We also found that EPA and the Task Force  agencies had not fully established a plan to guide an adaptive  management process for the GLRI that could allow them to assess the   We  effectiveness of GLRI actions and, if needed, adjust their efforts.recommended, among other things, that the EPA Administrator, in  coordination with the Task Force, address how factors outside the scope  of the Action Plan that may limit progress, such as the effects of climate  change, may affect GLRI efforts to restore the Great Lakes, and establish  an adaptive management plan. $1.68 Billion Was Made Available for the GLRI in Fiscal Years 2010 through 2014, with $1.15 Billion Expended on 2,123 Projects as of January 2015

In fiscal years 2010 through 2014, $1.68 billion of federal funds was made  available for the GLRI, and as of January 2015, EPA had allocated  nearly all of the $1.68 billion, and the Task Force agencies had expended  $1.15 billion on 2,123 GLRI projects. In agreeing on GLRI work and funding for fiscal years 2012 through 2014,  the Task Force created a subgroup for each of the three priority issues  and set aside a total of about $180 million to pay for work to address  these issues. To agree on GLRI work to be conducted in fiscal year 2015 and future  fiscal years, EPA officials told us that the Task Force began creating  additional subgroups through which Task Force agency officials would  work together to identify each agency’s GLRI work and share of GLRI  funding in all five of the focus areas in the 2015-2019 Action Plan, not just  the three priority issues. Information on GLRI Projects Activities and Results Is Available from Individual Agencies, while Project Information in GLAS Was Limited by Some Inaccurate Data

The Task Force has made some information about GLRI projects,  including project activities and results, available to Congress and the  public in three accomplishment reports and the GLRI website. In addition, the individual Task  Force agencies collect information on activities and results from  recipients, although this information is not collected and reported by EPA. Specifically, after reviewing the  GLAS data we provided on funding amounts for 1,558 projects, four of  the five agencies identified inaccuracies in the GLRI funding amounts  that the agencies or their recipients had reported in GLAS. Some of these inaccuracies could have been caught through  data quality controls or other edit checks, but our analysis found that EPA  did not have controls for GLAS to prevent such errors. After this testing, in May  2015, EPA officials decided to use EAGL to collect information to monitor  and report on GLRI progress, and they made the system available to  Task Force agencies for an initial period of data entry. Fully implementing the actions needed to address the  reliability of GLRI project data should ensure that EPA and the Task  Force agencies can have confidence that EAGL can provide complete  and accurate information. In particular,  for a recommendation in our draft report that EPA determine whether the  agency should continue using GLAS or acquire a different system to  collect information to monitor and report on GLRI progress, EPA stated in  its written comments that GLAS is no longer in use and has been  replaced by EAGL. As a result, we removed the recommendation from the report. Third, for a recommendation that EPA should ensure that GLAS or  another system establishes data quality control activities, such as  verifications and documented procedures for ensuring system reliability,  EPA stated that it will establish data quality control activities such as  verifications and documented procedures for ensuring the reliability of the  EAGL information system. We examined the (1) amount of federal funds  made available for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and  expended for projects; (2) process the Great Lakes Interagency Task  Force (Task Force) used to identify GLRI work and funding; and (3)  information available about GLRI project activities and results.
Why GAO Did This Study

The GLRI seeks to address issues such as water quality contamination and nonnative, or “invasive,” species that threaten the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. A Task Force of 11 federal agencies, chaired by the EPA Administrator, oversees the GLRI. Task Force agencies conduct work themselves or through agreements with nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions, or other entities.
GAO was asked to review how GLRI funds have been used. This report examines the (1) amount of federal funds made available for the GLRI and expended for projects; (2) process the Task Force used to identify GLRI work and funding; and (3) information available about GLRI project activities and results. GAO analyzed funding data for the GLRI and five agencies that received the majority of GLRI funds; GLAS data; accomplishment reports; and 19 GLRI projects selected by funding amounts and agencies to illustrate projects with typical funding amounts. This sample is not generalizable to all projects.

What GAO Found

Nearly all of the $1.68 billion of federal funds made available for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) for fiscal years 2010 through 2014 had been allocated as of January 2015. Of the $1.66 billion allocated, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the other Task Force agencies expended $1.15 billion for 2,123 projects (see fig.). Agencies can liquidate and adjust obligations for 7 years after funds are no longer available for obligation.
The Task Force's process to identify each agency's GLRI work and funding has evolved to emphasize interagency discussion. In fiscal year 2012, the Task Force created subgroups to discuss and identify work on three issues, setting aside about $180 million for these issues over 3 years. This included cleaning up severely degraded locations called Areas of Concern, such as the White Lake Area of Concern in Michigan that involved sediment cleanup; preventing invasive species; and reducing nutrient runoff. EPA officials told GAO that the Task Force created additional subgroups to identify all GLRI work and funding beginning in 2015.
The Task Force has made some information about GLRI project activities and results available to Congress and the public in three accomplishment reports. In addition, the individual Task Force agencies collect information on activities and results, although this information is not collected and reported by EPA. The conference report accompanying the Department of the Interior Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2010 directed EPA to establish a process to ensure monitoring and reporting on the progress of the GLRI. EPA created the Great Lakes Accountability System (GLAS) to monitor and report on GLRI progress, but some GLAS data are inaccurate, in part, because EPA did not provide clear guidance on entering certain information and GLAS did not have data quality controls. According to EPA officials, the agency replaced GLAS and, in May 2015, began an initial period of data entry into the new system. EPA also provided guidance on entering information into the new system and plans to establish data control activities for ensuring the reliability of the new system. Fully implementing these control activities should ensure that EPA can have confidence that the system can produce data that are accurate and complete.

What GAO Recommends

Among other things, GAO recommended in its draft report that EPA determine if it should continue using GLAS or acquire a different system and ensure that the agency develops guidance for entering data and establishes data quality control activities. EPA took action to address these recommendations as GAO completed its work. GAO reviewed the actions taken and determined that the recommendations had been addressed. As a result, GAO removed the recommendations.