Federal Reports

NASA’s reformulation of the Artemis campaign to meet the Administration’s national space policy goals resulted in the termination or repurposing of Artemis-related systems including the Exploration Upper Stage, Universal Stage Adapter, Mobile Launcher 2, and Gateway Habitation and Logistics Outpost. The combined contract value of these efforts increased from $2.8 billion to $5.9 billion, with delivery dates extended by up to 7 years. We project, if NASA allowed work to continue to completion, these systems would have cost more and taken longer to complete. 

Why We Did This Report

We conducted this audit to determine whether EPA Region 1 evaluated grant applications and awarded Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds from the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program in accordance with pre-award requirements under 2 C.F.R. part 200 and EPA grant policies and guidance.

Summary of Findings

Without sufficient oversight, clearly defined responsibilities, and implemented quality control processes, the EPA does not have adequate assurance that nearly $133 million in funds were awarded and are being managed in accordance with program and regulatory requirements.

This memorandum presents the results of our limited review of the circumstances related to the loss incurred by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (Share Insurance Fund) with respect to Team Financial Federal Credit Union (Team Financial), Houston, Texas, chartered on January 1, 1970.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has four coal plants that include 24 units with a combined net capacity of 5,815 megawatts.  These coal plants have operated well beyond their original book life and are among the oldest still in operation in the nation. Due to the performance and cost risks of operating an aging coal fleet, we performed an evaluation of coal plant asset condition to determine if TVA had assessed the condition of assets and had plans in place to address degradation.  

We determined that TVA did not assess the condition of some assets annually, as required.  We also determined that some assets were not properly classified as “Tier 1” critical assets in TVA’s asset management system and/or tracked in the Generation Asset Health dashboard.  In addition, while TVA has plans to address some asset degradation, there are several assets in poor condition without a plan for remediation. 

The United States Secret Service (Secret Service) did not effectively secure and manage mobile devices, including during protective operations.  As a result, adversaries could have intercepted and exploited Secret Service information, placing at risk our Nation’s leaders, other protectees, and employees — especially when unsecured devices were used overseas.  

Why We Did This Report

We initiated this evaluation in response to a complaint submitted to the OIG Hotline. Our objective was to determine whether the chemical-sensing capability of the EPA’s Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology, or ASPECT, aircraft is functioning as designed.

Summary of Findings

When ASPECT’s chemical sensing is functioning as designed, it can process and provide data to first responders in approximately five minutes. Currently, however, ASPECT’s chemical sensing requires manual analyses, which generally produce monitoring results in about one week. This delay hampers the functionality of ASPECT. Given the unpredictable nature of natural and manmade disasters and emergency incidents, we are alerting the EPA about the situation and recommending corrective action.