United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Office of the Comptroller General author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-01-01 monographic deposited born digital 45 p. GA 1.13:OCG-99-9 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-9 P0b002ee180393b94 f:cg99009 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-9 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-9 OCG-99-9 Land management Accountability Risk management Federal agency accounting systems Internal controls Information resources management Federal agency reorganization Natural resources Financial management Systems conversions Performance and Accountability Series 1999 Indian Trust Fund BLM Automated Land and Minerals Record System Letter Report OCG As part of its Performance and Accountability Series, GAO provided information on the major management challenges and program risks facing the Department of the Interior.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) a reexamination of the organization of the four major land management agencies is needed to streamline their operations and become more efficient; (2) even though Interior is the caretaker for much of the nation's natural and cultural resources, it frequently lacks information on the condition of these resources; (3) as a result, Interior does not know the status of key issues like the nature or extent of many problems relating to the resources it is legislatively mandated to foster, protect, and preserve; the effectiveness of measures taken to deal with the problems; or the areas where the limited financial resources available should be allocated to achieve the most good; (4) decentralization of responsibility, coupled with inadequate guidance and oversight, has resulted in significant differences in how Interior's field offices have implemented both legislative mandates and the administration's goals and objectives; (5) management of the $3 billion Indian trust fund has long been characterized by inadequate accounting and information systems, untrained and inexperienced staff, poor recordkeeping and internal controls, and inadequate written policies and procedures; (6) a half-billion-dollar automated records system now being developed by the Bureau of Land Management is years behind schedule and is estimated to cost more than $100 million over the original estimate; (7) Interior has acknowledged the need to address many of these challenges and, for the most part, has begun to do so; and (8) however, much remains to be done, and it is still too early to determine whether Interior's actions will be effective. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-9/html/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-9.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-9/pdf/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-9.pdf GAO/OCG-99-9 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-9 Letter Report GAO/OCG-99-9; Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Department of the Interior; Land management Accountability Risk management Federal agency accounting systems Internal controls Information resources management Federal agency reorganization Natural resources Financial management Systems conversions Performance and Accountability Series 1999 Indian Trust Fund BLM Automated Land and Minerals Record System