About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

GAO-19-308SP 1 (2019-04-19)

handle is hein.gao/gaobadzea0001 and id is 1 raw text is: cKO U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Comptroller General Washington, DC 20548 of the United States April 19, 2019 The Honorable Andrew Wheeler Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20460 Priority Open Recommendations: Environmental Protection Agency Dear Administrator Wheeler: The purpose of this letter is to provide an update on the overall status of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) implementation of GAO's recommendations and to call attention to areas where open recommendations should be given high priority.' In November 2018, we reported that on a government-wide basis, 77 percent of our recommendations made 4 years ago were implemented.2 EPA's implementation rate for recommendations we made in 2014 is 61 percent. As of January 2019, EPA had 101 open recommendations. Fully implementing these open recommendations could significantly improve agency operations. Since our March 26, 2018, letter on the status of priority recommendations for EPA, EPA has implemented five of our 19 priority recommendations. In doing so, EPA: * Obtained toxicity and exposure-related data that was submitted to the European Chemicals Agency for chemicals undergoing risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), * Required chemical companies to report exposure-related data from processors, * Developed new financial indicators to help oversee the agency's State Revolving Fund programs for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, * Provided its ten regional offices with guidance-such as a list of elements of successful projects-for reviewing states' plans for reducing nonpoint source pollution, and * Obtained data to help determine whether states have implemented water pollution targets, known as Total Maximum Daily Loads. As a result of these actions, EPA should be better able to: (1) assess whether a chemical presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment; (2) review exposure- related data focused on the conditions of use that EPA has identified as subject to risk evaluation; (3) oversee the State Revolving Fund program by gauging the financial performance and growth of states' funds; (4) oversee implementation of the Clean Water Act's nonpoint source pollution control program; and (5) oversee and manage water quality. 'Priority recommendations are those that GAO believes warrant priority attention from heads of key departments or agencies. They are highlighted because, upon implementation, they may significantly improve government operations, for example, by realizing large dollar savings; eliminating mismanagement, fraud, and abuse; or making progress toward addressing a high risk or fragmentation, overlap, or duplication issue. 2GAO, Performance and Accountability Report: Fiscal Year 2018, GAO-1 9-1SP (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 15, 2018). GAO-1 9-308SP EPA Priority Recommendations Page 1

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most