Improving Federal Land Acquisition and Management
GAO and Interior’s Office of Inspector General (IG) have reported on the difficulties BLM and other federal land management agencies have had in managing land appraisals and the loss of millions of federal dollars resulting from land appraisals that do not adhere to land appraisal standards. Land appraisals are needed when Interior agencies are buying, exchanging, or leasing land; between November 2003 and May 2006, the department appraised more than 6.5 million acres of land that was valued at more than $7 billion.
- GAO noted a wide variation in the quality of appraisals for land transactions involving potentially billions of dollars and that Interior’s Appraisals Services Directorate (ASD) does not have a system for ensuring that it sets and meets realistic time frames for appraisal delivery services.
Highlights of GAO-06-1050 (PDF)
- Since the inception of the Small Wetlands Acquisition Program in the late 1950s, FWS has acquired and permanently protected about 3 million acres of wetlands and grasslands in the Prairie Pothole Region. However, at the current pace of acquisitions, it could take FWS around 150 years and billions of dollars to reach its goal to acquire and permanently protect as much as possible of an additional 12 million acres of “high priority” habitat. However, some emerging market forces suggest that FWS may have only several decades before most of its goal acreage is converted to agricultural uses.
Highlights of GAO-08-196 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-07-1093 (PDF)
- In addition, FWS is generally not managing a majority of its conservation easements on farmlands since, on average, only 13 percent have been inspected annually to ensure landowners’ compliance with easement restrictions.
Highlights of GAO-07-1092 (PDF)
^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done
To ensure that land transactions are based on appraised values that adhere to recognized appraisal standards, the Secretary of the Interior needs to
- establish and implement a compliance inspection program, focusing particularly on appraisals with a higher likelihood of noncompliance.
Highlights of GAO-06-1050 (PDF)
To establish a better accountability framework for ASD to help meet clients' appraisal needs, the Secretary of the Interior—in collaboration with ASD and the land management agencies it serves—should
- require ASD appraisers and land management agency realty specialists requesting work to negotiate and reach agreement on completion dates for appraisal requests, and hold ASD accountable for meeting these dates; and
- develop a system to prioritize appraisal requests that allows higher-priority and more time-sensitive land transactions to be appraised in a timely fashion.
Highlights of GAO-06-1050 (PDF)
To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of FWS’s management of conservation easements on farmlands, the agency needs to
- ensure that the records for all of its farmlands are accurate and complete, and
- develop a proposal for Congress seeking the authority for additional flexibility with regard to the farmlands FWS determines may not be in the best interest to continue to include as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Highlights of GAO-07-1092 (PDF)
^ Back to topKey Reports
- Federal Land Management: Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act Restrictions and Management Weaknesses Limit Future Sales and Acquisitions
- GAO-08-196, February 5, 2008
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 70 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Additional Flexibility Needed to Deal with Farmlands Received from the Department of Agriculture
- GAO-07-1092, September 18, 2007
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 51 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- Prairie Pothole Region: At the Current Pace of Acquisitions, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Is Unlikely to Achieve Its Habitat Protection Goals for Migratory Birds
- GAO-07-1093, September 27, 2007
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 49 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- Interior's Land Appraisal Services: Actions Needed to Improve Compliance with Appraisal Standards, Increase Efficiency, and Broaden Oversight
- GAO-06-1050, September 28, 2006
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 59 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
