Reports

The OIG investigated allegations that an FWS contractor falsely certified payments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) under a construction contract it held in the Southeast Region and that the contractor failed to pay a subcontractor for work performed. We found no evidence that the contractor falsely certified payments to the FWS or that it withheld payment to its subcontractor. We found that the subcontractor did not provide the contractor with timely and accurate support for its invoices and that there were legitimate delays in the contractor’s payments to the subcontractor.

The OIG investigated allegations that a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manager sent pornographic images and sexually suggestive instant messages from his Government computer and personal cellphone to a subordinate employee.

We reviewed eight recommendations (Recommendations 1 and 3 – 9) presented in our August 2015 audit report U.S. Department of the Interior’s Climate Science Centers, to verify that the U.S. Geological Survey has implemented them. We confirmed that all eight recommendations have been resolved and implemented.

We audited the costs claimed by the Missouri State Department of Conservation under grants awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. The audit included claims totaling approximately $68.3 million on 39 grants that were open during the State fiscal years that ended June 30, 2014, and June 30, 2015.

We focused our audit on the drawdowns made by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) on Cooperative Agreement No. S16AC20034 with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) between September 26, 2016, and December 6, 2017. Our audit focused on whether the costs claimed by the National Academy of Sciences were allowable, allocable, and reasonable according to applicable Federal laws and regulations and OSMRE guidelines. We did not identify any issues with the costs claimed.