Politics

House Resources Committee hearing on DOI issues

Friday, February 16, 2007

FROM THE INDIANZ.COM ARCHIVE:
Internal reports uncover troubled scene at Interior (August 1, 2006)

The House Committee on Natural Resources is holding a hearing this morning on oversight at the Interior Department.

In recent years, the Government Accountability Office and the DOI Inspector General have released a series of reports that question Interior's integrity, abilities and actions. The reports include investigations into former deputy secretary J. Steven Griles, royalty leases that are costing taxpayers billions of dollars, potential conflicts of interest among top Office of Special Trustee officials, mismanagement of Indian trust funds, inaction at a Bureau of Indian Affairs school that contributed to a student's death, dismal conditions at Indian Country jails, an official's "inappropriate" use of his position and questionable deals for friends of the Bush administration.

The committee will hear from Earl E. Devaney, the Inspector General at the Interior Department. He has said "anything goes" at the top levels of the department.

Also testifying is Robin M. Nazzaro, the director of Natural Resources and Environment at the Government Accountability Office.

The hearing starts at 10am. The live webcast can be accessed at http://boss.streamos.com/real-live/resources/
11460/350_resources-link-to-committee-hearings_060530.smi

Relevant Links:
House Resources Committee - http://resourcescommittee.house.gov
DOI Office of Inspector General - http://www.doioig.gov
Government Accountability Office - http://www.gao.gov

Recent GAO Reports:
Office of Special Trustee for American Indians: Financial Statement Audit Recommendations and the Audit Follow-Up Process (February 2007) | The Office of the Special Trustee Has Implemented Several Key Trust Reforms Required by the 1994 Act, but Important Decisions about Its Future Remain (January 2007)

Inspector General Reports:
On Allegations that the National Park Service Improperly Allowed Daniel Snyder to Cut Trees on Government Land (January 2006) | Allegations Concerning Senior Officials of the Office of Special Trustee for American Indians (May 2006) | Investigative Report On David Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Fish and Wildlife and Parks (May 2006) | Report on Child's Death at Chemawa Indian Boarding School (November 2005) | Collier Family Deal (June 2005) | J. Steven Griles (March 2004) | Final Detention Facility Report (September 2004) | William G. Myers