Federal Reports

We investigated allegations that an oil and gas company improperly reported oil and gas production from Federal leases to the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), which resulted in a loss of public mineral royalties.We found the company failed to properly report production and mineral royalties to ONRR as alleged, but we did not find the company intended to defraud the Government. The improper reporting occurred because the company did not provide adequate lease production information to the contractor it hired to perform the production and royalty reporting. Further, the contractor was unfamiliar with ONRR’s reporting procedures and requirements.

Due to the importance of identifying and correcting safety issues, we performed an evaluation to determine if corrective actions were being implemented to address observations identified through the TVA Observation Program (TOP). We found corrective actions were generally being implemented to address observations identified through TOP. In addition, we found Local Health and Safety Committees were generally taking action to address negative trends in at-risk observations. However, we identified opportunities for improvement related to (1) at-risk observations that should not have been included as part of TOP, (2) documentation of corrective actions in SafetyNet, and (3) closure of some at-risk observations in SafetyNet.

See link below for the full report, report summary, multimedia or any agency follow-up.

An Amtrak electrician in Chicago, Illinois, resigned from employment on April 14, 2020, following our investigation which revealed the employee violated company policies by establishing a business and using it to engage in fraudulent credit card schemes for personal gain during a portion of his continuous FMLA leave. The employee admitted that he used the proceeds from his business-related fraud scheme to travel and party. Further, he was initially dishonest with our agents when asked about his conduct. Criminal judicial proceedings are pending.

Our objective was to assess whether the Postal Service is effectively hiring and retaining first-line supervisors. We reviewed recruitment and retention initiatives to determine if they met their intended purpose. Additionally, we evaluated a statistical sample of 246 first-line supervisor vacancies from FYs 2016 to 2018 to determine whether the Postal Service filled first-line supervisor vacancies timely and whether first-line supervisors met qualifications outlined in job announcements.