Lawmakers were given notice Tuesday that Trump had designated Sean O’Donnell, the inspector general of the Environmental Protection Agency, to take over the Pentagon watchdog’s office in addition to his current post. That designation negated Fine’s appointment to the coronavirus oversight panel.
„Yesterday, the President nominated Mr. Jason Abend for the position of DoD Inspector General,“ Allen said. „The same day, the President also designated Mr. Sean W. O’Donnell, who is the Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General (EPA IG), to serve as the Acting DoD IG in addition to his current duties at the EPA.“
Trump’s decision to have the EPA inspector general simultaneously monitor the sprawling Department of Defense is also raising alarms among environmental advocates, who worry oversight of EPA could suffer as a result.
„It is going to affect, probably adversely, the IG function of EPA,“ said Stan Meiburg, a 40-year regional EPA chief and member of the Environmental Protection Network. „DOD is a monster organization and will overwhelm the demands on an EPA IG. How anyone could do both jobs escapes me.“
There are indications, though, that O’Donnell isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers among Trump appointees. Despite being on the job at EPA for just a few months, O’Donnell has already clashed with Trump officials there several times.
Last week, O’Donnell issued an unusual alert publicly warning that EPA has failed to tell communities about the risks of living near medical sterilization plants and chemical plants that emit a carcinogenic gas. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler demanded the alert be rescinded and said he felt blindsided.
Under O’Donnell, the Office of the Inspector General granted a request from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to look into how EPA reviews state air quality clean-up plans, a probe stemming from last year’s battle between the Trump administration and California over environmental enforcement. And earlier this month, O’Donnell issued a report showing a long-term enforcement decline at EPA, drawing criticism from agency leadership.
The new coronavirus law includes multiple layers of oversight, the most powerful of which is the panel of inspectors general given wide latitude to probe any aspect of its implementation. Fine was named by fellow inspectors general to lead that panel just last week. Now, his colleagues will be forced to make a new selection.
Fine had been the acting Pentagon watchdog since early 2016 after joining the Defense Department inspector general’s office in 2015 during the Obama administration. He was previously the Justice Department’s inspector general from 2000 to 2011, spanning three administrations of both parties.
Abend, who has been nominated to take over as the permanent Pentagon inspector general, is a senior policy adviser with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
But the Senate is out of session until at least April 20, and a shortened election-year calendar will give the Senate Armed Services Committee precious little time to confirm Abend, meaning O’Donnell may be in for an extended stay at the Pentagon.
Alex Guillén contributed to this report.
Source: politico.com
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