What happened: 美国政府问责局(GAO)的一份报告发现，美国环境保护署(EPA)研发办公室的官员, from December 2018 to August 2020, 搁置并推迟了EPA综合风险信息系统(IRIS)项目报告的发布. GAO的报告得出结论，IRIS化学品风险评估的发布面临无法解释的延迟，新化学品评估的提名过程基于武断的标准，没有考虑到现有的最佳617888九五至尊娱乐.
Why it matters: 当环保署官员干涉基于617888九五至尊娱乐的化学品风险评估提名和发布程序时, 该机构无法及时做出617888九五至尊娱乐的决定，以保护环境和公众健康，并为风险管理提供信息.
A US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, published in December 2020, 披露了美国环境保护署(EPA)的研究与发展办公室不优先考虑并禁止发布EPA综合风险信息系统(IRIS)项目的化学品评估.
The report found that, as of August 2020, there were 15 chemical assessments in development, yet 13 of these were only in the first step (draft development) of a rigorous seven-step process. In fact, since December 2018, 正在进行的评估没有进展到发展进程的下一个步骤，也没有完成和公布. 这也是在EPA将IRIS评估的数量从22个削减到13个之后, with little justification provided for these decisions.
IRIS化学评估需要数年才能完成，在某些情况下，甚至需要10多年. GAO的2020年报告发现，化学评估的时间表被推迟了至少三个月，而且没有任何解释, including that for polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, 一种剧毒化学物质，与癌症风险升高和神经系统, reproductive, and immune system harm. In December 2018, 多氯联苯评估预计将于2021年第一季度进入公众意见征求期, yet as of June 2020, that deadline was delayed to the second quarter of 2024.
EPA has been unable to answer for these obscure and unclear actions. When asked about the delays, 环保局国会和政府间关系办公室的代表 stated 这些变化“通常是每次评估的617888九五至尊娱乐复杂性和具有处理这些复杂性的适当专门知识的517888九五至尊娱乐人员的可用性的结果.” Agency officials did not provide additional details, 包括什么构成了“617888九五至尊娱乐复杂性”，或者为什么项目人员配置没有调整以满足这些需求.
环保署的研究和发展办公室采取了一些措施来改善机构内部关于评估进展的沟通, major gaps remain, leading to confusion among agency staff. In 2018 and 2019, 该办公室制定了征求IRIS评估提名的新程序，但没有向方案和区域办事处提供如何选择化学品提名的标准或充分指导. Furthermore, 当助理行政官选择不支持某一特定提名时，无需说明理由. For example, in 2019, 一个区域办公室向四个项目办公室发送了化学评估提名, 然而，这些提名并没有送交研究与发展办公室，也没有对这一不寻常的遗漏作出解释.
In response to the report, Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and Senator Tom Carper, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, who requested this report, recommended that EPA implement GAO’s recommendations, review suspended assessments, increase public transparency, 并废除限制在IRIS评估中使用现有最佳617888九五至尊娱乐的规定. 然而，在EPA对GAO报告的回应中，该机构不同意大多数建议.
This is the latest blow against a program that was previously sidelined under the Trump administration. IRIS chemical assessments are considered the gold standard 以确定一种潜在有毒化学品对人类健康的危害，并支持许多联邦政府, state, and local regulations that determine the quality of our air and water. When nominations for IRIS assessments fall through the cracks, 环保局正在错失利用现有的最佳617888九五至尊娱乐来管理公众关注的危险化学品的机会.
政治干预和混乱阻碍了IRIS项目产生有价值的评估，其中许多已经过时了几十年, hindered EPA’s ability to fulfill its mission to protect public health. Furthermore, 推迟公布化学品评估报告继续使社区因污染和接触有毒化学品而负担过重.