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Unfounded Allegations of Mismanagement of Environmental Reviews by the Bureau of Land Management

Report Information

Date Issued
Report Number
20-0028
Report Type
Investigation
External Entity
Bureau of Land Management
Description

We investigated allegations that a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field manager and a BLM district manager improperly removed BLM staff from environmental reviews and inspections, mismanaged environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), failed to enforce regulations on mining operations, failed to comply with Federal recordkeeping policies, and misused courtesy letters to delay the reclamation of mining sites.

We did not substantiate any of the allegations. The BLM’s actions regarding the assignment of environmental review staff were based on departmental directives. BLM staff was aware of NEPA violations and was appropriately working to ensure legal compliance. We also found that BLM properly enforced regulations on mining operations; evidence established that the BLM staff was aware of the mining violation in question and was working with the mining operation to obtain compliance. Finally, we did not find any evidence that BLM management circumvented or avoided Federal recordkeeping policies or misused courtesy letters.

Joint Report
No
Agency Wide
Yes