EPA, IG and EPA confirm need for increased transparency in permitting process

Link to EPA OIG Report Link to Press Release Washington, DC - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, welcomed a follow-up report released today from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG). This report, “EPA Should Strengthen Records Management on Clean Water Act Section 404 Permit Notification Reviews for Surface Coal Mining,” delved more deeply into findings from the initial November 2011 OIG report requested by Senator Inhofe that confirmed that EPA, through its own actions, systematically slows the pace of permit evaluations in Appalachia. These findings were concerning enough to warrant the Inspector General to instigate this follow-up review.