Department of the Interior OIG

We completed an evaluation to determine if the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has fulfilled its responsibility to assist the oil industry’s preparation for oil spill response. Our evaluation focused on the Oil Spill Preparedness Division (OSPD).We found that while BSEE has...

We initiated this investigation based on information we received while investigating U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Ryan Zinke’s use of noncommercial aircraft for U.S. Government travel. This investigation focused on whether Secretary Zinke abused his position by having his family...

During an investigation into suspicious internet traffic, we identified two vulnerabilities in the USGS’ IT security posture: web-site access and open USB ports. Common methods to prevent malware incidents involve a combination of employee training (Rules of Behavior) and access controls (hardware...

During an investigation at Haskell Indian Nations University (Haskell), we found that employees of the Haskell Foundation (Foundation), a nonprofit corporation, utilize office space on the Haskell campus and manage the proceeds of grants to Haskell. We also found that Haskell and the Foundation had...

During an investigation of the use of self-bonds in coal operations, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) identified an issue with access to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s (WDEQ’s) records related to its grant from the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement (OSMRE...

The OIG investigated the alleged theft of a U.S. Treasury check paid to Cheryle Jordan for land that Jordan sold through the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI’s) Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations. Jordan filed a claim with the Office of Special Trustee for American Indians (OST) stating...

We reviewed four recommendations (recommendations 48 – 50 and 53) in our 2010 report on the future of BOEMRE to determine whether the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), now responsible for those recommendations, had fulfilled them. We confirmed that BSEE has resolved, implemented...

We reviewed three recommendations (Recommendations 2 – 4) presented in our December 2011 evaluation report titled U.S. Department of the Interior’s Video Teleconferencing Usage, to verify that the Department and its bureaus have implemented them.We confirmed that all three recommendations have been...

We reviewed six recommendations (Recommendations 3 and 5 – 9) presented in our September 2015 evaluation report titled Operation and Management of the Brinkerhoff Lodge at Grand Teton National Park, to verify that the National Park Service has implemented them.We confirmed that all six...

We audited the interim costs incurred by the Crow Tribe under two contracts (Contract Nos. R11AV60120 and R12AV60002) with the Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) to fund various improvements to tribal water systems. For this audit, we reviewed $13,835,511 of the $20,999,510 in costs the Tribe claimed...