WASHINGTON, DC - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep Fred Upton (R-MI) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) today released a new report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO). The government watchdog’s report examines the Environmental Protection Agency’s effectiveness in managing grants issued by the agency to support its mission of protecting public health and the environment. Committee leaders requested GAO look into EPA’s grants management practices in September 2014.
The report highlights key weaknesses in EPA’s oversight of billions of dollars in grants. For example, GAO found that EPA met only 2 of the 17 performance goals in its 2009-2013 grants management plan - grants that comprise over 40 percent of EPA’s budget. While EPA took some actions to address performance for 10 of the 17 goals, GAO found negative effects from EPA not fully meeting goals such as, absence of data on compliance with policies, inefficient processes that increased workload, delayed processes for awarding grants, and delayed training and policy implementation.
“It is clear from this report that EPA lacks an effective strategy to address long-standing grants management. As we look forward into the next year it is crucial that EPA address these problems and implement the recommendations made by GAO to ensure that recipients of these grants are using the funds appropriately to protect public health and the environment. Every taxpayer dollar should be spent with care and proper oversight - EPA must do better," said Upton and Murphy.
As part of the Committee’s continuing oversight of EPA’s grants, Chairman Upton and Subcommittee Chairman Murphy in June 2015 asked GAO also to examine how EPA monitors the results of its grants. The work is ongoing.
