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Open Recommendations (59 total)

Unauthorized Grazing: Actions Needed to Improve Tracking and Deterrence Efforts

GAO-16-559
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior To improve the effectiveness of BLM's efforts to track and deter unauthorized grazing, the Secretary of the Interior should direct the Director of BLM to amend the regulations on unauthorized grazing use--43 C.F.R. Subpart 4150 (2005)--to establish a procedure for the informal resolution of violations at the local level, or follow the existing regulations by sending a notice of unauthorized use for each potential violation as provided by 43 C.F.R. 4150.2(a) (2005).
Open
BLM is working with the Department of the Interior's (DOI) Office of the Solicitor and other stakeholders to revise the Unauthorized Grazing Use Handbook (H-4150-1). DOI has initiated an environmental impact statement (EIS) and rulemaking to revise 43 CFR Part 4100 - Grazing Administration - Exclusive of Alaska. Among other changes, the EIS considers several changes to modernize the regulations to address certain program trends and changes to the legal landscape that include provisions to address unauthorized grazing use through informal resolution of incidental, non-willful violations, as in recommendation 1 of GAO-16-559. If carried forward in the Final Rule, these changes would serve as the foundation to implement recommendations 2 and 3 of GAO-16-559. Because the rulemaking will likely change the regulations on which H-4150-1 is based, BLM has postponed further work until after the Final Rule is published. This is intended to ensure that DOI does not devote additional time and effort to revise H-4150-1, only for it to be out of conformance with the Final Rule, once published. Therefore, DOI is tracking a target date of December 14, 2023. We will follow-up with DOI in December 2023 about the status of this recommendation.

Artificial Intelligence: Agencies Have Begun Implementation but Need to Complete Key Requirements

GAO-24-105980
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should ensure that the department develops a plan to either achieve consistency with EO 13960 section 5 for each AI application or retires AI applications found to be developed or used in a manner that is not consistent with the order. (Recommendation 19)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

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
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should direct the Chief Information Officer to update Interior's Solution Development Lifecycle Guide or other relevant IT policies and guidance to address how program offices are to implement agile methodologies for the development of software. (Recommendation 6)
Open
Interior concurred with this recommendation. Instead of updating departmentwide policies to address agile methodologies, in July 2022 the Office of the Chief Information Officer issued a new policy that directs individual bureaus and offices to "establish and maintain a full system life cycle process." Though Interior considers this action to have addressed our recommendation, the new policy does not define how program offices are to implement agile methodologies. To address this recommendation, Interior should take steps to ensure departmentwide policies or individual bureau and office policies address how programs are to implement agile methodologies.

Oil and Gas Pipelines: Agencies Should Improve Oversight of Decommissioning

GAO-24-106444
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Director of FWS should develop a documented plan to ensure the agency collects and maintains the data necessary to oversee the decommissioning of gathering lines. (Recommendation 4)
Open
Interior agreed with this recommendation. We will update the status of the recommendation when we have more information.

Alaska Land Management: Resolving Ownership of Submerged Lands

GAO-23-106235
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should ensure that the Directors of BLM, FWS, and NPS coordinate with the Chief of the Forest Service to secure an independent third-party facilitator to help agencies within the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture and the State of Alaska work toward agreement on a collaborative approach for the management of submerged lands in Alaska while ownership is being resolved. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In January 2024, Interior stated that it concurs with GAO's recommendation and that the Directors of BLM, FWS, and NPS within Interior will coordinate with the Chief of the Forest Service within the Department of Agriculture to obtain the assistance of an independent third-party facilitator by a target date of July 31, 2024.

Unauthorized Grazing: Actions Needed to Improve Tracking and Deterrence Efforts

GAO-16-559
Show
1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior To improve the effectiveness of BLM's efforts to track and deter unauthorized grazing, the Secretary of the Interior should direct the Director of BLM to record all incidents of unauthorized grazing, including those resolved informally.
Open
BLM is working with the Department of the Interior's (DOI) Office of the Solicitor and other stakeholders to revise the Unauthorized Grazing Use Handbook (H-4150-1). DOI has initiated an environmental impact statement (EIS) and rulemaking to revise 43 CFR Part 4100 - Grazing Administration - Exclusive of Alaska. Among other changes, the EIS considers several changes to modernize the regulations to address certain program trends and changes to the legal landscape that include provisions to address unauthorized grazing use through informal resolution of incidental, non-willful violations, as in recommendation 1 of GAO-16-559. If carried forward in the Final Rule, these changes would serve as the foundation to implement recommendations 2 and 3 of GAO-16-559. Because the rulemaking will likely change the regulations on which H-4150-1 is based, BLM has postponed further work until after the Final Rule is published. This is intended to ensure that DOI does not devote additional time and effort to revise H-4150-1, only for it to be out of conformance with the Final Rule, once published. Therefore, DOI is tracking a target date of December 14, 2023. We will follow-up with DOI in December 2023 about the status of this recommendation.

Artificial Intelligence: Agencies Have Begun Implementation but Need to Complete Key Requirements

GAO-24-105980
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should ensure that the department (a) reviews the agency's authorities related to applications of AI and (b) develops and submits to OMB plans to achieve consistency with the Regulation of AI Applications memorandum (M-21-06). (Recommendation 20)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Critical Minerals: Building on Federal Efforts to Advance Recovery and Substitution Could Help Address Supply Risks

GAO-22-104824
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, in collaboration with the members of the Critical Minerals Subcommittee, should update the 2019 critical minerals national strategy as it relates to recovery and substitution. The update should address newly enacted statutory requirements and recent federal efforts and incorporate characteristics of effective national strategies, including (1) goals, subordinate objectives, activities, and performance measures; (2) resources, investments, and risk management; and (3) integration and implementation. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In December 2022, Interior officials stated that the National Science and Technology Council Critical Materials Subcommittee (CMS) is being realigned in response to recent statutory language in the Energy Act of 2020 and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 and that CMS will evaluate opportunities to align and update the 2019 interagency strategy accordingly. Given that the CMS realignment is ongoing, Interior does not believe that it is in a position to commit to any specific revision plans. As of February 2024, we are following up on this recommendation and will update it when we receive information.

Oil and Gas Pipelines: Agencies Should Improve Oversight of Decommissioning

GAO-24-106444
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Director of FWS should analyze all gathering lines FWS oversees to identify and prioritize those that pose the greatest safety, environmental, or fiscal risks for oversight and decommissioning. (Recommendation 5)
Open
Interior agreed with this recommendation. We will update the status of the recommendation when we have more information.

Southwest Border: Additional Actions Needed to Address Cultural and Natural Resource Impacts from Barrier Construction

GAO-23-105443
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should document, jointly with CBP, a strategy to mitigate cultural and natural resource impacts from border barrier construction that defines agency roles and responsibilities for undertaking specific mitigation actions; identifies the costs, associated funding sources, and time frames necessary to implement them; and specifies when agencies are to consult with Tribes. (Recommendation 2)
Open
Interior agreed with this recommendation. We will update the status of the recommendation when we received additional information from the agency.
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