Administrator Michael Regan Message to EPA Employees - Cooperation with the Office of the Inspector General, April 28, 2021
Dear Colleagues,
In a recent memo to all EPA employees, I committed that I would lead our agency in restoring public trust in EPA and ensuring transparency in all our operations. I am deeply honored to work alongside all of you as we earn and maintain the confidence of the public we are all here to serve.
One of the key means by which we ensure the accountability the public entrusts in EPA is through the process of internal review and oversight carried out by our Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The purpose of this memo is to ensure that all EPA employees understand the role of the agency’s OIG and to make clear my expectations for how we interact with the OIG.
The OIG is charged with serving as an independent and objective office within EPA, playing an important role in preventing and rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in agency programs and operations. The OIG endeavors to improve the effectiveness of the agency through the performance of audits, evaluations, and investigations. To meet its statutory obligations under the Inspector General Act, the OIG requires information from EPA managers and staff alike. It is therefore my expectation that EPA personnel provide OIG timely access to records or other information which relate to the Agency’s programs and operations and that are needed by the OIG to accomplish its important mission, consistent with the Act.
In conducting audits, the OIG adheres to standards established by the Comptroller General of the United States, which includes many steps to ensure transparency and opportunities to comment on draft findings. Because I recognize that providing information to the OIG may raise concerns about the improper public release of information, I will work closely with the OIG to prevent such disclosures and to ensure EPA employees are treated fairly and respectfully. The OIG is committed to honoring requests for confidentiality – to the extent the law permits – and to handling all EPA documents and information in an appropriate manner. Furthermore, the OIG will continue to respect the multiple demands that managers and staff face on a daily basis and, whenever possible, accommodate scheduling difficulties or other time constraints.
To ensure that reports, audits, evaluations, or other reviews are fairly prepared and presented, the OIG staff will endeavor to provide EPA management with significant opportunities for interaction. At any time during the course of an audit, evaluation or report, EPA management may request a meeting – and indeed should meet – with the OIG to discuss the audit, provide information to clarify management assertions and discuss the status and any questions. This interaction will help avoid misunderstandings, increase transparency and result in accurate and helpful ways for the agency to accomplish its mission. Further, EPA staff are not required to obtain permission from or inform managers before they speak with OIG representatives during audits, evaluations, and investigations, or other OIG reviews.
The OIG’s primary function is to serve as an accountability and oversight mechanism within and for the benefit of the Executive Branch of government, in compliance with the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended. Our full cooperation with the OIG is in the best interest of the public we serve and provides us with the opportunity to improve program performance and efficiency across EPA.
Finally, all EPA staff are expected to report possible waste, fraud and abuse to the OIG, including theft of EPA funds, misuse of contract or grant funds, misuse of EPA equipment or assets for personal gain, falsification of EPA reports or records, or serious employee misconduct. This is an important responsibility and one of the key means the OIG has for identifying and stopping wrongdoing. EPA employees can report information to the OIG at 1-888-546-8740 or at OIG_Hotline@epa.gov; anonymity may also be requested.
I appreciate everyone’s full cooperation in these matters.
Michael S. Regan
Administrator