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Report File
Date Issued
Submitting OIG
Department of the Interior OIG
Other Participating OIGs
Department of the Interior OIG
Agencies Reviewed/Investigated
Department of the Interior
Components
Office of Natural Resources Revenue
Bureau of Land Management
Report Number
17-0502
Report Description

The OIG investigated allegations that an oil and gas company irregularly reported oil sold in the Vernal, UT, area to avoid paying royalties. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) also suspected that a BLM employee’s signature may have been forged on a document related to one of the company’s oil sales. Our joint investigation with the BLM’s Special Investigations Group did not substantiate either allegation. We found that the BLM had known about a measurement problem with an oil tank owned by the company since 2010 but took no action to resolve the discrepancy until 2016. The company that purchased oil from the tank also knew of the problem and used an alternative measurement method, so no royalty loss occurred. Finally, we found a BLM employee’s signature was not forged; instead, the employee’s name was written on a document to indicate the employee was present as a witness to a sale.

Report Type
Investigation
Location

Vernal, UT
United States

Questioned Costs
$0
Funds for Better Use
$0

Department of the Interior OIG

United States