[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6306631,"mediaKeyId","2436958-8c73811bcb1483dfcdadb7e43bf0d99a","parentId",2436958,"title","Committee examines impact of inspector general removals, workforce cuts and funding freezes at EPA and DOE","audioSeconds",6944,"startMs",274000,"endMs",7218000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2436958-8c73811bcb1483dfcdadb7e43bf0d99a&start=274&end=7218","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2436958-8c73811bcb1483dfcdadb7e43bf0d99a/thumbnail_274000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6306631/Committee-examines-impact-of-inspector-general-removals-workforce-cuts-and-funding-freezes-at-EPA-and-DOE","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306631-35f233ee26a0f343b9a769637122bb27/orig.mp4?Expires=1770727455&Signature=mFyWKBP~bWfW28sJvg3gV5g5KxCNVFJ4KfjwMYCwDDNNJDvFjIu4WIBNuKz0WwkRCK0Ei0xE18TZdqsM5cV-fEO~tkgFTQ23XVkn0qW44qxHHPX8qz7xQ4TmOl4GhvOJXWHiFGQZCSp6jMMAv-0qW3PzUcfopX6zPTVoiaHfcvUc4UHdS7o5P-0jVJsaqwmji4KeZtuyx0nPCgr6sibVd-j6VD38qlsl-yJNyK-g7ClSdViTrn1YAbjUioP91K~UVRdFJuZCrEgLuCIC1ZFYfhQL5KcZgroJjepaf5Y18sS6Ex6SmULI351FzSLJpcZ8wH6VPLGjyjKnCKrdX~lDUA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce","date","2025-02-27T06:26:32Z","article","Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee pressed GAO and inspector general witnesses about the consequences of recent mass departures, firings and hiring freezes at the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, and the related suspension or review of awards and disbursements.

Ranking Member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said he was \"genuinely shocked\" that the subcommittee was holding its hearing while, he asserted, administrations had removed numerous inspector generals. Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Rep. Kathy Manning among others also raised concerns. Several members noted that the inspector generals for EPA and DOE had been removed and that the law requires Congress be notified before an IG termination.

Nicole Murley, acting inspector general for EPA, told the committee the EPA OIG has not experienced terminations but said hiring freezes have held up roughly 32 individuals in various stages of onboarding and that about 23 EPA OIG staff accepted a deferred-resignation program. Murley said the OIG is constrained because the IRA did not include dedicated oversight funding for EPA OIG, limiting the office's ability to conduct more robust IRA oversight despite doing IIJA work.

Jonathan Black and other witnesses described workforce impacts at DOE OIG and at program offices. Black said he anticipated his last day at DOE OIG the week following the hearing and confirmed that 39 DOE OIG staff had accepted a deferred-resignation program; he said such losses affect institutional capacity. GAO witnesses and the OIGs told members that reductions in staff and loss of contractors or paused contracts complicate the agencies' ability to monitor awards, complete permitting reviews and perform post-award oversight.

Members gave multiple examples they said were affected by staffing and funding actions: GAO and witnesses discussed backlogs in EPA permitting (including Class VI underground injection permits for carbon storage), the Clean School Bus rebate program (EPA OIG said as of February 2025 only 43% of buses funded in 2022 had been delivered), and reported freezes or review processes that delayed disbursement of grants and awards to states and localities. Witnesses said in some cases agency leadership described case-by-case reviews for disbursements but that courts have issued rulings about withholding congressionally authorized funds, and that questions remain about how much money is being withheld and the legal basis for freezes.

Witnesses emphasized that offices of inspector general and GAO continue work but that these personnel disruptions, hiring freezes, and contract pauses increase the risk that funds will not be monitored or that projects will be delayed.

