United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2003-10-01 monographic deposited born digital 19 p. GA 1.13:GAO-04-122T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-122T P0b002ee180381db6 f:d04122t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-122T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-122T GAO-04-122T Environmental monitoring Federal grants Grant award procedures Grant monitoring Internal controls Competition Financial management Testimony A08635 The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has faced persistent challenges in managing its grants, which, at about $4 billion annually constitute over one-half of the agency's total budget. EPA awards grants to thousands of recipients to implement its programs to protect human health and the environment. Given the size and diversity of EPA's programs, its ability to efficiently and effectively accomplish its mission largely depends on how well it manages its grant resources and builds accountability into its efforts. In our comprehensive report on EPA's management of its grants, released last week, we found that EPA continues to face four key grants management challenges despite past efforts to address them--(1) selecting the most qualified grant applicants, (2) effectively overseeing grantees, (3) measuring the results of grants, and (4) effectively managing its grant staff and resources. The report also discusses EPA's latest competition and oversight policies and its new 5-year plan to improve the management of its grants. This testimony, based on our report, focuses on the extent to which EPA's latest policies and plan address (1) awarding grants competitively, (2) improving oversight of grantees, and (3) holding staff and managers accountable for fulfilling their grants management responsibilities. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-122T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-122T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-122T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-122T.pdf GAO-04-122T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-122T Testimony GAO-04-122T; Grants Management: EPA Needs to Strengthen Oversight and Enhance Accountability to Address Persistent Challenges; Environmental monitoring Federal grants Grant award procedures Grant monitoring Internal controls Competition Financial management