EPA’s internal watchdog highlighted ways the agency could improve its handling of major disasters as the scope and cost of those catastrophes continue to rise.
The Office of Inspector General released a report Thursday sharing “lessons learned” from past oversight of the agency’s response efforts to disasters. Included in the review are how EPA managed the environmental ill effects of the World Trade Center collapse from the 9/11 terrorist attacks; the East Palestine, Ohio, chemical spill and train derailment; as well as Hurricane Katrina and the Los Angeles wildfires.
Known for its regulatory power to fight air, climate and water pollution, EPA also has crucial emergency response roles involving decontamination and cleanup after disasters.
The watchdog office found seven “programmatic themes” where the agency could improve its capacity to respond to disasters. Those include better cooperation with other agencies, communicating risks to the public, collecting data, developing policies, dealing with limited resources and managing contracts.
