EPA failed to distribute millions of dollars to clean water programs for Indigenous tribes in a “timely manner” and did not always provide necessary oversight to regional offices, the agency’s Office of Inspector General said.
The Office of Water, responsible for allocating nearly $400 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act over two years to tribal programs, failed to provide most of the money on time, according to a report released Tuesday.
“If the EPA does not properly oversee the tribal set-aside programs, IIJA funds may not reach tribes in a timely manner, and the Agency cannot ensure that the most critical water projects are funded,” the audit said.
Roughly 57 percent of the $152.1 million for tribal set-aside funds in fiscal 2022 were not awarded on time, and about 76 percent of the $164.1 million for fiscal 2023 had not been given to tribes at the conclusion of the watchdog’s review in December 2023. Similarly, about 93 percent of the $152 million provided to manage contaminants and lead service line replacements for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 had not been awarded.
