An investigatory agency could mismanage $11 million and impede transparency of the federal government because of its poor documentation and record keeping, a watchdog reported Monday.
The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has no guidance for crafting its annual budget, doesn’t document its contract decisions and impedes transparency by slowly posting meeting minutes online, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Inspector General (IG).
“The lack of internal controls made CSB’s $11 million budget vulnerable to mismanagement,” the report said Monday. “CSB’s former chairperson did not enforce federal guidance, which resulted in the need for improved internal controls governing CSB operations.”
That mismanagement risk is increased “by no not having a formal documented budget process that assigns roles and responsibilities to staff and management.” Additionally, the agency’s meeting minutes and summaries “were not always posted promptly on CSB’s website and are not located in one … making them difficult to find,” the report stated. (RELATED: EPA Chemical Board Meets Secretly, Ditches Investigations)
In fact, agency officials claimed to be unaware that meeting transcripts had to be posted quickly.
“Also, CSB limits transparency and access to its governmental actions by delaying public meeting transcript postings and not placing transcripts in an easily accessible central location,” the report read. Delays could also slow down legally required responses to Freedom of Information Act requests.
The agency even failed to document why it contracted two legal consultants after having already paid them with a credit card. The CSB used the credit cards to pay retainers while in the process of writing a contract because of the urgent need for legal services, agency officials told the IG.
But without the necessary, formal documentation, “CSB’s decisions are not transparent, and it could circumvent” federal regulations, the report said.
Another $400,000 or more could have been saved had the CSB followed federal regulations regarding leasing buildings or had sought help from the General Services Administration. Additional investigative staff could have also been hired with the savings.
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