EPA tossed Trump-era memo that cuffed watchdog

摘要

EPA withdrew a controversial memo drafted during the Trump administration that had diminished its internal watchdog and stemmed from a high-profile tussle with the agency’s former chief of staff. The move is seen as an attempt to bolster the authority of the inspector general. Administrator Michael Regan has also urged staff to provide "full cooperation" with EPA’s Office of Inspector General. Pulling back the memo could also help repair relations between EPA and the inspector general’s office. The two often battled over access to documents and personnel when investigations into Trump political appointees at the agency grew intense and exploded into public view. Melissa Hoffer, EPA’s acting general counsel, withdrew the legal opinion in a memo to Regan, obtained by E&E News under the Freedom of Information Act. She didn’t explain why she was pulling back the memo, which had argued the IG lacked authority and questioned the office’s areas of inquiry.