Today, U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, sent a letter to Inspector General Arthur Elkins Jr., of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) regarding the OIG report, "Congressionally Requested Inquiry into the EPA's Use of Private and Alias Email Accounts," released in September 2013. The letter today states concerns over the scope of the OIG investigation, flaws in the investigative methodology, and dubious conclusions.

"Once the Richard Windsor email account became public and other officials were revealed using their private accounts, it became our obligation in Congress and in the EPA's Office of the Inspector General to thoroughly investigate the Agency's flawed email and records-keeping practices," said Vitter. "Remarkably, in conducting its investigation of EPA email practices, the OIG never examined in any way, actual staff emails. As it turns out, the OIG handled the process in such a way that inappropriately provided cover for certain EPA officials."

In September 2013, EPW Republicans released a comprehensive report entitled, "A Call for Sunshine: EPA's FOIA and Federal Records Failures Uncovered," which provides a detailed accounting of EPA's inappropriate email practices. Click here to read more.

Click here to read today's letter.