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Open Recommendations (16 total)

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.

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.

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 Development: Improved Collection and Use of Data Could Enhance BLM's Ability to Assess and Mitigate Environmental Impacts

GAO-17-307
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management The Director of the Bureau of Land Management should provide additional guidance to field offices on how to collect and use data collected during monitoring inspections and, in doing so, determine and implement an approach for using the data to assess the effectiveness of the agency's mitigation efforts, including its best management practices.
Open
In February 2024, Interior stated that it was updating its Information Technology system, AFMSS 2, to produce national reports identifying the monitoring inspections BLM conducts and for which resources and assessing whether mitigation efforts have been effective. The Bureau also intends to revise BLM WO IM-2009-224, Use and Application of Fluid Minerals and Environmental Monitoring Program Element - MW, to ensure the use of scientifically based data and more consistent, repeatable methodology. As the BLM incorporates aspects of the Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring protocols into its oil and gas monitoring, the agency will also implement a reclamation-monitoring database. The BLM will support these improvements with additional training. We will update this when we confirm that these actions have been taken.

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 Development: Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of the Inspection and Enforcement Program

GAO-19-7
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management The Director of BLM should implement a risk-informed approach to scheduling and conducting internal control reviews that takes into account the risks to BLM's mission, such as those inherent in field offices' workload and workforce. (Recommendation 3)
Open
In June 2023, BLM issued a new oversight policy for its Oil and Gas Inspection and Enforcement program. This June 2023 policy states that it was developed in response to GAO's recommendations, replaces the prior oversight policy that required internal control reviews, and contains revised program oversight requirements that seek to identify and address workforce and training needs. However, GAO believes that the June 2023 policy does not address the intent of this recommendation because it does not contain a stated risk-based strategy to conduct oversight activities. For example, our 2019 report found that 58 percent of the program's workload was located at the 6 highest-activity field offices, which had 44 percent of the workforce. In contrast, the 6 lowest-activity field offices had 2 percent of the workload and 4 percent of the workforce. Under the June 2023 policy, these highest and lowest-activity field offices are required to conduct the same number and type of oversight tasks each year despite significant difference in the risk to BLM's mission. Documentation accompanying the June 2023 policy states that BLM has an inherent risk-based approach in the overall program. However, this risk-based approach is applicable to technical field inspections (e.g., drilling, abandonment, and production) and not to oversight tasks, which is the focus of our recommendation and the June 2023 policy.

Oil and Gas: Federal Actions Needed to Address Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Development

GAO-22-104759
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management The Director of BLM should consider whether to require gas capture plans that are similar to what states require, including gas capture percentage targets, from operators on federal lands. (Recommendation 2)
Open
Interior concurred with the recommendation. BLM stated that it is in the process of developing a proposed rulemaking that would require operators to submit waste minimization plans with every oil well application for permit to drill. The plans would provide BLM with information on anticipated associated gas production and the operator's capacity to capture that gas for sale or use. BLM stated that it did not plan to include gas capture percentage targets in the proposed rule, in part due to prior legal challenges. BLM expects to publish the Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation Final Rule in April 2024. When we confirm what actions Interior has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Bureau of Land Management: Agency's Reorganization Efforts Did Not Substantially Address Key Practices for Effective Reforms

GAO-20-397R
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management The Director of BLM should complete a strategic workforce plan that addresses how it will recruit for and fill vacant positions resulting from the relocations. (Recommendation 3)
Open
The agency neither agreed nor disagreed with our recommendation. As of February 2023, BLM has developed a workforce planning framework and project plan, but had not yet finalized a strategic workforce plan. The target date for creating the plan is September 2023. By finalizing such a plan that addresses recruitment, BLM will better ensure that it has the workforce necessary to fulfill the agency's mission and achieve its goals.

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

GAO-24-106157
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
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
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Oil and Gas Permitting: Actions Needed to Improve BLM's Review Process and Data System

GAO-20-329
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management The Acting Director of BLM should develop a documented process to consistently implement the APD prioritization process outlined in Instruction Memorandum 2013-104 at all field offices. (Recommendation 1)
Open
The Department of the Interior, on behalf of BLM, did not concur with this recommendation. As of November 2023, BLM has not taken steps to address this recommendation, and the agency continues to disagree with our recommendation.
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