The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not maintain complete information on New Source Review (NSR) permits issued to fossil fuel electricity generating units. State and local permitting agencies track the NSR permits they issue, but EPA does not maintain complete or centralized information on permits, despite a 2006 recommendation by the National Research Council that it do so. EPA mainta...

Older electricity generating units—those that began operating in or before 1978—provided 45 percent of electricity from fossil fuel units in 2010 but produced a disproportionate share of emissions, both in aggregate and per unit of electricity generated. Overall, in 2010 older units contributed 75 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions, 64 percent of nitrogen oxides emissions, and 54 percen...

Federal grant and loan funding for activities that reduce mobile source diesel emissions is fragmented across 14 programs at the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). From fiscal years 2007 through 2011, the programs obligated at least $1.4 billion for activities that have the effect of reducing mobile source diesel emiss...

Tall smokestacks--stacks of 500 feet or higher, which are primarily used at coal power plants--release air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) high into the atmosphere to help limit the impact of these emissions on local air quality. Tall stacks can also increase the distance these pollutants travel in the atmosphere and harm air quality and the environment in downwin...

The U.S. has networks of pollution monitoring sites that use air quality sensors. But the networks have shortcomings such as trouble detecting localized pollution. Technological improvements have led to smaller, more affordable air quality sensors and better satellite-based sensors. These can help close gaps in pollution monitoring and research. For example, through more dense and widespread monit...

The national ambient air quality monitoring system measures air pollution levels at fixed locations across the country. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, state, and local agencies cooperatively manage this system's aging infrastructure. Our interviews and review of literature found that air quality managers, researchers, and the public need more information to understand health risks from...

School districts spend billions of dollars a year on building and renovating facilities at the nearly 100,000 K-12 public schools nationwide. We surveyed districts and states about common school facilities’ issues and priorities. We found: districts’ highest priorities for school facilities were improving security, expanding technology, and addressing health hazards about half of districts...

The U.S. Postal Service manages a vast network of mail carriers and vehicles that deliver mail to its customers. Since USPS’s costs are growing faster than its revenues, some have suggested that it provide nonpostal services using this network to generate revenue and enhance its value to communities. For instance, mail carriers could provide check-in services to older people. Additionally, atta...

The Department of State provides two types of additional compensation for employees working in challenging overseas areas: hardship pay and danger pay. When employees temporarily leave those posts, State adjusts the pay. While danger pay is automatically adjusted, State's procedures for adjusting hardship pay are resource intensive—involving 10,000 manual adjustments each year—and contributed...

Through our work, we've made numerous recommendations to EPA about its management and operations, as well as its programs related to water issues; environmental contamination and cleanup; toxics, chemical safety, and pesticides; public health and environmental justice; and air quality, climate change, and energy efficiency. We testified that, as of August 23, 2017, EPA had implemented 191 of 318...

The internet of things (IoT) generally refers to the technologies and devices that allow for the network connection and interaction of a wide array of devices, or “things.” Federal agencies that GAO reviewed are undertaking two kinds of efforts that support IoT in communities:Broad federal research and oversight of IoT-related technologies and issues: For example, 8 of the 11 agencies GAO rev...

As of May 23, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had implemented 174 of the 325 recommendations GAO made in fiscal years 2006 through 2015. EPA had not yet implemented the remaining 151 recommendations. The figure below shows the status of the 325 recommendations, which fall into six broad categories that relate to EPA programs and operations. These are: (1) management and operat...

Federal agencies are enhancing understanding of climate-related risks to public health by (1) supporting and conducting research, (2) providing data and informational resources, and (3) communicating about risks. The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) National Institutes of Health (NIH) supports a portfolio of research directly related to these risks. NIH reports awarding about $6 mi...

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) implemented many measures since 2008 to manage the energy-related costs of the Capitol Complex (the complex) and has opportunities to further manage these costs. AOC updated some of the Capitol Power Plant's (CPP's) production and distribution systems to reduce energy use and increase efficiency. AOC also implemented measures to reduce energy consumption in the c...