Sediment contamination, primarily caused by industrialization in the Midwest, has been a problem in the Great Lakes for several decades. Historically, Great Lakes stakeholders have pursued sediment remediation through a variety of mechanisms, such as enforcement agreements and voluntary partnerships. It has been reported that polluted sediment is the largest major source of contaminants entering the food chain from Great Lakes rivers and harbors. This includes most of the areas of concern designated by the United States and Canada, the parties to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The...

This draft document has been prepared by staff from the Risk and Benefits Group, Health and Environmental Impacts Division, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Any findings and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency. This draft document is being circulated to facilitate discussion with the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee to inform the EPA's consideration of the ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 3 Chesapeake Bay Program Office, awarded the recipient five CAs with a total approved project cost of $3,619,049. The purpose of the CAs was to promote public education, outreach, and participation in the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Under the CAs, EPA is to contribute 95 percent of all approved budget period costs incurred up to the total federal funding of $3,619,049. One of the tasks under the CAs was to produce and publish the Bay Journal. The Bay Journal is published to inform the public about issues and events that affect the...

We recommend that the Director for the Office of Grants and Debarment disallow and recover $9 million in questioned costs; consider suspension and debarment of CSS on current and future awards; require CSS to ensure that the use of funds meets federal criteria; require special conditions for future awards to CSS; and provide clarifying guidance to CSS on progress reporting requirements. We also recommend that the Director require CSS to comply with pertinent procurement requirements; disallow pre-2007 model year trucks as project costs; and assist CSS with developing a methodology to...

In September 2010 and May 2011, we visited the Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements Project in the City of Nappanee, Indiana. As part of our site visit, we toured the project, visually inspected equipment and materials, interviewed IFA and city officials and their employees, reviewed manufacturers' substantial transformation supporting documentation, and reviewed documentation related to Buy American requirements. We noted in our draft report 7 of 32 instances where the city could not demonstrate compliance with Buy American requirements as set out in Section 1605 of the Recovery Act. In...

The STAR program of ORD's National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) funds research grants and graduate fellowships in numerous environmental science and engineering disciplines through a competitive solicitation process and independent peer review. The program engages scientists and engineers in targeted research that complements EPA's intramural research program and those of its partners in other federal agencies. STAR research is funded through RFAs that are derived from the ORD Strategic Plan and from research plans for specific topics developed by ORD. RFAs are prepared in...

Since 2009, the President and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have issued various memorandums and directives requesting agencies to identify ways to avoid costs and achieve efficiencies and savings. In August 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Office of Administration and Resources Management (OARM) issued an electronic memorandum titled "Management Reform Agenda" to request input from program offices and regions to identify efficiency projects. EPA program offices and regions identified 72 projects.

Recommendations are issued by EPA's OIG to improve the economy, efficiency, effectiveness, or integrity of EPA programs and operations. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-50, Audit Followup, dated September 29, 1982, affirms that corrective action taken by management on resolved findings and recommendations is essential for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of government operations, and that audit follow-up is a shared responsibility of agency management officials and auditors. OMB Circular A-50 requires each agency to ensure that systems are in place for the prompt and...