Procedures Need Strengthening in the U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation's Conflict of Interest Program
RCED-84-98
Published: Sep 20, 1984. Publicly Released: Oct 22, 1984.
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Highlights
In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed: (1) the appropriateness of the U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation's criteria for identifying confidential information and the consistency with which these criteria have been applied; (2) whether First Colony Project (FCP) information initially withheld from the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and subsequently provided to a public interest group had been properly classified as confidential; (3) the existing legislative criteria governing the Corporation's conflict-of-interest program; (4) its procedures for preventing conflicts of interest and how these procedures are followed.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation | The Chairman of the U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation should expand the Corporation's criteria on which employees should be submitting reports of their financial interests by specifying, in the criteria, that they are also applicable to those employees with key responsibilities, not necessarily project-specific. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation | The Chairman of the U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation should enforce the Corporation's requirement that all independent contractors under service to the Corporation either report their financial interests in, and affiliations with, companies on the Corporation's list of participating organizations, or report that they have none. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation | The Chairman of the U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation should direct the ethics officer to increase the frequency of his monitoring of officers' and employees' financial interests to better identify and resolve conflict-of-interest situations. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation | The Chairman of the U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation should require the ethics officer to ensure that conflict-of-interest decisions are consistent and the reasons for the decisions are documented in the Corporation's files. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
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Topics
Confidential communicationsConflict of interestsEnergy researchEnergy suppliesFederal corporationsFinancial disclosureMonitoringSynthetic fuelsConfidential informationIndependent contractors