"The surprise dismissal of the EPA’s inspector general has left agency veterans puzzled, given Sean O’Donnell’s track record in recovering money and scrutinizing waste within the agency.

Under O’Donnell’s leadership, the Office of Inspector General aggressively scrutinized a wide range of EPA activities during the Biden administration, with a special focus on the grant funding under the infrastructure and climate laws. The office was also sharply critical of high-profile agency efforts like its clean school bus and lead service line funding programs.

O’Donnell was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2020.

“It’s very interesting. It’s almost like it didn’t matter” that O’Donnell found more than $2 billion in monetary impacts last year, said Stan Meiburg, a longtime EPA staffer and former acting deputy administrator who is no longer with the agency."

Stephen Lee reports for Bloomberg Environment January 27, 2025. [2]