Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grants Documented Most Achievements, but the EPA Could Improve Monitoring and Reporting

Why We Did This Report The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General conducted this audit to determine the extent to which the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants support the EPA’s program goals for the Great Lakes. Summary of Findings The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, or GLRI, grants we reviewed documented contributions to the EPA’s program goals for the Great Lakes, including protection of habitats, reduction of discharges of untreated stormwater, and management of invasive species. However, the GLRI grant recipients did not always include environmental justice outputs and outcomes in their final reports. GLRI grant recipients did not always report whether they achieved environmental justice-related activities in their final project reports, nor did EPA project officers monitor whether the GLRI grant recipients included all outputs and outcomes in their final project reports.