All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On March 16, 2026, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report on engineered biofertilizers, which use genetic engineering and combine multiple strains of microbes to enhance their effectiveness. According to GAO, the opportunities of engineered biofertilizers include: Economic benefits: According to GAO, fertilizer costs have increased due to tight global supplies, energy shocks, and trade disruptions. GAO notes that increased crop yields and reduced fertilizer costs...

On February 23, 2026, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) publicly released a report entitled Consumer Product Safety Commission: Opportunities to Strengthen Oversight of Toxic Substances in Children’s Products. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) asked GAO to review how the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) addresses children’s products that contain toxic substances such as lead. In the report, GAO...

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) announced on August 14, 2025, a WatchBlog item entitled “EPA’s New Chemicals Program Could Improve Safety If Better Managed” that examines GAO’s January 2025 report on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) New Chemicals Program (NCP). According to GAO, EPA assesses new chemicals using a 13-step process that includes an eco hazard review, a human health hazard review, and several other risks assessments. In its January 2025...

On July 18, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolled out the “reorganization plan” for its Office of Research and Development (ORD). The stated goal of the plan is to reduce budget expenditures, improve “science,” and have EPA’s research activities better support the work of the media offices, including the Office of Water (OW), Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), and Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). The EPA press release refers to the...

Ponder the following existential question: Who does their job less effectively? Members of Congress, or employees of federal agencies? Let’s examine the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees versus those responsible for legislating environmental laws. Congress has not been able to reauthorize environmental statutes for years, with some (most) needing significant attention. EPA relies on 1990 Clean Air Act amendments to sort out air pollution issues and address climate change...

On February 25, 2025, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report entitled High-Risk Series: Heightened Attention Could Save Billions More and Improve Government Efficiency and Effectiveness, “highlight[ing] 38 areas across the federal government that are seriously vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement or that are in need of transformation.” The category “Seizing Opportunities to Better Protect Public Health and Reduce Risk” lists high-risk areas...

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) publicly released a report entitled “New Chemicals Program: EPA Needs a Systematic Process to Better Manage and Assess Performance” on January 22, 2025. GAO states that it was asked to review the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) implementation of its Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) New Chemicals Program. The report summarizes the perspectives of selected manufacturers on EPA’s review process and evaluates the extent to which...

On May 28, 2024, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) publicly released a report entitled Priority Open Recommendations: Environmental Protection Agency. According to the report, since GAO’s May 2023 letter, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented four of GAO’s 15 open priority recommendations, including three recommendations related to assessing and controlling toxic chemicals: In May 2023, EPA’s chemical assessment program provided information to its program...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided notice of disclosure on April 2, 2024, to all potentially affected businesses under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that submitted information to EPA pursuant to TSCA Section 5 that it will disclose information to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). 89 Fed. Reg 22713. According to the notice, GAO is initiating a review of EPA’s practices for managing and assessing the performance of EPA’s New Chemicals Review...

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) publicly released a report on September 27, 2023, entitled “Persistent Chemicals: Detecting, Limiting Exposure To, and Treating PFAS Contamination.” According to GAO, examples of how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) enter the environment include: Manufacturing plants: Industrial processes can discharge PFAS-containing wastewater or emit PFAS into the air; Wastewater treatment plants: Effluent discharged from plants can contain PFAS;...