Office of Inspector General
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
At a Glance
22-N-0003
November 10, 2021
What Are Management
Challenges?
The Reports Consolidation Act
of 2000 requires each inspector
general to prepare an annual
statement summarizing what
the inspector general considers
to be "the most serious
management and performance
challenges facing the agency"
and to briefly assess the
agency's progress in
addressing those challenges.
For fiscal year 2022, we
examined whether the
U.S. Chemical Safety and
Hazard Investigation Board
addressed the three
management challenges we
previously identified in Report
No. 20-N-0218, issued July 6,
2020. We determined that
only one remained a top
management challenge for
the CSB.
Fiscal Year 2022 U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard
Investigation Board Management Challenges
What We Found
Management Challenge (initially identified in fiscal year 2019):
Accomplishment of CSB Mission Is Impaired Until New Board Members
Are Confirmed
The lack of board
members continues
to be the biggest risk
to CSB operations.
The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 authorized
the creation of the CSB and established a board of
five members, including a chairperson, that is
responsible for major budgeting decisions, strategic
planning and direction, general oversight of the CSB,
and approval of investigation reports and studies. Due to term expirations and a
board member resignation, the chairperson was, as of September 30, 2021, the
only remaining board member. However, the Senate is making progress toward
the confirmation of new members.
Having only one board member impairs the function of the CSB, as all functions
rest with that one member, which creates internal control vulnerabilities in terms of
separation of duties and workload management. Board Order 028, Board Member
Roles and Responsibilities, delineates executive and administrative functions of
the board based on the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. The order outlines the
specific authorities of the chairperson and the duties of the board as a whole. The
order does not address a situation when the only member of the board is the
chairperson. Regardless, workload limitations arising from one board member
attempting to perform the work of five impair the board's ability to fulfill its
responsibilities without risk of internal control concerns. The lack of five board
members may prevent the CSB from achieving its stated mission to "drive
chemical safety change through independent investigation to protect people and
the environment."
This report addresses the three
CSB goals:
•	Prevent recurrence of
significant chemical incidents.
•	Advocate safety and achieve
change.
•	Create and maintain an
engaged, high-performing
workforce.
Address inquiries to our public
affairs office at (202) 566-2391 or
OIG WEBPOSTINGS@epa.gov.
List of OIG reports.

-------