Department of the Interior

We audited the costs claimed by the State of Alabama, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (Division), under grants awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. The audit...

We evaluated the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations. We found that the Bureau of Indian Affairs violated Federal regulations by delegating land title authority to its Acquisition Center. The delegation of land title authority resulted in confusion about roles...

The OIG investigated allegations that Extraction Oil and Gas (EXT) drilled multiple horizontal wellbores through a railroad right-of-way (ROW) in Weld County, CO, containing Federal minerals without first obtaining a Federal lease or drilling permit.We found that three companies (EXT, Mineral...

The OIG investigated allegations that National Park Service (NPS) employee Stephanie Wallace used another NPS employee’s Government purchase card to make personal purchases. We found that Wallace used the employee’s purchase card to pay for her children’s private school tuition.Wallace pleaded...

The OIG investigated anonymous allegations that a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) employee and another individual engaged in inappropriate behavior with two minors under their care. We conducted this investigation with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Our investigation found...

The OIG investigated allegations that a current Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) employee knew, or should have known, that a student was sexually assaulted at the school and failed to report this information. We found that the employee failed to report a conversation regarding the incident as...

The OIG investigated allegations that a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employee sexually assaulted another BLM employee while off duty.We found insufficient evidence to prove or disprove the allegation, and further investigation is unlikely to produce additional evidence. The alleged victim did not...

We reviewed the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI’s) compliance with four requirements from Executive Order 13950, Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping. The DOI met two of the requirements we reviewed and made progress toward compliance in the other two.This report was issued to the Secretary of...

The OIG investigated an allegation that a company improperly billed hours in late 2018 and early 2019 to a grant it received from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to manage Hurricane Sandy coastal resiliency projects.We determined that five employees of the company recorded 561.75...

We investigated allegations that a superintendent with the National Park Service (NPS) promoted his personal real estate business when performing official duties as a park superintendent.We found that the superintendent violated relevant standards of conduct and the Code of Federal Regulations by...