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Environment

Topic: Environment

FEDE Office of the Federal Register / National Archives and Records Administration · Rulemaking audits

Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act: Quality Standards for Hearing Loss Testing

Labor Department, Workers' Compensation Programs Office | Proposed Rule | The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) provides compensation to employees for disability or death from injury arising out of and in the course of employment. Hearing loss claims constitute a significant portion of LHWCA claims, and determining the extent of hearing loss necessarily entails evaluating medical test results. The program statutes and regulations currently reference audiograms as the primary testing method and incorporate the American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment for measuring and calculating hearing impairment. The Office of Workers' Compensati.

FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits

Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Labor

What GAO Found In May 2025, GAO identified 12 priority recommendations for the Department of Labor (DOL). Since then, DOL has implemented two of those recommendations, bringing the total to 10 priority recommendations in June 2026. GAO is highlighting the following three areas that warrant timely and focused attention: Protecting sensitive information, Enhancing unemployment insurance (UI), and Strengthening worker safety and health protections. Addressing GAO's recommendations in these areas would better ensure effective implementation of critical protections for sensitive personal information; help the agency stabilize the UI system for future economic downturns and monitor whether states.

FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits

Rural Water Infrastructure: Better Agency Coordination Could Help Unserved Communities Address Their Needs

What GAO Found Rural communities that are not currently served by drinking water or wastewater utilities (unserved communities) often face challenges addressing their drinking water or wastewater infrastructure needs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have limited data about these unserved communities but can obtain some information through their agencies’ programs and datasets. The rural unserved communities known to USDA and EPA are often in unincorporated areas and frequently have financial and other constraints that limit their ability to address their water infrastructure needs, according to agency officials. Homes Without Wastewat.

FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits

Federal Hazard Mitigation: FEMA Has Funded Small-Scale Renewable Energy Projects and Requires Applicants to Demonstrate Project Cost Effectiveness

What GAO Found The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) obligated about $13.6 million for 14 renewable energy projects through hazard mitigation assistance programs from fiscal years 2022 through 2024, the most recent 3 years of available data. These projects included small-scale solar generation, such as rooftop solar panels, microgrids, or solar generators for backup power for communities or public buildings. For example, projects included solar panels for a hospital, a sheriff’s office, and a recreation center to provide backup power during outages. FEMA provided this funding through FEMA’s hazard mitigation assistance programs, which include the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Pr.

FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits

VA Medical Facility Security: Actions Needed to Address Longstanding Risks

What GAO Found The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is responsible for securing its facilities. GAO has identified security challenges at VA medical facilities and made recommendations to help manage related risks. In January 2018, for example, GAO found limitations with VA’s risk assessment methodology and recommended VA review and revise its risk management policies to reflect interagency standards and develop an oversight strategy to assess its facilities’ risk management programs. VA has not fully implemented these recommendations. In April 2026, GAO reported that its 2025 covert testing found security vulnerabilities at selected VA facilities related to security vulnerabilities that.

FEDE Office of the Federal Register / National Archives and Records Administration · Rulemaking audits

Agency Information Collection Activities; New Information Collection: Techniques for Preventing and Enforcing Controlled Substance and Alcohol Violations Among Non-Commercial Driver’s License Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers

Transportation Department, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration | Notice | In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FMCSA announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR) described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval and invites public comment. This notice invites comments on a proposed information collection titled "Techniques for Preventing and Enforcing Controlled Substance and Alcohol Violations Among Non-CDL Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers." This research study will collect data from State partner agency representatives to assess ways to address controlled substance and alcohol violations among non- comm.

FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits

Priority Open Recommendations: Environmental Protection Agency

What GAO Found In April 2025, GAO identified 9 priority recommendations for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since then, EPA has implemented one of those recommendations, bringing the total to 8 as of May 2026. GAO is highlighting the following two areas that warrant timely and focused attention: Managing the nation's air quality issues, and Protecting the nation's water quality. Addressing GAO's recommendations in these areas would allow EPA to target its resources to the highest priorities for wildfire smoke events and help EPA better position the national ambient air quality monitoring system to provide critical information for managing air quality and protecting public health..

CABI Office of the Federal Register / National Archives and Records Administration · Rulemaking audits

Request for Information (RFI): Pharmacy Benefit Manager Compensation and Data Collection

Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services | Proposed Rule | This request for information (RFI) solicits technical input on the services and business practices of pharmacy benefit managers ("PBMs") and their affiliates to inform implementation of recent legislation. It specifically focuses on gathering information to inform two specific legislative requirements that are effective beginning calendar year 2028: restrictions on the remuneration that PBMs and their affiliates may receive for services in connection with the utilization of covered Part D drugs; and data reporting requirements.

FEDE Office of the Federal Register / National Archives and Records Administration · Rulemaking audits

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Helicopters

Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration | Proposed Rule | The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Helicopters Model AS355E, AS355F, AS355F1, AS355F2, and AS355N helicopters. This proposed AD was prompted by the determination that the tail rotor drive fan wheels (fan wheels) and the impeller second stage have been incorrectly identified during production. This proposed AD would require verifying the serial number and amendment of the log cards of the affected parts, and depending on the findings, performing a one-time borescope inspection to verify consistency between the log cards and the affected parts. Depending on the inspection resu.

FEDE Office of the Federal Register / National Archives and Records Administration · Rulemaking audits

Final Waivers and Extensions of the Project Periods With Funding for the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program and the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistance Center

Education Department | Rule | The Secretary waives the requirements in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations that generally prohibit project periods exceeding five years and project period extensions involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. The waivers and extensions enable 43 American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS) projects under Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.250N and one American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistance Center (AIVRTTAC) under ALN 84.250Z to receive funding for an additional period, not beyond September 30, 2027.

FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits

Federal Agency Workforce Changes: Update for July 2025 to January 2026

What GAO Found Over the course of 2025, federal agencies took steps to reduce the size of their workforces in response to presidential directives. These steps included offering incentives for employees to voluntarily resign or retire, implementing reductions in force, and restricting hiring for most positions. Data reported by 22 major federal agencies showed that nearly 378,000 employees separated from these agencies during 2025. About 65 percent of those separations came in the second half of the year as employees who had taken a deferred resignation offer departed their agencies. By contrast, these agencies reported they hired a total of about 127,000 employees, including temporary emplo.

FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits

Countering China: Agencies Provided Over $1 Billion but Have Not Assessed Overall Results of Projects

What GAO Found Since fiscal year 2020, the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have used an interagency proposal process to allocate funding for countering Chinese influence projects. An interagency working group has overseen the process and drafted annual guidance for bureaus and posts around the world to submit proposals for funding. The guidance specifies that proposals should address specific lines of effort, which include issue areas such as economic coercion and military exports. However, the proposal process does not require bureaus and posts to seek input from key stakeholders with issue area or regional expertise. Providing documented input.