EPA's Ombudsman Office Moved from OSWER

Danielle Jackson

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Christie Whitman has announced that she will move the EPA's office of ombudsman from the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

The office of ombudsman was set up in 1984 through the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) to receive individual complaints and requests for information, and to make appropriate recommendations regarding RCRA. Since that time, the office's role has expanded to include Superfund and other hazardous waste programs. Although the office deals with waste matters, Whitman believes it will have more independence conducting research and investigations in the OIG's office.