House committee leaders ask EPA for information on its grant processes
Leaders of three committees within the House of Representatives recently sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt, asking for information on the process by which the agency closes out its grants.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA) and Environment Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus
(R-IL) sent the letter.
In it, the representatives noted that past investigations have revealed waste and mismanagement of EPA grant programs. The letter cited a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that uncovered $994 million in expired grants at various agencies. The EPA was not among the agencies reviewed in the GAO report.
“Because EPA was not among the agencies GAO examined, questions remain about whether EPA properly manages its grant closeouts,” the letter said. “This is crucial given that EPA awards almost half of its budget, approximately $4 billion annually, in grants.”
In order to review whether or not the agency is appropriately closing out grants in a timely and efficient manner, the representatives requested that the EPA provide them with reports of all expired grant accounts from fiscal years 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 and all documents related to expired grant accounts. The committee leaders also requested a list of all high-risk grant applicants and grantees and information regarding any additional monitoring of high-risk grantees.
