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2017 High Risk List – U.S. Government’s Environmental Liability (video)

Posted on February 17, 2017

This year, we added the federal government’s environmental liability to our High Risk List—our biennial report highlighting areas particularly susceptible to fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, or needing a fundamental transformation.

When federal government activities contaminate the environment, the government’s on the hook for the cleaning bill. In 2016, this bill was estimated to be $447 billion, and the actual costs may be more.

Watch David Trimble, a director in our Natural Resources and Environment team, explain why we added the government’s environmental liability to our latest High Risk List.

High Risk: U.S. Government's Environmental Liabilities

High Risk: U.S. Government's Environmental Liabilities
As part of GAO's High Risk series, David Trimble, a director in GAO's Natural Resources and Environment team, describes why GAO put the federal government's environmental liabilities on its list of programs at high risk for waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement.
Topics
Natural Resources and Environment
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Agriculture
Contamination
Environment
Environmental cleanup
Environmental hazards
Environmental standards
High risk areas
Natural Resources and Environment
GAO Contacts
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