Environmental Enforcement: EPA Needs to Improve the Accuracy and Transparency of Measures Used to Report on Program Effectiveness

This GAO Report (GAO-08-1111R) calls for greater transparency in EPA enforcement activites conlcluding that:

"While EPA’s reported outcomes of enforcement efforts help inform Congress, the public, and EPA management about EPA’s progress in prosecuting those who violate federal environmental laws, certain aspects of how EPA reports the data may undermine the transparency and accuracy of its reported outcomes and cause EPA to both over and under-report its enforcement achievements."