they did not. The
investigation was closed.
CASE NUMBER: OI-HQ-2018-THT-00Q4
An EPA employee received a threatening email from an unknown sender outside of the EPA. The email
referenced personal information about the employee and his family; however, the information was publicly
available. The email was found to be untraceable. There were no additional investigative leads to pursue, and
the investigation was closed.
CASE NUMBER: QI-CH-2018-THT-0068
An individual allegedly sent a potentially threatening letter to the President referencing the use of a weapon. The
individual cited construction being completed in his neighborhood and blamed the EPA for the inconvenience.
The investigation determined that the letter was not intended as a threat and the individual did not pose a threat
to EPA employees.
CASE NUMBER: QI-SE-2017-CAC-0058
An individual allegedly acted in a potentially threatening manner toward EPA contractors at an EPA Superfund
site. The investigation determined that although the individual's behavior toward the contractors was disturbing,
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the individual did not commit a crime. The individual was asked by the EPA to enter into a relocation agreement.
The individual signed the relocation agreement, which stipulated that the individual would reside in a temporary
location until work on and near the individual's property was completed.
CASE NUMER: QI-HQ-2018-CCR-0065
An individual gained unauthorized access to EPA office space in the Ronald Reagan Building and International
Trade Center in Washington, D.C. The individual was interviewed by OIG and Federal Protective Service
investigators. The individual admitted to gaining unauthorized access to the EPA office space while attending a
conference in the building. As a result of the unauthorized access, the individual was issued an "Order Not to
Enter," and the EPA issued a bar notice for the individual. In addition, the EPA conducted remediation and
repairs to security vulnerabilities that were identified by this incident.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2018-THT-0029
The OIG was notified that there was a video posted on a pro-Islamic State website that threatened the murder
of, and called upon viewers to murder, U.S. government employees. The video displayed a list of government
employees, some of whom worked for the EPA. The OIG notified the named EPA employees that they were on
this list. The security offices for the EPA regions where those EPA employees worked were also notified.
CASE NUMBER: QI-SA-2018-THT-0089
An individual posted a potentially threatening message to the EPA Administrator's official Facebook page. It was
determined that the message was not a credible threat.
CASE NUMBER: QI-SE-2017-CAC-0073
A postcard containing potentially threatening statements was sent to the EPA Administrator. It was determined
that the message was not a credible threat.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2017-CAC-0069
An individual sent a potentially threatening email to the EPA Administrator. The OIG was unable to identify a
sender. The investigation was closed.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2018-THT-0056
An individual made a potentially threatening post toward the EPA Administrator on Instagram. No threat was
identified. The investigation was closed.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2018-THT-0026
An individual sent obscene and inappropriate emails to the EPA Administrator. Investigators interviewed the
individual. The individual stated that the emails were sent out of frustration and there was no intention to harm
the EPA Administrator. No threat was identified. The investigation was closed.
CASE NUMBER: OI-BQ-2017-CAC-0093
An individual sent a potentially threatening email to the EPA Administrator. It was determined that the
communication was not a direct threat. The investigation was closed.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2017-THT-0148
An individual made a potentially threatening post toward the EPA Administrator on Twitter. It was determined
that the post was not a credible threat.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2018-THT-0042
An individual sent a potentially threatening email to the EPA Administrator. It was determined that the language
within the email was not a credible threat.
CASE NUMBER: QI-HQ-2018-THT-0043
An individual sent a potentially threatening email to the EPA Administrator. It was determined that the language
within the email was not a credible threat.
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April 1, 2018—September 30, 2018
Appendix 5—Peer Reviews Conducted
Audits
The U.S. Department of Defense OIG completed an external peer review of the EPA OIG audit
organization covering the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, and issued its report on June 18, 2018.
The review was conducted in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards and
the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency's Guide for Conducting Peer Reviews
of the Audit Organizations of Federal Offices ofInspector General. The peer review report stated that
the system of quality control for the EPA OIG audit organization in effect for the year ended
September 30, 2017, was suitably designed and complied with to provide the EPA OIG with reasonable
assurance of performing and reporting in conformity with applicable professional standards in all
material respects. The EPA OIG received an external peer review rating of pass.
The EPA OIG completed an external peer review of the audit organization of the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security OIG and issued its report on August 27, 2018. The review was conducted in
accordance with Governmental Auditing Standards and the Council of the Inspectors General on
Integrity and Efficiency's Guide for Conducting Peer Reviews of the Audit Organizations of Federal
Offices of Inspector General. We examined the audit function for the fiscal year ended September 30,
2017. We found that the Department of Homeland Security OIG had quality control policies and
procedures that were intended to provide reasonable assurance of compliance with generally accepted
government auditing standards. However, we believe that the Department of Homeland Security OIG
should take additional steps to strengthen its system of quality control to ensure that all applicable
standards are met and adequately documented. The Department of Homeland Security OIG received an
external peer review rating of pass with deficiencies.
Investigations
The U.S. General Services Administration OIG completed the most recently mandated Council of the
Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency quality assurance review of the EPA OIG Office of
Investigations and issued its report on June 11, 2018. The U.S. General Services Administration OIG
identified no deficiencies and found internal safeguards and management procedures compliant with
quality standards.
On February 24, 2017, the EPA OIG completed its report on a quality assessment review of the
U.S. Department of the Interior OIG's Office of Investigations in effect for the 1-year period ending
April 30, 2016. We found that the Department of the Interior OIG's system of internal safeguards and
management procedures for the investigative function for the period reviewed were in compliance with
the applicable quality standards.
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Appendix 6—OIG Mailing Addresses and Telephone Numbers
Headquarters
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW (2410T)
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 566-0847
Atlanta
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
61 Forsyth Street, SW
Atlanta, GA 30303
Audit: (404) 562-9830
Investigations: (404) 562-9857
Boston
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100 (OIG15-1)
Boston, MA 02109-3912
Audit: (617) 918-1475
Investigations: (617) 918-1466
Chicago
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
77 West Jackson Boulevard
13th Floor (IA-13J)
Chicago, IL 60604
Audit: (312) 353-2486
Investigations: (312) 886-7167
Cincinnati
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
26 West Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45268-7001
Audit: (513) 487-2363
Investigations: (312) 353-2507
Offices
Dallas
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General (60IG)
1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200
Dallas, TX 75202-2733
Audit: (214) 665-6621
Investigations: (214) 665-2249
Denver
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
1595 Wynkoop Street, 4th Floor
Denver, CO 80202
Audit: (303) 312-6969
Investigations: (303) 312-6868
Kansas City
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
11201 Renner Boulevard
Lenexa, KS 66219
Audit: (913) 551-7878
Investigations: (312) 886-7167
New York
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
290 Broadway, Suite 1520
New York, NY 10007
Audit: (212) 637-3049
Investigations: (212) 637-3033
Philadelphia
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
1650 Arch Street, 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029
Audit: (215) 814-5800
Investigations: (212) 637-3033
Research Triangle Park
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
Mail Drop N283-01
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
Audit: (919) 541-1030
Investigations: (919) 541-0517
San Francisco
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
75 Hawthorne Street (IGA-1-2)
8th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
Audit: (415) 947-4527
Investigations: (415) 947-4507
Seattle
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
Mail Code OIG-173
1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 155
M/S OIG-173
Seattle, WA 98101-3140
Audit: (206) 553-6906
Investigations: (206) 553-1273
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