EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman’s decision to relocate the Ombudsman function to the EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) is an ineffectual attempt to restore its independence. While it is necessary to remove the Ombudsman function from the control of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (the office which the Ombudsman is meant to investigate), the move alone will not provide the Ombudsman independence. A recently released GAO report stated that, for the Ombudsman to be truly independent, he should be provided “with a separate budget and ... the authority to hire, fire, and supervise his own staff.”

Rather than provide the Ombudsman with these resources, however, the EPA is putting the function under the control of the OIG. According to the EPA press release, “as part of this shift, the EPA Inspector General will conduct a systematic review of open inquiries for citizens who have sought Agency assistance.” In other words, it appears that the OIG will be making the decisions on which cases the Ombudsman will be allowed to investigate and will have control over both budgetary and staffing resources.

POGO is acting as the repository for the petition. Please NO mail -fax or email only.   Please print out the petition and fax all signed petitions to POGO. Our fax number is (202) 347-1116.

For a copy of the petition click here.

To add your name via email to the petition. Please include your name, address and phone number.