Water Pollution Monitoring:
EPA's Permit Compliance System Could Be Used More Effectively
IMTEC-92-58BR: Published: Jun 22, 1992. Publicly Released: Jun 22, 1992.
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on: (1) the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Permit Compliance System's (PCS) capabilities; (2) EPA assessments of any alternative technologies to the existing data entry process; (3) the total number of facilities listed in PCS with detailed data; (4) resource expenditures for data entry on minor facilities; and (5) approximate PCS operating costs.
GAO found that: (1) PCS enables EPA to monitor and track compliance of permitted National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) facilities; (2) PCS is not fully utilized by all states because it is not user-friendly; (3) of the 64,227 NPDES facilities, 7,139 major facilities and 21,187 minor facilities currently utilize PCS for detailed data entry; (4) EPA is currently considering such new technologies such as optical character recognition and electronic data interchange to facilitate more efficient data entry, but needs to perform cost-benefit analyses and compare these technologies with alternative systems; (5) currently 76 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees are required to enter detailed data for the 21,187 minor facilities, with an estimated 109 FTE needed to enter data for the remaining facilities; and (6) operating costs for PCS in fiscal year 1991, including state data entry costs, totalled about $5.9 million.
Jan 22, 2021
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
Information on the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability ProgramGAO-21-240R: Published: Jan 22, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 22, 2021.
Jan 19, 2021
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Chemical Assessments:
Annual EPA Survey Inconsistent with Leading Practices in Program ManagementGAO-21-156: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Jan 19, 2021.
Jan 15, 2021
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Environmental Liabilities:
NASA's Reported Financial Liabilities Have Grown, and Several Factors Contribute to Future UncertaintiesGAO-21-205: Published: Jan 15, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 15, 2021.
Jan 13, 2021
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Nuclear Waste:
Congressional Action Needed to Clarify a Disposal Option at West Valley Site in New YorkGAO-21-115: Published: Jan 13, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 13, 2021.
Jan 7, 2021
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Hanford Cleanup:
DOE's Efforts to Close Tank Farms Would Benefit from Clearer Legal Authorities and CommunicationGAO-21-73: Published: Jan 7, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 7, 2021.
Dec 18, 2020
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Drinking Water:
EPA Could Use Available Data to Better Identify Neighborhoods at Risk of Lead ExposureGAO-21-78: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 18, 2020. -
Recycling:
Building on Existing Federal Efforts Could Help Address Cross-Cutting ChallengesGAO-21-87: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 18, 2020.
Dec 9, 2020
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Environmental Protection:
Action Needed to Ensure EPA's Enforcement and Compliance Activities Support Its Strategic GoalsGAO-21-82: Published: Dec 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 9, 2020. -
Oil and Gas:
Onshore Competitive and Noncompetitive Lease RevenuesGAO-21-138: Published: Nov 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 9, 2020.
Dec 7, 2020
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Air Pollution:
Opportunities to Better Sustain and Modernize the National Air Quality Monitoring SystemGAO-21-38: Published: Nov 12, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 7, 2020.
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