DOI OIG posts report on National Bison Range

Thursday, December 13, 2007  

The Office of Inspector General at the Department of the Interior has posted a report on the National Bison Range in Montana.

The OIG investigated allegations made against top Interior officials and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The tribe is handling some functions at the range under an annual funding agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The report concluded that top officials exerted "considerable and unusual influence" on FWS to reach the agreement with the tribe. "[B]ut such influence is neither improper nor illegal," the OIG said. "CSKT met all the statutory requirements for entering into negotiations to operate the National Bison Range."

The agreement was halted after complaints by the FWS. Another top Interior official has directed FWS to resolve its issues and come to a new agreement by March 2008.

OIG Report:
National Bison Range (November 2007)

Evaluation Report:
Implementation of the Annual Funding Agreement (May 2006)

Relevant Links:
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes - http://www.cskt.org
National Bison Range - http://bisonrange.fws.gov
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility - http://www.peer.org

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