US EPA Office of Inspector General Strategic Plan 2024-2028


September 9, 2024 | Project No. 24-N-0059

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Abbreviations

CSB	U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board

EPA	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

OIG	Office of Inspector General

Cover Image

Denali National Park, Alaska. (EPA image)

Other Images

Photographs in the inside cover, Table of Contents, and on pages 2, 3, and 9 are all EPA images.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Strategic Goal l:Be an
employer of choice within the
oversight community	6

Strategic Goal 2:Improve the
effectiveness and efficiency
of our oversight and
business processes	7

Strategic Goal 3:Deliver high-
impact oversight results.	8

Reporting Fraud, Waste, or
Abuse	9

Message from the
Inspector General	1

Who We Are and
What We Do	2

Our Mission	3

Our Vision	3

Our Values	3

Our Lines of Effort	4

Strategy Map: Goals and
Objectives	5

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EPA OIG | STRATEGIC PLAN 2024-2028

Message from the Inspector General

I am pleased to present the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General's strategic
plan for fiscal years 2024-2028. This document provides a five-year roadmap for fulfilling our statutory
duty to conduct independent, objective, and evidence-based oversight of the programs and operations
of the EPA and the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

With a staff of dedicated oversight professionals, our office is called upon to
conduct meaningful oversight of some of the most important and
complicated activities of the federal government. Therefore, we must
carefully and deliberately focus our resources to ensure effective oversight of
two parent agencies made up of thousands of scientists, engineers, analysts,
law enforcement agents, attorneys, and others distributed across ten regions,
stretching across the globe from the Northern Mariana Islands to Maine and
Alaska to Puerto Rico. With the broad mandate of protecting human health
and the environment, the public has a significant stake in the work of the EPA
and the CSB.

The scope of the EPA's work, and therefore of our oversight responsibilities, cannot be overstated. The
EPA's everyday work covers myriad environmental challenges, from regulating the manufacture and use
of pesticides to cleaning contaminated land and from restoring aquatic ecosystems to conducting
leading-edge scientific research. The EPA also administers fee programs, such as the Toxic Substances
Control Act Service Fee Fund, that are used to defray program implementation costs. The EPA manages
financial assistance programs, such as revolving funds, that provide capitalization grants to states and
local governments. For example, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State
Revolving Fund have enabled states, over the last 37 years, to provide nearly $250 billion in loans and
financial assistance to water systems for infrastructure projects. And the EPA regulates a market for
renewable fuel credits, known as Renewable Identification Numbers, that recorded approximately $38
billion in trades in 2022.

We play a vital role in safeguarding public resources and holding wrongdoers accountable, which will be
of particular importance over the period of this plan, as it spans several years of the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act historic supplemental appropriations to the EPA. At
a total of about $60 billion over a five-year period that began in fiscal year 2022, the IIJA's funding will
significantly increase the Agency's budget each year through 2026, with much of the funding available
until expended. The Inflation Reduction Act appropriated an additional $41.5 billion to fund various EPA
activities and programs. One of our most significant challenges for years to come will be overseeing the
EPA's IIJA and IRA work, in addition to the Agency's implementation of projects funded through annual
appropriations, with fewer resources.

To meet these challenges, we must invest in our office's most valuable resource—our people—and
optimize our processes to empower our people to deliver relevant and high-quality audits, evaluations,
and investigations. Our strategic plan outlines how we intend to achieve these goals in keeping with our
values of integrity, independence, accountability, and respect.

Sean W. O'Donnell

Inspector General

Sean W. O'Donnell

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EPA OIG | STRATEGIC PLAN 2024-2028

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EPA OIG | STRATEGIC PLAN 2024-2028

qAp Who We Are arid What We Do

OUR MISSION

To drive change by fighting fraud,
promoting ethical conduct, and
recommending improvement in the
environmental space.

OUR VISION

Engaged oversight professionals inspiring
innovation.

OUR VALUES

These core values guide our conduct and decisions:

• Integrity. We protect the integrity of our stakeholders' programs through timely, relevant, and
quality oversight, which exemplifies our professionalism and adherence to the highest
standards. We are committed to treating others with dignity and respect, whether those we
work with or those we oversee.

• Independence. We are independent in judgment and action, providing oversight that is free
from preference, pressure, and conflicts of interest. Our stakeholders rely on our oversight
work, knowing that it is objective and impartial, based on facts and evidence, and free from
improper outside influence.

• Innovation. We promote efficiency and effectiveness by example, committing ourselves to
continuous improvement and the pursuit of creative solutions, driving progress, and fostering a
culture of adaptability and resiliency.

SEPTEMBER 2024

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EPA OIG | STRATEGIC PLAN 2024-2028

OUR LINES OF EFFORT

To fulfill our mandate as an independent oversight organization, we operate along the following four
core lines of effort:

Audits. We conduct financial and performance audits to assess the economy, efficiency, and
effectiveness, internal control, and compliance of EPA and CSB programs and business operations.
Audits assess program performance and operations, to include the potential for fraud, waste, or abuse;
the propriety of grant and contract awards and management; the effectiveness of information
technology management; and the possible cost savings and other efficiencies to be realized in various
ways.

