"An internal watchdog criticized the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) top air official for participating in the development of a rule that regulates an industry in which he reportedly had financial holdings.

The EPA’s inspector general said in a report issued Wednesday that Joseph Goffman “failed to meet his ethical obligations under the federal conflicts-of-interest prohibition.”

It noted that Goffman, the EPA’s assistant administrator for air and radiation, “participated” in a rule regulating toxic emissions from the medical device industry despite holding a “disqualifying financial interest.”

Specifically, it cited Goffman’s holding of more than $25,000 in Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic, which together owned 10 percent of the facilities directly impacted by the rulemaking, according to the watchdog."

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill August 28, 2024. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Head of EPA Air Office Violated Ethics Rules, Agency Watchdog Says" (Washington Post) [3]