Department of Justice (DOJ) Acting Inspector General William M. Blier announced today the release of a report examining the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s (ENRD) Superfund Activities for Fiscal Years (FY) 2023 and 2024. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) established a trust fund, known as the Superfund, to clean up the nation’s worst hazardous waste sites.
The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that while the ENRD appropriately accounted for the activities that it charged to FY 2023 and 2024 Superfund cases, the OIG identified the following areas of improvement:
- Succession Planning and Continuity. The ENRD does not have a documented process or a clear plan delineating Superfund responsibilities to specific positions, which poses risks to knowledge transfer and the continuity of program operations.
- Superfund Cost Processing. The guide used by the ENRD to reconcile reported Superfund costs includes unclear guidance for reconciling financial data, which may lead to discrepancies in financial records when processing or reconciling costs.
- Indirect Costs. The ENRD’s indirect cost reconciliation reports contained inaccurately labeled fields that did not reflect the actual data presented in the accounting schedules and summaries, which could potentially cause confusion, increase misinterpretations, and reduce transparency regarding how ENRD applies indirect cost rates to Superfund cases.
The DOJ OIG made three recommendations to improve the ENRD’s management of the Superfund program. The ENRD agreed with all three recommendations.