"U.S. EPA's internal watchdog plans to review Administrator Scott Pruitt's use of a special hiring authority to fill top political jobs at the agency.

In a notice dated yesterday, the EPA inspector general said it will begin 'preliminary research' on the administrator office's use of its authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act to fill 'administratively determined' positions.

The auditors' objective will be to determine how EPA used that authority to fill up to 30 positions. The IG launched the probe partly based on a congressional request."

Kevin Bogardus reports for Greenwire January 9, 2018. [2]