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Open Recommendations (14 total)

Broadband Deployment: Agencies Should Take Steps to Better Meet Deadline for Processing Permits

GAO-24-106157
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3 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management The Director of BLM should establish a method to alert staff to communications use applications at risk of exceeding the 270-day deadline. (Recommendation 5)
Open
In the 180-day letter GAO received on July 9, 2024, the Department of Interior agreed with the recommendation and indicated that the Bureau of Land Management would develop a standard report within its existing data system and issue appropriate policy to track the processing times for communications use applications. It also indicated that the report would include a method that notifies agency management when applications approach the 270-day deadline. The Department of Interior set a target completion date for these steps of January 31, 2026.
Bureau of Land Management The Director of BLM should develop controls to ensure BLM data are sufficiently accurate and complete to track processing times for all communications use applications. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In the 180-day letter GAO received on July 9, 2024, the Department of Interior agreed with the recommendation and indicated that the Bureau of Land Management would work to develop data standards and devise a report that can accurately track processing times for communications use permit applications by January 31, 2026.
Bureau of Land Management The Director of BLM should continue to analyze the factors that contribute to delays in processing communications use applications as they occur and take actions to address those factors. (Recommendation 3)
Open
In the 180-day letter GAO received on July 9, 2024, the Department of Interior agreed with this recommendation and indicated that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would analyze the factors and processes that contribute to delays in authorizing communications use applications and develop recommendations on how to resolve the issues. Following the identification process, BLM will develop system modifications to address the delays and issue policy. The Department of Interior also indicated that the policy would also include guidance on how to document and handle issues related to proponent delays that affect the processing time. Interior indicated that it planned to complete these steps by January 31, 2026.

Bureau of Land Management: Better Workforce Planning and Data Would Help Mitigate the Effects of Recent Staff Vacancies

GAO-22-104247
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1 Open Recommendations
1 Priority
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management
Priority Rec.
The Director of BLM should develop an agency-wide strategic workforce plan that aligns the agency's human capital program with emerging mission goals and includes long-term strategies for acquiring, developing, and retaining staff to achieve programmatic goals. (Recommendation 2)
Open – Partially Addressed
The Department of the Interior concurred with this recommendation. As of February 2024, the Bureau of Land Management developed a draft workforce planning framework and project plan, which we reviewed. The agency expects to implement its workforce plan in fiscal year 2025.

Bureau of Land Management: Better Workforce Planning and Data Would Help Mitigate the Effects of Recent Staff Vacancies

GAO-22-104247
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management The Director of BLM should track data on vacancies and the use of details for all offices. (Recommendation 1)
Open
The Department of the Interior concurred with this recommendation. As of February 2024, Bureau of Land Management officials said the agency, via the Interior Business Center, is developing a model for vacancy tracking.

Oil and Gas Leasing: BLM Should Update Its Guidance and Review Its Fees

GAO-22-103968
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management The Director of BLM should conduct a review to determine why the agency has had difficulty updating handbooks and its manual for oil and gas leasing as directed by BLM policy, and then adjust BLM's approach to updating them accordingly. (Recommendation 1)
Open
According to BLM officials, in March 2022, BLM reviewed the difficulty it has had in updating its oil and gas leasing handbooks and manuals. The agency found that difficulties were due to litigation, pending court action, or pending rulemaking on leasing regulations. However, agency officials did not indicate that BLM adjusted its approach to updating its handbooks and manual. Instead, BLM officials said the agency would start preparing to update its handbooks as part of its rulemaking process. BLM issued its proposed rule for comment in 2023, and anticipates finalizing the rule by April 2024.

Oil and Gas Leasing: BLM Should Update Its Guidance and Review Its Fees

GAO-22-103968
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management The Director of BLM should revise the agency's approach to conducting biennial fee reviews to ensure that future biennial reviews examine all costs BLM intended to recover with its application fees and, where appropriate, adjust fees accordingly. (Recommendation 3)
Open
BLM agreed with this recommendation and has taken some actions to address it. In 2023, BLM issued proposed regulations which would revise existing fees associated with processing oil and gas applications. The new regulations have since been undergoing review. BLM expects to finalize the regulations by April 2024. BLM has not indicated how it will revise its approach to conducting biennial fee reviews, which is also critical to addressing this recommendation. Once these actions have been taken, BLM will be better able to determine the appropriateness of its fees.

Oil and Gas: Interior Should Strengthen Management of Key Data Systems Used to Oversee Development on Federal Lands

GAO-21-209
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management The Director of BLM should define and document processes for developing and managing requirements for AFMSS II and MLRS in a manner consistent with existing or updated IT policies and guidance. (Recommendation 5)
Open
In May 2022, BLM issued guidance reiterating that its 2016 Capital Planning and Investment Control handbook should be used, and considers this recommendation addressed as a result. While the 2016 policy provides a broad framework for requirements, it does not specify in any detail BLM's expectations for how requirements are to be developed and managed for AFMSS II and MLRS. For example, our report highlighted a lack of definition regarding which stakeholders should be involved in providing input and at what stages when developing customer requirements. The 2016 handbook does not address such issues and therefore does not address the recommendation. As of March 2024, we continue to monitor actions to address this recommendation.

Oil and Gas: Interior Should Strengthen Management of Key Data Systems Used to Oversee Development on Federal Lands

GAO-21-209
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management The Director of BLM should develop training plans for key data systems that identify users and how they will be trained. (Recommendation 3)
Open
Interior stated that the BLM will document a standard operating procedure and/or guidance for training users on key data systems. The BLM will also work closely with the National Training Center to create and maintain training resources and other materials for users throughout the life of key data systems. To implement this recommendation, BLM should finalize the training plans for key data systems. As of March, 2024, we continue to monitor actions to address this recommendation.

Federal Oil and Gas Revenue: Actions Needed to Improve BLM's Royalty Relief Policy

GAO-21-169T
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management The Director of BLM should evaluate its temporary royalty relief program, including the extent to which the policy met BLM's objectives—conserving oil and gas resources from becoming unrecoverable—and likely costs, such as forgone revenues—to inform any royalty relief decisions it may make in the future under the ongoing regulatory authority. (Recommendation 1)
Open – Partially Addressed
In an October 2021 letter addressing our recommendations, Interior concurred with this recommendation and stated that BLM planned to review its federal oil and gas permitting and leasing program. In April 2023, BLM had partially conducted an evaluation of its temporary royalty relief program and estimated that it had foregone at least $6 million in revenues as of mid-June 2021; BLM also stated that these numbers were not final and subject to change. However, BLM stated that it decided it would not specifically evaluate its royalty rate reduction program, but instead would evaluate its wider royalty rate reduction program as part of a rulemaking process. BLM planned to issue its rulemaking in spring 2023. As of April 2024, BLM had no updates about this recommendation.
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