The Interior Department should increase its use of videoconferencing, an Interior inspector general report has found.

The IG estimated Interior spent $42.4 million on travel in 2009 and lacks an official policy on the use of videoconferencing as an alternative to travel. Improving videoconferencing efforts would cut the department's travel costs as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the report, which was released Dec. 20, 2011, and reported on Monday by Federal Computer Week.

Interior has 315 videoconferencing endpoints nationwide, with most concentrated in Denver; Anchorage, Alaska; and Washington. The equipment at these locations is not being used to its full potential due to low motivation and a lack of employee knowledge about its availability, according to the report.

Interior should craft an official policy for promoting videoconferencing, ensuring the equipment is compatible, and interconnecting throughout the department and aligning equipment to specific cities based on frequency of air travel, the IG recommended. The department also should post information on its internal website to increase awareness and encourage equipment sharing.

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