Evaluations. We review, inspect, and evaluate EPA and CSB programs and offices to assess whether
and how they are effectively and efficiently meeting legal, regulatory, congressional, and public
requirements and expectations. We also conduct reviews and evaluations to assess how the EPA
implements, executes, and enforces new and existing requirements, and the extent to which
stakeholders can rely on those requirements. We perform special reviews of significant events and
emerging issues of concern that involve suspected violations of law, regulation, policy, or allegations of
serious mismanagement.

Investigations. We conduct criminal, civil and administrative investigations of allegations of fraud,
waste, or abuse affecting EPA programs and operations, such as financial fraud, cybercrime, laboratory
fraud, and theft of EPA property or funds. We refer our findings to the U.S. Department of Justice or
other authorities for prosecution or to EPA management for action. We conduct administrative
investigations into allegations of senior employee misconduct and complaints of whistleblower reprisal
by Agency employees or employees of Agency contractors, subcontractors, grantees, subgrantees, or
personal services contractors.

Mission Support. We support and enable OIG operations through personnel management and
training, financial management, information technology management, facilities, acquisition and contract
management, legal support, editing support, strategic planning, performance tracking, data analysis,
and other initiatives.

SEPTEMBER 2024

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••) EPA OIG | STRATEGIC PLAN 2024-2028

Strategy Map: Goals and Objectives

PEOPLE

GOAL 1: Be an
employer of choice
within the oversight
community.

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PR0CESSO

GOAL 2: Improve the
effectiveness and
efficiency of our oversight
and business processes.

PRODUCT

GOAL 3: Deliver high- H

impact oversight

results.

1.1

1.2

1.3

Recruit and retain a high-caliber,
highly engaged, and diverse
workforce.

Create opportunities for
employee growth and
advancement within the
OIG and the government.

Foster a culture that promotes
employee well-being, recognition,
and empowerment.

2.1

Encourage creative and
innovative approaches to
our products.

Leverage new data, technology,
and expertise.

2.3

Enhance the independence and
security of our physical and
information technology
infrastructures.

3.1

Conduct oversight work that is
high-quality, relevant,
and objective.

3.2

Provide effective and timely
follow-up on oversight work.

3.3

Strengthen stakeholder
communication and
engagement.

SEPTEMBER 2024

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A

EPA OIG | STRATEGIC PLAN 2024-2028

• •

Invest in Our People

STRATEGIC

Be an employer of choice within the
oversight community.

The success of our oversight mission depends on the collective efforts of
our people at every level of the organization. They perform at their best
when they have a sense of purpose, commitment to the mission, trust in
their leadership, and knowledge that their contributions matter. We ensure
that our organization is inclusive; represents our nation's diversity; values
fairness and accessibility; promotes collaboration and communication; and
provides opportunities for professional development. We thereby not only
provide our people with a great place to work, but we inspire their best
efforts and attract even more top talent.

Objectives

OBJECTIVE 1.1

Recruit and retain a high-caliber;
highly engaged, and diverse
workforce.

Attracting and developing the
best available oversight
professionals with a variety of
backgrounds, skills, and
experience will help us meet
the workforce needs we
identify as we take on increased oversight work
associated with the EPA's annual and
supplemental appropriations.

OBJECTIVE 1.2

Foster a culture that promotes
employee well-being, recognition,
and empowerment.

An employee-centered
workplace not only enhances
employee satisfaction but also
drives successful business
outcomes because it
prioriti2es recognition of our

employees' contributions and the efforts of our
teams, boosting morale and job satisfaction.
Moreover, empowering individuals and teams
leads to a more agile, creative, and resilient
workforce.

OBJECTIVE 1.3

Create opportunities for growth and
advancement within the OIG and
the government.

A clear path for career
progression helps ensure
employees commit more fully
to their roles and contribute
more effectively.
Furthermore, well-trained,
experienced staff drives better decision-making,
policy implementation, and program
management. Ultimately, a culture of growth
attracts top talent, positioning the OIG and
government as an employer of choice.

SEPTEMBER 2024

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EPA OIG | STRATEGIC PLAN 2024-2028

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STRATEGIC

Improve Our Processes

Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our
oversight and business processes.

The core of our oversight mission involves developing evidence-based findings to
promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in Agency programs and
operations. That requires us to conduct our oversight work to the highest standards
of objectivity, accuracy, and relevance. It also means that our own operations
should be models of good management. Thus, we seek new ways to achieve better
results. We continue to focus on improving our internal programs and operations
through our use of software and technology to save time, enable new insights, and
facilitate our hybrid work environment. We also seek to further the independence
and security of our physical spaces and information technology systems.

Objectives

OBJECTIVE 2.1

Encourage creative and innovative
approaches to our products.

