The congressional watchdog sided with chemical manufacturers on the root cause of issues plaguing EPA’s New Chemicals Division, faulting the agency’s lack of a standardized review process for the division’s troubles.
The new Government Accountability Office report, released Wednesday, stems from a 2023 GAO report that found EPA met its statutory review deadline only 10 percent of the time, which the agency attributed to staffing and resource shortages.
The new report is based on interviews with 19 representatives of manufacturers, all but one of whom called for increased public data and more transparent review practices.
EPA agreed with GAO’s recommendations to finalize a strategic plan and develop a systematic performance management process.