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note that ALL of the 35 reports reviewed by OIG did not meet AAI
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-----Original Message-----
From: Lenny Siegel [mailto:lsiegel@cpeo.org]
Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 02:24 PM
To: 'Brownfields Internet Forum'
Subject: [CPEO-BIF] EPA's Inspector General reviews All Appropriate Inquiries reports
[This new reports finds that EPA does not normally review All Appropriate Inquiries reports submitted by Brownfields Assessment grantees, and that those reports often do not meet the legal requirements under the AAI rule. What can and should be done to improve the quality of those reports? What can and should be done to ensure that AAI reports prepared for other purposes meet the legal requirements? Does anyone have evidence of serious on-the-ground consequences of poor AAI documentation?- LS] EPA Must Implement Controls to Ensure Proper Investigations Are Conducted at Brownfields Sites U.S. EPA Office of Inspector General Report No. 11-P-0107 February 14, 2011 At a Glance What We Found EPA does not review AAI [All Appropriate Inquiries] reports submitted by grantees to assure that they comply with federal requirements. Rather, EPA has relied on the environmental professional conducting the AAI to self-certify that requirements are met. Of the 35 AAI reports we reviewed, from three EPA regions, none contained all the required documentation elements. This occurred because the Agency does not have management controls requiring EPA project officers to conduct oversight of AAI reports. Management controls regarding EPA oversight of Brownfields grants funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) are also missing. EPA has issued specific guidance and management controls for ARRA grant activities. However, the guidance and controls do not address oversight of AAI reports. Because of EPA's lack of oversight and reliance on environmental professionals' self-certifications, AAI investigations not meeting federal requirements may go undetected by Agency staff. The Office of Inspector General found instances of noncompliance that were not detected by Agency staff. Improper AAI investigations introduce risk that the environmental conditions of a property have not been properly or adequately assessed, which may lead to improper decisions about appropriate uses of brownfields properties. Ultimately, threats to human health and the environment could go unrecognized. Noncompliant AAI investigations may result in future grant denials and possible government reimbursement. The AAI reports the OIG reviewed were generated from $2.14 million in grant awards. If conditions merit, EPA is authorized to take back funds from noncompliant grantees. The OIG questions the value of the reports we reviewed. What We Recommend We recommend that EPA establish accountability for compliant AAI reports, to include those conducted under ARRA Brownfields grants; develop a plan to review AAI reports to determine the reports' compliance with AAI documentation requirements; and establish criteria to determine whether noncompliant grantees should return federal grant money. The Agency did not clearly agree or disagree with OIG recommendations. In its final response to the report, the Agency needs to agree or disagree with recommendations and, as appropriate, provide a corrective action plan to address the recommendations. To download the full 19-page 140 KB report, go to http://www.epa.gov/oig/reports/2011/20110214-11-P-0107.pdf -- Lenny Siegel Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight a project of the Pacific Studies Center 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041 Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545 Fax: 650/961-8918 http://www.cpeo.org _______________________________________________ Brownfields mailing list Brownfields@lists.cpeo.org http://lists.cpeo.org/listinfo.cgi/brownfields-cpeo.org
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