Ending: Committee members from both parties said they would continue oversight of staffing impacts and funding decisions. Witnesses agreed to provide additional materials for the record and to continue audits and reviews of program capacity and awards management.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","O&I Hearing: Examining the Biden Administration’s Energy and Environment Spending Push","oneSentenceSummary","Lawmakers and oversight witnesses told the House subcommittee that recent removals of inspector generals, large workforce departures and agency hiring freezes have complicated oversight and program implementation, affecting permit reviews, grants monitoring and delivery of projects such as clean school bus rebates.","taxTitle","Energy and Commerce: House Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1824,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6306636,"DOE loan program's rapid loan closings draw inspector general scrutiny over conflicts and risk",220,1234000,1454000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2436958-8c73811bcb1483dfcdadb7e43bf0d99a&start=1234&end=1454","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2436958-8c73811bcb1483dfcdadb7e43bf0d99a/thumbnail_1234000.jpg","/articles/6306636/DOE-loan-programs-rapid-loan-closings-draw-inspector-general-scrutiny-over-conflicts-and-risk","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306636-e220212279261ec2ffc16f08e1e89981/orig.mp4?Expires=1770727455&Signature=Z-0DvfzkErIFiYQWXX~Ra2rhS6u430rbpuSKee5KxEG4-WIq2SoGvlL4dMKtFw0DIMxXJcqOHIZRLFMfHaPM3QZDYvzKROS6DTRHrjcwYdZOIVVMJrVbHhfvtxnNfp6PXXchMXnE1QSgx20Ux6FCOZbF2MrEUNvw4zLPcFtTtvgpIzBxBGq-FO6D9XW91eGmsoftOFWZPE-yqZZtg4EwMcsGdtDu4iVTITmRzli25XIFQrHiK3hX0hK2chfONJeKeeuhPOMGahNGtibASqg1gTth28r1-WCHt289H4h-7SIQf6lZGNpfS2dmBToHefRwsy9VTDbAgKz5~IDU31FXwA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Department of Energy's accelerated pace of loan approvals late in 2024 and in January 2025 prompted sustained questioning from House Energy and Commerce Committee members and warnings from oversight officials about organizational conflicts of interest and insufficient risk mitigation.

Jonathan Black, chief advisor for strategic planning and program oversight in the DOE Office of Inspector General, told the committee the OIG had warned in July 2022 and again in a December 2024 report that the Loan Programs Office (LPO) lacked sufficient controls to identify and manage organizational conflicts of interest. Black said the LPO contracts with hundreds of outside personnel to support due diligence but had not ensured that contracting officers identified and tracked conflicts, trained third-party experts on conflict rules, or cross-checked disclosures across divisions.

Black and other witnesses said the LPO closed roughly $46,000,000,000 in loans between December 2024 and January 2025, a pace that the OIG said raised questions about whether robust due diligence was possible. Black described two recently closed loan files under OIG review in which internal experts identified \"major risks\" to financial and performance viability and found mitigation measures that often covered \"only 25% or less of the needed revenue protection or cost control.\"

GAO and DOE witnesses told the committee that mitigation arrangements sometimes relied on related parties with weak financial footing and that the LPO did not consistently update analyses to reflect changing market conditions. The DOE OIG said the department had paused new loan closures and was developing corrective action plans following the December 2024 findings.

Committee members asked how pressure to expedite loans could affect \"off-take\" contracts, construction contract terms and other measures used to secure revenue and control costs. Black said such contractual safeguards are common industry practices but that, in the files OIG examined, guaranteed sales agreements and construction cost controls were minimal or insufficient.

Panel members also raised concerns about how LPO's rapid loan activity shifts the office's workload from application review to post-closure portfolio monitoring and stressed the need for staff with the technical capacity to evaluate ongoing milestones, construction risk and long-term repayment prospects.

Ending: Witnesses said OIG and GAO will continue audits and file-level reviews. Committee members asked DOE and LPO leadership to provide documents and to explain corrective-action timelines; they signaled additional follow-up oversight would be scheduled.","The Department of Energy Loan Programs Office closed an unusually large volume of loans in late 2024 and January 2025, prompting OIG concerns about conflict-of-interest controls, risk mitigation measures and whether due diligence kept pace with the accelerated schedule.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6306641,"GOP members press EPA oversight of $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, question award to Coalition for Green Capital",2546,40000,2586000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2436958-8c73811bcb1483dfcdadb7e43bf0d99a&start=40&end=2586","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2436958-8c73811bcb1483dfcdadb7e43bf0d99a/thumbnail_40000.jpg","/articles/6306641/GOP-members-press-EPA-oversight-of-27-billion-Greenhouse-Gas-Reduction-Fund-question-award-to-Coalition-for-Green-Capital","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306641-8bf0d26fc5375d3de372f546f6310606/orig.mp4?Expires=1770727455&Signature=MPOAIgDkKxDqJDwNuvja76Yctvj3P2q1vNABL3s3HeGhOJHMqgrixpq8-AdhUt89zFttgVF0aMUJI0BV71L1LK41lXJ5f~TopAJSPvFOvZZpenZp4oc3dMvTxQ3HGmoDNWMnH6wIszuaFmw5uSK9h3cVN2pX-BGhPAbm5fj9cR5ur2uNyJnnK9PSj7jQJoT5BKmUgJwktgLoRaO9z~tN7p4yelzFF2n5TDt5Akoy386mCeTpH07lHN6u2saLcKT-j8JpapKxZRki7oqLyAmFgXbgJ-grJ~wcOZY-d3~YzasV-054LtkbfhZ5lPJCpGk0sRAQSF42nYIq9C9XV4E0Rg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee pressed EPA and oversight officials on whether the agency used sufficient due diligence in awarding Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds, with particular focus on the IRA\u0000funded Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and a $5 billion award to the Coalition for Green Capital.

Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., chairman of the full committee, said during his opening statement that the Biden administration had \"announced the awarding of $5,000,000,000 to the Coalition for Green Capital,\" and questioned how an organization the committee identified as having had roughly $3.5 million in revenue in 2023 received such a large award. Guthrie also pointed to news and registration records showing that the Coalition later provided $200,000,000 of that award to an entity incorporated in October 2024.

The EPA acting inspector general, Nicole Murley, testified that EPA OIG has flagged systemic internal-control problems across EPA programs and that the office is concerned about oversight of IRA funds because the IRA did not include dedicated OIG funding. Murley told the committee the OIG has \"observed trends\" in prior IIJA oversight that raise red flags for IRA programs, citing weak data quality and problems monitoring grantees and subgrantees.

J. Alfredo Gomez, director of GAO's Natural Resources and Environment team, described GAO work reviewing EPA implementation of IIJA and IRA funding. He told the committee that EPA created a new program office for the greenhouse fund, set up three subprograms (including a National Clean Investment Fund and a Clean Communities Investor Accelerator), and used a commercial bank as a financial agent to hold and disburse funds—an approach GAO said differs from EPA's customary grant model and raises monitoring questions. GAO's provisional analysis showed EPA obligated nearly all IRA funds and expended about half.

Committee members repeatedly probed how EPA vetted recipient organizations, how EPA plans to monitor subrecipients and program-level performance, and whether EPA had developed performance goals for the greenhouse fund subprograms. Gomez said it is \"not typical\" for new programs to go years without program-level performance goals and stressed the importance of having those goals.

Murley said the OIG has initiated audits and investigations related to IRA-funded contracts and grants and has raised questions about due-diligence reviews, conflict-of-interest screening, and grantee and subrecipient capacity. She added that with roughly 93% of EPA's IRA funds obligated, the OIG's work is shifting from prevention to detection and that the office is using data analytics to look for potential fraud.

Committee members identified specific examples that they said warranted examination, including the Coalition for Green Capital award and the timeline and structure of a subaward that, according to public records cited by lawmakers, involved an entity incorporated in October 2024 that subsequently received a large subaward.

The witnesses agreed the rapid pace of award obligations combined with tight statutory deadlines for IRA-funded programs increases oversight risk and that monitoring and reporting requirements will be central to determining whether funds are used as intended. Murley told the panel the OIG continues oversight work with its current budget but emphasized the limits of that approach compared with having dedicated IRA oversight funding for the EPA OIG.

The committee did not take formal action; members from both parties signaled they will continue oversight inquiries and follow-up requests for documents and data.

Ending: Committee members requested additional documentation and said staff would pursue further review of award decisions, subrecipient relationships, and EPA's monitoring plans for IRA-funded programs. Several members asked the OIG and GAO to provide more detailed records and analyses for the committee record.","House Republicans raised questions about EPA procedures and vetting after the agency obligated billions under the Inflation Reduction Act, citing a $5 billion award to the Coalition for Green Capital and a subsequent $200 million subaward to a newly incorporated entity.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee examines impact of inspector general removals, workforce cuts and funding freezes at EPA and DOE

DOE loan program's rapid loan closings draw inspector general scrutiny over conflicts and risk

GOP members press EPA oversight of $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, question award to Coalition for Green Capital