Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight Hearing: “Oversight of the Management of Federal Environmental Protection, Chemical Safety, and Fish and Wildlife Agencies”

Tuesday April 14, 2015 at 9:30 a.m.

          Inspector General Elkins and Deputy Inspector General Kendall, thank you for appearing this morning.  And thank you Subcommittee Chairman Rounds for scheduling this hearing. 

Congress has a constitutional duty to conduct vigorous oversight to ensure that agencies are following the law and spending taxpayer dollars wisely. 

When I became chairman, I promised that we would conduct real oversight of the Administration.  Such Congressional review is ever more important as the EPA stretches its regulatory arm over our entire economy with more red tape based on shaky science and analysis, and absent consultation with the states or Congressional authority.  We see the same overreach at the Fish and Wildlife Service, which is making a record number of Endangered Species Act listings due to a closed-door settlement with environmental groups, among other hyper-regulatory actions.  This hearing is a step in that direction.

It is important that we hear directly from the Inspectors General about problems within their agencies, and that they are reminded they have a statutory duty to assist Congress with its oversight so that problems can be identified and corrected.

I am looking forward to hearing from Inspector General Elkins about his work uncovering management and performance problems at the EPA and the Chemical Safety Board, including recent IG reports exposing EPA grant and contract mismanagement, scientific integrity concerns, as well as the dysfunction and outstanding corrective actions at the CSB.  I am also looking forward to hearing from Deputy Inspector General Kendall about her work involving the Fish and Wildlife Service and its highly controversial ESA decisions. 

I ask that my full statement be entered into the record.  Thank you.