facilitate land exchanges more than a decade ago, the Bureau and the Matters for Service have increasingly relied on exchanges to acquire land. In recent years, many controversies and problems have been reported in both agencies’ land exchange programs. While both agencies have taken steps to improve their programs, we believe that these problems reflect, in part, the difficulties and inefficiencies that are inherent in land exchanges. And we remain concerned that the Bureau wants to continue to sell and buy land under the umbrella of its assembled land exchanges. On the basis of these fundamental issues, the Congress may wish to consider directing both Since the Congress agencies to discontinue their land exchange programs. passed legislation to improving federal land management and/or addressing state or local Recommendations needs, that the benefits from acquiring the nonfederal land will to the Secretaries of match or exceed the benefits from retaining the federal land, and that all statutory and regulatory requirements for land exchanges Agriculture and the are met. Interior In addition, we recommend that Interior and the Bureau take the following actions: We recommend that the Secretary of the Interior Identify and immediately discontinue assembled exchanges under instruct the Director of the which the Bureau is—either directly or through third-party Bureau of Land facilitators— following the unauthorized practice of selling federal Management and that the land, retaining the sales proceeds (and interest) in escrow accounts Secretary of Agriculture rather than depositing them into the Treasury, and using these instruct the Chief of the proceeds to buy nonfederal land. Forest Service to take the following action: Require that all exchanges be reviewed and approved by the agencies’ review teams (or other designated officials) before those exchanges are completed. In this review, the agencies must ensure that the federal and nonfederal lands proposed to be exchanged are appropriately valued, that the officials give full consideration to
Matters for Since the Congress passed legislation to facilitate land exchanges more than a decade ago, the Bureau and the Service have increasingly relied on exchanges to acquire land. In recent years, many controversies and problems have been reported in both agencies’ land exchange programs. While both agencies have taken steps to improve their programs, we believe that these problems reflect, in part, the difficulties and inefficiencies that are inherent in land exchanges. And we remain concerned that the Bureau wants to continue to sell and buy land under the umbrella of its assembled land exchanges. On the basis of these fundamental issues, the Congress may wish to consider directing both agencies to discontinue their land exchange programs. Recommendations to the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior We recommend that the Secretary of the Interior instruct the Director of the Bureau of Land Management and that the Secretary of Agriculture instruct the Chief of the Forest Service to take the following action: Require that all exchanges be reviewed and approved by the agencies’ review teams (or other designated officials) before those exchanges are completed. In this review, the agencies must ensure that the federal and nonfederal lands proposed to be exchanged are appropriately valued, that the officials give full consideration to improving federal land management and/or addressing state or local needs, that the benefits from acquiring the nonfederal land will match or exceed the benefits from retaining the federal land, and that all statutory and regulatory requirements for land exchanges are met. In addition, we recommend that Interior and the Bureau take the following actions: Identify and immediately discontinue assembled exchanges under which the Bureau is—either directly or through third-party facilitators— following the unauthorized practice of selling federal land, retaining the sales proceeds (and interest) in escrow accounts rather than depositing them into the Treasury, and using these proceeds to buy nonfederal land.
GAO%20Audit.docx