EPA’s independent watchdog found the agency “materially understated” income and expenses for its toxics program, underscoring officials’ complaints the chemicals office was reliant on unsteady resources.
The Office of Inspector General released a report Thursday concluding “the EPA needs to improve its financial statement preparation process” when it comes to Toxic Substances Control Act implementation.
The report comes ahead of Congress’ deadline to reauthorize EPA to continue collecting fees from the chemicals industry, which expires next year.
Congress in 2016 passed major amendments to TSCA that gave EPA the authority to rein in dangerous existing chemical uses as well as a mandate to assess new chemicals before they enter the market. The amendments set up a system that allowed the agency to offset the costs of TSCA implementation by up to 25 percent by charging manufacturers a fee when submitting chemicals for review.
