Hazardous Waste: Benefits of EPA's Information System Are Limited

Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on whether the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Resource Conservation and Recovery Information System (RCRIS) is meeting its primary objectives and its effect on implementation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Environmental Protection Agency	As a part of the recently initiated reassessment of RCRA information needs, the Administrator, EPA, should require the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response to determine what information EPA needs to oversee states' implementation of RCRA.	Closed – Implemented Action to address this recommendation is within the scope of the Office of Solid Waste's (OSW) Waste Information Needs (WIN) initiative. OSW has completed an Information Strategy Plan to guide the information and technology needs of the hazardous waste program. The plan includes an Information Needs Assessment that identifies high-level information needs of EPA, states, and tribes.
Environmental Protection Agency	As a part of the recently initiated reassessment of RCRA information needs, the Administrator, EPA, should require the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response to develop clear data definitions for all EPA-required data.	Closed – Implemented According to EPA officials, the agency is addressing this recommendation within its Waste Information Needs (WIN) initiative. A key principle in the WIN Information Strategy Plan is to develop consistent data definitions. However, after four years, this effort is still not complete and EPA officials could not provide firm milestones for completing it.
Environmental Protection Agency	As a part of the recently initiated reassessment of RCRA information needs, the Administrator, EPA, should require the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response to develop a data quality assurance program that establishes data reliability standards and methods to ensure data reliability.	Closed – Implemented According to EPA officials, the agency is addressing this recommendation through its WIN initiative. Data quality standards are part of EPA's Program Area Analyses. However, after four years, this effort is still not complete and EPA officials could not provide firm milestones for completing it.
Environmental Protection Agency	As a part of the recently initiated reassessment of RCRA information needs, the Administrator, EPA, should require the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response to develop and implement a cost-effective solution for meeting identified needs.	Closed – Implemented According to EPA officials, this recommendation is addressed in the agency's WIN initiative. OSW has completed an Information Strategy Plan and has established an Executive Steering Committee for the WIN Effort. This committee helps guide implementation options and overall direction, taking cost into consideration.
Environmental Protection Agency	In the interim, given the burden RCRIS imposes on the states and the lack of EPA's reliance on the system, the Administrator, EPA, should direct the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response to assess the data reporting requirements to RCRIS and eliminate those that are identified as nonessential.	Closed – Implemented EPA has continued its actions to reduce the burden of RCRIS reporting. Streamlining proposals include further reducing required permitting, closure, post-closure, and corrective action event tracking data. These actions are part of an ongoing effort to pursue near-term, low-cost improvements to RCRA information management methods and systems to reduce the complexity or maintenance burden of RCRA information management. EPA has a process in place for reviewing streamlining proposals and incorporating these into future RCRIS releases.

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Natural Resources and Environment

Data integrityEnvironmental lawEnvironmental policiesstate relationsHazardous substancesInformation systemsWaste managementData entryHazardous wastesSolid waste