National Park Service: Agency Should Recover Costs of Validity Examinations for Mining Claims
RCED-00-265
Published: Sep 19, 2000. Publicly Released: Oct 19, 2000.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the federal costs of conducting validity examinations at three California Desert parks, focusing on whether: (1) data are available on the National Park Service's costs of conducting validity examinations at these parks since 1994; and (2) the Park Service recovers the costs of such examinations from claimants.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should require that the Director of the Park Service should develop an accurate accounting of the costs of its validity examinations. |
Closed – Not Implemented
The National Park Service (NPS) had anticipated that this recommendation would be implemented if the Service were covered by a proposed regulation allowing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)to recover various costs associated with managing its mineral program, including conducting validity examinations. Per follow up with Interior in February 2016, no further actions have been taken with regard to how NPS accounts for the costs of its validity examinations.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should require that the Director of the Park Service should take steps to recover the costs of validity examinations to the extent allowed by law. |
Closed – Not Implemented
The National Park Service (NPS) had anticipated that this recommendation would be implemented if the Service were covered by a proposed regulation allowing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)to recover various costs associated with managing its mineral program, including conducting validity examinations. Per follow up with Interior in February 2016, no further actions have been taken to recover the costs of validity examinations.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should require that the Director of the Park Service should develop guidance that describes the circumstances under which discretionary validity examinations--for which costs may or may not be recoverable for claimants--are appropriately initiated. |
Closed – Not Implemented
The National Park Service (NPS) had anticipated that this recommendation would be implemented if the Service were covered by a proposed regulation allowing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)to recover various costs associated with managing its mineral program, including conducting validity examinations. Per follow up with Interior in February 2016, no further actions have been taken to develop guidance with regard to validity examinations and whether costs may or may not be recoverable for claimants.
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Topics
ClaimsCost accountingCost analysisEnvironmental monitoringEnvironmental policiesMiningNational parksRecreation areasNatural resourcesLand management