House committee hearing on DOI rescheduled

Wednesday, February 14, 2007  

The House Resources Committee hearing on the Interior Department has been rescheduled due to inclement weather in the Washington, D.C., area.

The new hearing date is Friday, February 16, at 10am in Room 1324 of the Longworth House Office Building. The witnesses are Earl E. Devaney, the Inspector General at the Interior Department, and Robin M. Nazzaro, the director of Natural Resources and Environment at the Government Accountability Office.

"This oversight hearing is the first in what is planned as an ongoing effort in the weeks and months ahead to examine the agency across the board -- from problems at the Minerals Management Service and the Bureau of Land Management, to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Fish and Wildlife Service," said Rep. Nick Rahall (D-West Virginia), the chairman of the committee.

Recent GAO and Inspector General 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.

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

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