Immediately following the release of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) report highlighting the USVI’s poor management of its environmental programs, Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett announced that she is traveling to the territory to meet with Governor Mapp to discuss the report’s findings.
“When my office was made aware that several of our government agencies was deemed “high-risk” for federal funding, I immediately brought this matter and the potential outcomes to the attention of Governor Mapp. Given this latest report from the EPA, I will be meeting with the governor on Monday to discuss his plans to correct these concerns and also explore ways that my office may assist our local government in avoiding the potential loss of this critical funding,” Plaskett said.
According to the report, the EPA has identified numerous program deficiencies in the USVI over the last few years. The report goes on to indicate that those deficiencies were not corrected and as a result, have continued. The report found deficiencies in areas such as the Underground Storage Tank/Leaking Underground Storage Tank and Safe Drinking Water Act programs.
The EPA awards more than $2 million a year in grants to support the Virgin Islands’ environmental programs.
