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RED-76-17 1 (1975-08-25)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaaaqr0001 and id is 1 raw text is: COMPTROLLER GENERA7L OFTHz UNITED STATES WASHINGTON. D.C. 20548 B-166-506 AUG 2 5 1975Qqq The Honorable William S. Moorhead Chairman, Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Natural Resources Committee on Government Operations House of Representatives Dear Mr. Chairman: In a letter dated January 14, 1975, the Honorable Henry S. ReussL former Chairman of the Subcommittee, asked us to determine whether the Environmental Protection Agency ,,was fully complying with our decision of July 2, 1974 (B-166506), which stated that ad valorem tax systems did not meet the statutory requirements for user charge systems. The law requires each recipient (or user) of waste treatment services to pay its proportionate share of the costs to oper- ate, maintain, and replace facilities constructed with Federal grants awarded after March 1, 1973. Ad valorem tax systems are based on property values rather than on the recipients' use of the treatment facilities. In a subsequent meeting, we agreed to determine whether grant conditions requiring grantees to develop user charge systems were in compliance with the law and whether the Agency was complying with its user charge regulations. We also agreed to make our review at region V headquarters, Chicago, Illinois, and Agency headquarters, Washington, D.C. We reviewed 45 of the 166 construction grants awarded in region V between March 2, 1973, and March 15, 1975. Before awarding the grants, region V required grantees to ensure that an acceptable user charge system would be developed in compliance with the law. We found that region V had complied with our decision in that --grants awarded before the decision were amended to prohibit the use of ad valorem tax systems, --grants awarded after the decision contained the same prohibition, and --user charge systems the Agency approved were not base-, on ad valorem taxes. RED-76-17