Lack of Oversight at the EPA
Those who read this column regularly may remember my bill, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Maximum Achievable Contraction of Technocrats (MACT) Act, H.R. 3641, which would reduce the EPA’s workforce by 15 percent within three to four years. I introduced this bill because I believe the EPA has too many people working on new regulations which hurt jobs, as opposed to being out in the field overseeing the implementation of current regulations.
Accordingly, do you remember reports of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advisor who skipped 2 ½ out of 13 years of work by claiming he also worked at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), cheating the government out of $886,186 in the process? According to Reuters, that employee even claimed to have malaria so he could get a parking spot valued at $200 a month.
Many people were outraged by the “spy-guy’s” sense of entitlement and the EPA’s lack over oversight – rightfully so. But there’s more.
A recent Inspector General report finds, according to The Fiscal Times, “…that some employees at the EPA have used their agency charge cards to buy personal items that the auditor deemed ‘inappropriate,’ including gym memberships for themselves and their family members, lavish dinners, and DVDs. A sample of charges totaling $152,600 in 2012 showed that half of that, or about $79,3000, were ‘prohibited, improper, and erroneous,’ the auditor said.” Now, keep in mind that the Inspector General didn’t analyze each charge made by the EPA’s 1,370 active cardholders, but only reviewed a sampling of 80 “high-risk” transactions.
The Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act was passed by Congress and signed into law in 2012 and, according to the Washington Post, “The EPA’s own guidelines also require agency offices to review their purchases at least once every two years to ensure compliance with federal policies.” However, “Auditors faulted the agency’s cardholders and its approving officials for not following EPA and federal guidelines.”
Especially coming on the heels of the EPA’s “spy-guy,” it is clear that more needs to be done. The “spy-guy” was sentenced to 32 months in prison for theft of government property, but what about the EPA cardholders and approving officials who skirted oversight requirements in this new scenario? They too ought to be held accountable – either civilly or criminally – for their actions, whichever is appropriate.
Of course, these recent allegations of fraud, misconduct, and abuse by EPA employees do not comprise the 15 percent of the agency’s budget that the EPA MACT Act targets. But my instinct is that the EPA is spending too much time writing regulations or apparently having fun on the taxpayer dime, and not enough time conducting oversight as required by law or checking pipes/storage containers for potential issues.
The EPA MACT Act may not completely fix the lack of oversight at the EPA. But it will help EPA managers and employees to prioritize and more appropriately manage their time.
In my opinion, the country would be better off if the EPA did a better job of managing its employees, spent more time implementing regulations that existed prior to this Administration, and spent less time trying to create new regulations.
The ENFORCE the Law Act
On March 13, the House of Representatives passed the ENFORCE the Law Act (H.R. 3973), which strongly encourages President Obama and his Administration to enforce our nation’s laws as written. As my colleague, Congressman Trey Gowdy (R-SC) said so passionately from the floor of the House, “We don’t pass suggestions in this body, Mr. Speaker. We don’t pass ideas. We pass laws. And we expect them to be faithfully executed.”
I couldn’t agree more.
As always, if you have concerns or comments or wish to inquire about legislative issues, feel free to contact my offices. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.
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