OIG Urges EPA Plan To Ensure States Meet Stimulus Water Fund Deadline

摘要

EPA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) in a just-released report says the agency must craft and implement a last-minute "contingency action plan" to ensure states meet a pending February deadline for dispersing billions in EPA water infrastructure funds under the economic stimulus law.rnFailure to craft the backup plan could delay reallocation of the money, which would delay projects, hampering job creation and the economy, the report says.rnThe Dec. 17 report also says the law's new requirements for the funds have slowed progress on allocating the money, including strict "Buy American*' rules, Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements and a set-aside for so-called green infrastructure projects. These provisions continue to pose a risk that states will not disperse the money by the deadline, according to the audit briefing report, which does not include an EPA response.