Office of the Inspector General Investigates EPA, Wants to Know If It Can Still Be Fooled

The Office of the Inspector General is preparing to conduct preliminary research to determine whether the Environmental Protection Agency’s internal controls are effective at detecting and preventing emissions fraud.

While the EPA has proven itself capable of stopping cheaters in the past, the federal oversight group wants to check in on the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the Office of Transportation and Air Quality in Washington D.C.

This investigation comes amid the current administration’s proposal of a 25 percent reduction in the EPA’s $8 billion budget, the elimination of almost 3,000 jobs, and the suspension of agency-backed programs and departments — including the environmental justice office. Automakers are also begging President Trump to rollback emissions standards after 2016 ended up being the first year since 2004 that U.S. light vehicles did not exceeded the industry-wide fuel economy targets. Regardless of intent, any appraisal of the EPA’s ability to act effectively will either serve to validate its existence or help rationalize its dismantlement.

The Detroit News reports that the Inspector General’s office has already requested documents associated with the procedures for auditing manufacturer-submitted data, internal practices for testing programs, and partnership agreements with any state or foreign agencies — specifically the California Air Resources Board and Environment Canada. Its next step is to reach out to the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance to assess its role within the agency before visiting the testing facilities.

Michigan’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Lab conducts annual fuel economy testing, ensuring that performance data matches the information submitted by automakers. Much of the investigation’s focus will be on the lab’s certification program and how it ensures that vehicles meet the standards set by the EPA.

It’s worth noting that the agency claimed it would test more vehicles outside of the lab and conduct more random testing on vehicles in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal. That’s down to the EPA having previously certified defeat device-equipped diesels after lab testing. It’s even possible that, without earlier trials conducted by the International Council on Clean Transportation, the U.S. agency might never have noticed that VW shirked American guidelines.

[Image: Ruben de Rijcke ( CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons]