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Open Recommendations (59 total)

Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue

GAO-11-318SP
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Department of the Interior should implement GAO's recommendations from prior reports addressing a variety of oil and gas measurement factors.
Open – Partially Addressed
As of March 2024, Interior implemented 24 of 26 recommendations that GAO made in reports from March 2010 and April 2015 for improving Interior's oversight, polices, and practices for oil and gas measurement. Interior continues efforts to update oil and gas measurement and site security regulations. Interior plans to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking in December 2024, with a final rule expected in March 2025.

Telecommunications: Agencies Need Better Controls to Achieve Significant Savings on Mobile Devices and Services

GAO-15-431
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior To help the department effectively manage spending on mobile devices and services, the Secretary of the Interior should ensure an inventory of mobile devices and services is established department-wide (i.e., all components' devices and associated services are accounted for).
Open – Partially Addressed
The Department of the Interior has not demonstrated that it has fully implemented this recommendation. As of January 2024, the department demonstrated that only one of its components, the Bureau of Reclamation, had an inventory of mobile devices and associated services. We will continue to monitor the department's efforts to implement the recommendation.

Telecommunications: Agencies Need Better Controls to Achieve Significant Savings on Mobile Devices and Services

GAO-15-431
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior To help the department effectively manage spending on mobile devices and services, the Secretary of the Interior should ensure a reliable department-wide inventory of mobile service contracts is developed and maintained.
Open – Partially Addressed
As of January 2024, the Department of the Interior had not demonstrated that it had fully addressed this recommendation. In August 2019, the department developed an inventory of mobile service contracts. However, the department did not demonstrate that it had accounted for all of its mobile service contracts. We will continue to monitor the department's efforts to implement the recommendation.

Working Dogs: Federal Agencies Need to Better Address Health and Welfare

GAO-23-104489
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should direct all of the Department of the Interior's agencies with contractor-managed working dog programs to ensure that all 18 issues GAO identified as important to the health and welfare of working dogs are addressed, as appropriate, in future contracts. (Recommendation 15)
Open – Partially Addressed
In March 2023, the Bureau of Reclamation issued a revised customer service package template that incorporate by reference the 18 issues GAO identified as important to the health and welfare of working dogs. We await information on actions taken by the other Interior entity with contractor-managed working dog programs: the National Park Service - Park Police. As of February 2024, this recommendation remains open.

Land and Water Conservation Fund: Variety of Programs Supported, but Improvements in Data Collection Needed at BLM

GAO-19-346
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should direct BLM to collect centralized data on the acquisition method and interest acquired for the lands it obtains using LWCF funds as part of its planned update to Legacy Rehost 2000. (Recommendation 1)
Open
As of August 2023, BLM reported that it is conducting work on its new data system that will allow for centralized data collection on acquisition method and ownership interest. The agency plans to fully implement this new data system by March 2024.

Federal Real Property: Agencies Should Provide More Information About Increases in Deferred Maintenance and Repair

GAO-24-105485
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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's budget materials or other documents provide more information to Congress and the public regarding the agency's deferred maintenance and repair backlog, including at a minimum, explanations for major changes from year to year, categories of assets included in DM&R estimates, and the proportion of DM&R estimates needed to support the mission. (Recommendation 4)
Open
Interior agreed with the recommendation. Interior said that it would in its budget materials or other documents context for factors affecting major deferred maintenance and repair backlog changes from year to year, the scope of the real property included in backlog estimates, and the proportion of estimates associated with assets required to support the mission.

Tribal Transportation: Better Data Could Improve Road Management and Inform Indian Student Attendance Strategies

GAO-17-423
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior To improve the DMR, the Secretary of the Interior should direct the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs to develop a process for more complete and accurate reporting occurring under existing authority of Road Maintenance Program funds expended for performed maintenance on BIA roads.
Open
As of March 2024, GAO requested an updated from BIA regarding the status of its efforts to implement this recommendation. When BIA responds to our request, GAO will provide updated information.

Offshore Oil and Gas: Interior Needs to Improve Decommissioning Enforcement and Mitigate Related Risks

GAO-24-106229
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should ensure the BOEM Director completes planned actions to assess and revise qualification procedures to address decommissioning capacity and compliance history in consultation with BSEE, such as through qualification and disqualification criteria or fitness to operate standards. (Recommendation 4)
Open
Interior agreed with this recommendation. BOEM posted in the fall 2023 regulatory agenda a target of September 2024 for publication of a proposed rule. As of April 2024, we will continue to review the agency's actions to implement these plans and provide updated information when available.

Tribal Programs: Actions Needed to Improve Interior's Management of Trust Services

GAO-23-105356
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Assistant Secretary–Indian Affairs should review current and planned performance measures for Interior's management of trust funds and establish clearly defined performance measures for fulfilling its fiduciary trust responsibility and managing trust funds and related services to beneficiaries. (Recommendation 1)
Open
As of October 2023, Interior has identified four new categories of performance measures to fulfill the Secretary's trust principles: 1) probate processing; 2) disbursement processing; 3) timeliness of oil and gas receipting; and 4) beneficiary satisfaction. The agency has offered to walk GAO through the implementation of these performance measures, and plan to complete this task to address our recommendation by the second quarter of FY 2024.

Land and Water Conservation Fund: Variety of Programs Supported, but Improvements in Data Collection Needed at BLM

GAO-19-346
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should direct BLM to develop more specific guidance to ensure that land acquisition data are entered correctly into the agency's data system. (Recommendation 2)
Open
As of August 2023, BLM reported it is planning to develop specific guidance to ensure land acquisition data is entered correctly into its new data system. This new guidance will accompany the roll out of the new system, which is expected by March 2024.
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