Open Recommendations

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations develop, communicate, and implement policies and procedures for the EDG TRGs.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations systematically inform EDG TRG members about their membership, update the OpE SharePoint site to show the current membership of TRGs, and record TRG evaluations in a centralized location.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations provide and promote EDG TRG training to current members on all SharePoint sites.

We recommend that the Office of Wildland Fire develop and implement guidance on how bureaus should prioritize and document the justification used to determine which fuels management projects are eligible for Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding.

We recommend that the Office of Wildland Fire develop and implement a mechanism to monitor bureau Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act?funded projects' progress and impact and update its reporting accordingly.

We recommend that BIA develop and implement a procedure to monitor interim progress on all Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act-funded projects in accordance with BIA policy and Federal regulations.

We recommend that the Office of Wildland Fire develop and implement an oversight mechanism to ensure bureau fuels management program activities are tracked and evaluated to comply with Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requirements.

We recommend that BIA resolve the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon questioned costs of $653,023.

We recommend that BLM develop and implement a standardized process to track Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds that are not used as planned and require approval before moving unused funds to other projects.

We recommend that NPS resolve the questioned costs of $2,886.

We recommend that the Office of Wildland Fire develop and implement policies and procedures to track, evaluate, and monitor bureau fuels management program activities to ensure expenditures comply with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

We recommend that BIA resolve the questioned costs of $180,392.

We recommend that BLM resolve the questioned costs of $168,939.

We recommend that NPS resolve the questioned costs of $235,450.

We recommend that the Office of Wildland Fire develop and implement a process to ensure that all wildland fire bureaus annually review and update all fire management plans as required.

We recommend that BIA review and update fire management plans at the Lower Brule Agency, South Dakota; Nez Perce Tribe, Idaho; Southern California Agency; Hualapai Tribe, Arizona; Crow Agency, Montana; Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation, Oregon; Northern Cheyenne Agency, Montana; Southern Ute Tribe, Colorado; and Eastern Oklahoma Region.

We recommend that the Office of Wildland Fire require bureaus to document how they prioritize funding for Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act fuels management projects in accordance with the Act.

We recommend that the Office of Wildland Fire develop and implement a process to review each bureau's prioritization process and project selection justification to ensure fuels management projects meet Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requirements.

We recommend that BIA resolve the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in Colorado questioned costs of $105,600.

We recommend that BIA develop and implement procedures to require that Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act-funded fuels management contracts, grants, and projects are identified and approved in the National Fire Plan Operations Reporting System and the program of work prior to distributing funds.

We recommend that BIA develop and implement procedures that ensure all fuels management purchases, activities, and treatments are documented and supported in the National Fire Plan Operations Reporting System and included in the program of work.

We recommend that NPS develop and implement procedures that ensure all fuels management purchases, activities, and treatments are documented and supported in the National Fire Plan Operations Reporting System and included in the program of work.

We recommend that BIA develop and implement a process to ensure it documents and maintains adequate expense records to validate that expenditures are in compliance with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and DOI policy.

We recommend that BIA develop and implement a process to ensure it documents its justification and obtains management approval before transferring existing transactions to Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act accounts.

We recommend that BLM develop and implement a process to ensure it maintains all purchase records in accordance with BLM and DOI policies.