GAO says EPA is sloppy and plagued with management problems
Well, here’s a shocker: the U.S. EPA is inconsistent in its environmental enforcement and keeps sloppy records. That’s what the Government Accountability Office told the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works yesterday. Upon reviewing reports and studies from the past six years, the GAO discovered that the EPA’s 10 regional offices disagree on which regulations to enforce and how to penalize polluters. In 2001, the GAO recommended that the agency create a management plan to better organize employees and develop an accurate budget detailing where money was needed. Looks like that didn’t happen: In the past five years, the small changes the agency has made have had “minor impact,” said the GAO. We expect the administration will be outraged by the discovery that a major federal agency is falling short and step right up with reforms. After all, look what’s happening at FEMA. Or … don’t.
