EPA OIG Releases Report Outlining Unimplemented Recommendations Related to IIJA

On March 23, EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a new report: Compendium of Open and Unresolved Recommendations Related to Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act-Funded Programs. The report details 25 OIG-issued open and unresolved recommendations from OIG related to programs that received funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

OIG’s news release states that “[w]hile most of the recommendations were identified prior to enactment of the Act, those as yet unimplemented by the EPA point to areas where the Agency lacks sufficient internal controls to effectively administer programs that received IIJA funding.” OIG asserts that the implementation of the corrective actions provided within the report would “improve the EPA’s control over the programs and safeguard against wrongdoing.”

The recommendations provided that are specific to the Office of Water fell into three categories:

• EPA Met 2018 Water Security Requirements but Needs to Improve Oversight to Support Water System Compliance
• EPA Needs an Agencywide Strategic Action Plan to Address Harmful Algal Blooms
• EPA Helps States Reduce Trash, Including Plastic, in U.S. Waterways but Needs to Identify Obstacles and Develop Strategies for Further Progress