WASHINGTON, DC - The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), today held a hearing examining the unimplemented Inspector General and Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommendations at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
To date, EPA has adopted about 77 percent of GAO recommendations from 2007-2012. Despite this progress, there are several outstanding recommendations and according to EPA OIG, the agency could potentially save $103.33 million if EPA were to adopt OIG’s open and unimplemented recommendations.
“Acting on these recommendations would improve EPA’s ability to carry out its core mission - protecting human health and the environment," said #SubOversight Chairman Murphy. “This mission is never more important than during times of natural disaster like the people of the Gulf Coast are now experiencing in the wake of Hurricane Harvey."
Witnesses listen to member opening statements
Alfredo Gómez, Director of Natural Resources and Environment at the Government Accountability Office, discussed the status of EPA’s implementation of GAO recommendations, stating, “As of Aug. 23, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had implemented 191 of 318 recommendations GAO made since fiscal year 2007. EPA has not yet implemented the remaining 127 recommendations. … We believe that EPA’s implementation of our outstanding recommendations will enable the agency to continue to improve its performance and the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations."
Alan S. Larsen, Counsel to the Inspector General at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, spoke to the importance of implementing recommendations, testifying, “Recommendations can result in substantial cost savings and major improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of agency programs - but only when an agency chooses to implement them or if Congress chooses to take legislative action or other measures to address them… The impact of an OIG recommendation may be direct cost savings for the EPA. Potential cost savings for the unimplemented recommendations listed in our most recent Semiannual Report to Congress were $103.3 million. A recommendation may also result in other benefits that are not readily translated into a dollar savings amount, such as improvements in program efficiency and effectiveness that ensure the integrity of an agency program."
Chairman Walden delivers his opening statement
“Recovery from any disaster, whether it’s Hurricanes Harvey or Irma or the destructive wildfires burning out of control all across the west requires coordination at every level of government…," said full committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR). “Today’s hearing was the first opportunity to hear from EPA’s Office of Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office regarding outstanding recommendations that, if implemented, could enable the agency to do its job better."
