EPA Overstated Brownfields Benefits to Communities, Report Says

The EPA’s Brownfields Projects Program overestimated how many of its benefits went to disadvantaged communities, the agency’s internal watchdog said in a report released Wednesday.

The agency did meet its internal goal of making sure 40% of the program’s benefits were funneled to disadvantaged communities. But its estimate of 91% overshot the mark the inspector general calculated, which was 60%.

In dollar terms, the Environmental Protection Agency’s estimate was that $164 million of the $179 million in funding under the 2021 infrastructure law would be steered toward disadvantaged communities. The watchdog’s finding was $107 million.

The agency also said 88% ...