To meet the needs of our
stakeholders, we must adapt
quickly to a dynamic oversight
environment. Encouraging
creativity among our staff,
which possesses an
unparalleled body of skills and knowledge, will
lead to innovative approaches to traditional
oversight. It will also ensure that, as an
organi2ation, we are more resilient in the face of
long-standing resource constraints.

OBJECTIVE 2.2

Leverage new data, technologies,
and expertise.

iiomioio

New data provide new insights
into processes, relationships,
and operations, informing
what we conduct oversight of
and how we conduct that
oversight. New techologies,
such as artificial intelligence, will allow us to do

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more oversight more efficiently by automating
business processes, streamlining workflows, and
reducing the completion time of our products.
Other new technologies, such as collaboration
applications, will also allow us to scale resources
for our dynamic organi2ational demands and
support an increasingly dispersed hybrid work
environment.

OBJECTIVE 2.3

Enhance the independence and security
of our physical and information
technology infrastructures.

Collaboration and innovation
requires a workplace and an
information system that
ensures the independence
and integrity of our work. Our
reliance on information
technology infrastructure for gathering,
analy2ing, disseminating and storing
independent oversight data makes it vital that
our networks, systems, and software also be free
from outside interference and secured against
unauthori2ed access, loss, or corruption.

SEPTEMBER 2024

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EPA OIG | STRATEGIC PLAN 2024-2028

STRATEGIC

GOA

Make a Greater Impact

Deliver high-impact oversight results.

Our primary purpose is to detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse related
to, and promote efficiency and effectiveness in, the EPA's and CBS's programs
and operations. By fighting fraud and other losses of integrity, we ensure that
the EPA and CSB retain the public's trust. And by promoting efficiency and
effectiveness, we help the EPA and the CSB to meet their missions. With such a
broad and important mission, we must take a strategic, risk-based approach in
conducting oversight. And we must ensure that this oversight meets the
highest standards of professionalism and integrity. Doing so will ensure
accountability for wrongdoers and address root causes of fraud, waste, and
abuse. It will also help drive greater agency improvements, benefiting human
health and the environment.

Objectives

OBJECTIVE 3.1

Conduct oversight work that is high-
quality, relevant, and objective.

We must conduct our
oversight work using processes
and procedures that adhere to
professional standards and
promote objectivity, accuracy,
and relevance. Calibrating our
oversight efforts will help us deliver products
and services that meet exacting standards for
quality and timeliness. We must also take a risk-
based approach to focusing on the most serious
threats to the integrity of the EPA and the CSB.

OBJECTIVE 3.2

Provide effective and timely follow-
up on oversight work.

monitoring agency actions taken in response to
our oversight, we will ensure that the changes
we drive are deep-seated.

OBJECTIVE 3.3

Strengthen stakeholder communication
and engagement.

We play a key role in ensuring
that the EPA and the CSB
economically and effectively
use the billions of dollars in
federal funds they receive.
Therefore, we must remain
vigilant in ensuring the agencies address
lingering vulnerabilities to taxpayer resources. By

Our work has a meaningful
impact on the work of the EPA
and the CSB, as well as on
those whom the EPA and the
CSB protect. We must ensure

that our work is accessible and

understandable to our stakeholders, whether
they are civil servants, members of Congress,
prosecutors, recipients of agency funds, or the
public. We must also ensure that employees of
the EPA and the CSB, and the employees of their
contractors and grantees, know of their right to
report fraud, waste, and abuse without fear of
reprisal.

SEPTEMBER 2024

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EPA OIG | STRATEGIC PLAN 2024-2028

o*m

Reporting Fraud, Waste, or Abuse

EPA OIG HOTLINE

The OIG Hotline services
both the EPA and the CSB.

The hotline serves as a
confidential channel to
which to submit suggestions
to assess the efficiency and
effectiveness of EPA or CSB programs and
operations or to report complaints of violations
of law, regulation, or rule by employees,
grantees, contractors, and program
participants; fraud, waste, abuse, or
mismanagement in EPA or CSB programs and
operations; and other criminal or administrative
misconduct. Complaints may be submitted by
anyone, without fear of reprisal. The best
method to submit a complaint is via the online
form available on our website.

WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION

The role of the EPA OIG
whistleblower protection
coordinator is to educate
Agency employees about
prohibitions against
retaliation against federal
employees for protected disclosures that
report on alleged violations of law, rule, or
regulation, or instances of fraud, waste, abuse,
mismanagement, or misconduct in
government operations. Whistleblower
disclosures can save lives or taxpayer dollars,
and they play a critical role in keeping our
government honest, efficient, and
accountable. More information is available by
clicking on the whistleblower protection page
on our website.

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Whistleblower Protection

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The whistleblower protection coordinator's role
is to educate Agency employees about
prohibitions against retaliation for protected
disclosures and the rights and remedies against
retaliation. For more information, please visit
the OIG's whistleblower protection webpage.

Congressional Inquiries: OIG.CongressionalAffairsffiepa.gov

Media Inquiries: QIG.PublicAffairsffiepa.gov
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