Slow equipment rollout may portend EPA problems, watchdog says

The EPA’s partial inability to equip field staff with personal protective equipment during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic could signal problems with the agency’s response to other major events such as wildfires and hurricanes, the agency’s internal watchdog said.

More than one-third of the 127 staffers contacted said they weren’t able to get personal protective equipment from the EPA during the pandemic, according to a report from the agency’s Office of Inspector General.

However, the inspector general also said the agency “sufficiently” managed emergency responses during the pandemic.