EPA’s Green Chemistry Awards Criticized

EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards go to efforts that eliminate the use of hazardous solvents or generation of toxic waste, save billions of gallons of water, or curb greenhouse gas emissions. But EPA’s internal watchdog says those claims, submitted by award applicants, may be misleading because the agency doesn’t verify or validate the results and the award recipients don’t have to conduct quality-assurance checks.

A Sept. 15 report by EPA’s Office of Inspector General recommends that the agency quit estimating the pollution prevention benefits reaped through the green chemistry award projects until data quality controls are in place.

What’s more, the inspector general’s report says the name of the program is misleading because awards haven’t gotten endorsement from the U.S. President for years. The name of the program dates to its start in 1996, under President Bill Clinton. The report recommends that the agency either rename the program or obtain ongoing presidential endorsement of the awards.

EPA responded that in the next year, it would gather information on impacts of technologies that have received the awards and will periodically assess the program to evaluate results. The agency also points out that the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy participated in the 2015 award ceremony this summer.

The awards are bestowed annually by EPA in partnership with the American Chemical Society’s Green Chemistry Institute. ACS publishes C&EN.