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ExpectMore.govExpectMore.gov home pageEXPECT FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO PERFORM WELL, AND BETTER EVERY YEAR.
 
Program Assessment

Program

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Forest Service: Energy Resource Needs

The United States Department of Agriculture's Forest Service manages oil and gas operations on National Forests, and oversees exploration and development of energy resources on National Forest System lands. The program does not extract these resources itself but provides leases to private parties to do so.

Rating

What This Rating Means

PERFORMING
Adequate

This rating describes a program that needs to set more ambitious goals, achieve better results, improve accountability or strengthen its management practices.
  • Performance measures are incomplete, particularly relating to compliance with permit conditions and whether violations or outstanding issues are addressed within acceptable timeframes.
  • The Forest Service works with its Federal partner (the Bureau of Land Management) through an interagency agreement, but a review indicated actual collaboration is sporadic and varies by location. This may lead to situations where application processing and program administration is delivered inconsistently.
  • The agency is on track with the percent of drilling permits processed but is not meeting its target for the percentage of lease applications processed in prescribed timeframes.

Improvement Plan

About Improvement Plans

We are taking the following actions to improve the performance of the program:

  • Refining performance measures to include compliance and remediation.
  • Improving coordination with the Bureau of Land Management to enhance program efficiency.
  • Reducing the backlog of lease applications by implementing authorities provided by the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

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