The National Institutes of Health Administered Superfund Appropriations During Fiscal Year 2017 in Accordance With Federal Requirements

Why OIG Did This Review

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) established the trust fund known as Superfund. The CERCLA requires the Inspector General of a Federal organization with Superfund responsibilities to audit all uses of the fund in the prior fiscal year (FY).

To meet this requirement, OIG conducts an annual audit of the Superfund program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (the Institute), to determine whether NIH administered Superfund appropriations in accordance with applicable Federal requirements.

How OIG Did This Review

Our audit covered $77 million of obligations and $74 million of disbursements related to the FYs 2012 through 2017 Superfund appropriations that occurred from October 2016 through September 2017 (audit period). We also (1) analyzed cumulative obligations, totaling $463 million and cumulative disbursements totaling $371 million and (2) assessed NIH's efforts to ensure grantee compliance with financial, performance, and audit reporting requirements.

What OIG Found

During FY 2017, NIH administered Superfund appropriations in accordance with applicable Federal requirements. Specifically, NIH obligated and disbursed Superfund appropriations in accordance with Federal requirements and in similar proportions to prior years. In addition, the Institute's monitoring of Superfund grants generally ensured that grantees met requirements for financial, performance, and audit reporting.

What OIG Recommends

We are making no recommendations.