July 27, 2001: General Accounting Office Says EPA Ombudsmen Do Not Have Sufficient Autonomy

The General Accounting Office (GAO) issues a report on the National Ombudsman’s office at the request of the Chairman of the House Sub-Committee on Environment and Hazardous Materials. [US Congress, 6/25/2002; US Congress, 7/16/2002] The report criticizes the EPA’s January guidance (see January 3, 2001) and concludes that the EPA’s national and regional ombudsmen do not have sufficient autonomy. [Washington Post, 11/29/2001] The GAO report recommends the following:
Strengthen the ombudsman’s independence by moving the office outside of the solid waste program;
Provide the ombudsman with a separate budget and staff;
Increase the ombudsman’s accountability by requiring the office to develop specific criteria for its investigations. [General Accounting Office, 7/27/2001 ]