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At a Glance
Why We Did This Project
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA's)
Office of Inspector General
(OIG) conducted this audit in
response to two congressional
requests that raised concerns
about glider vehicle testing
conducted by the EPA in 2017.
A glider vehicle is a truck that
uses a previously owned
powertrain (including the
engine, transmission and
usually the rear axle) but has
new body parts. In 2017, the
EPA performed emissions
testing on two glider vehicles,
which it received by donation,
at its National Vehicle and Fuel
Emissions Laboratory in Ann
Arbor, Michigan.
The OIG also has an
ongoing audit related to the
development of a
November 2017 proposed
rulemaking pertaining to glider
vehicles (see Project
Notification: Response to
Congressional Request on
Glider Repeal Actions, Project
No. OA&E-FY19-0053).
This report addresses the
following:
•	Improving air quality.
•	Compliance with the law.
Address inquiries to our public
affairs office at (202) 566-2391 or
OIG WEBCOMMENTS@epa.gov.
EPA's 2017 Glider Vehicle Testing Complied with
Standard Practices
The EPA's
2017 glider
vehicle testing
complied with
EPA standard
practices.
What We Found
We found that the EPA's selection and testing of the donated
glider vehicles in 2017 was consistent with Clean Air Act
authority, standard EPA practices, and relevant policies and
procedures. We found that the EPA did not fully adhere to its
delegation of authority related to the acceptance of donated
property under the Clean Air Act. The delegation of authority
establishes limitations that impede the EPA's ability to
practically implement its donation acceptance authority. We also found that more
direction on the solicitation and acceptance of donations would make the process
more transparent, address concerns over preferential treatment, and potentially
give the EPA more options to carry out its research objectives.
We confirmed that EPA employees obtained approval to conduct glider vehicle
testing and that EPA leadership received an August 2017 briefing on the potential
for a glider vehicle test program before EPA career staff initiated the program.
We found that EPA employees followed normal procedures in submitting the
November 2017 glider vehicle test report to a public rulemaking docket.
We found no evidence that EPA staff deleted materials potentially responsive to
Freedom of Information Act requests or records within the scope of our audit that
were related to the EPA's 2017 glider vehicle testing.
We also found no evidence that a former Office of Transportation and Air Quality
Center Director violated ethics restrictions either while serving as a federal
employee or post federal employment.
Recommendations and Planned Agency Corrective Actions
We recommend that the Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, in
consultation with the General Counsel, the Designated Agency Ethics Official,
and the Assistant Administrator for Research and Development, revise the
delegation of authority to enable practical implementation for the acceptance of
donated property consistent with Section 104 of the Clean Air Act, and address
pertinent ethics considerations. We also recommend that the Assistant
Administrator for Air and Radiation, in consultation with the General Counsel and
the Designated Agency Ethics Official, evaluate and document whether the Office
of Transportation and Air Quality needs to develop further guidance or policies to
implement the delegation of authority for the acceptance of donated property
under Section 104 of the Clean Air Act; and, if needed, develop the guidance or
policies. The recommendations are resolved with corrective actions pending.
List of OIG reports.

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