EPA Agrees To Bolster Scientific Integrity Policies After IG Findings

摘要

EPA has agreed to take a series of actions to improve implementation of its scientific integrity (SI) policy in response to a new report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) which found problems with its implementation of the policy as well as declining staff perceptions of EPA leaders' support for the policy. OIG's May 20 report found a series of problems with how the agency has implemented the SI policy, which the Obama administration adopted in 2012. For example, the report notes that while EPA's SI Committee, chaired by the agency Scientific Integrity Official Francesca Grifo, has "implemented many Policy requirements and identified actions to improve SI at the EPA, we found that procedures to address potential violations were not finalized, mandatory training was not tracked, annual reporting was not timely, and the release of scientific products was not supported by a centralized clearance system."