"Economic Uses Of The National Wildlife
Refuge System
Unlikely To Increase Significantly" Transcription of the 1984 report prepared for the
Chairman, Subcommittee on Oversight And Investigations, House Committee On
Energy And Commerce by the Comptroller
General.
(GAO/RCED-84-108) Summary
Approximately 89 million acres of land are part of the
National Wildlife Refuge System. This report answers a series of questions
from the Chairman concerning the Department of the Interior's plans to
expand economic and public use of wildlife refuges. It discusses the
Department's proposals to increase the use of these lands--especially
proposals to open certain refuge lands to oil and gas leasing--the
potential impacts and conflicts from such uses, and certain practices
involving access to wildlife refuges.
The administration has also proposed expanding the use of
these lands for timber harvesting, cattle grazing, trapping, hunting, and
other activities. GAO found that the expansion levels estimated by the
Department are unlikely to be fully realized for several reasons relating
to demand for these products and activities, other refuge priorities, and
the personnel resources available to implement an expansion
policy.
The report makes recommendations to the Secretary of the
Interior to improve the management of the refuge system, particularly
oversight of refuge oil and gas operations.
Table of Contents
Chapter
1 Introduction
Chapter
2 Interior's Efforts to Expand Refuges' Public and Economic
Use
and Address Problems from Existing Refuge Uses Chapter
3 Potential Changes in Economic and Public Use
of National Wildlife Refuges Expected to be Minimal Chapter
4 Impact of Oil and Gas Development in NWRS Difficult to
Measure
Chapter
5 Increased Oil and Gas Leasing would represent
most
Significant Change for NWRS but has been Postponed by Congress Chapter
6 Access and Fee Policies for the NWRS Vary
Appendices
Appendix
I Letter of July 26, 1983, from the Chairman, Subcommittee on
Oversight and Investigations, House Committee on Energy and
Commerce
Appendix
II National Wildlife Refuge System's Units interviewed in GAO
telephone survey
Appendix
III Refuges visited and selection criteria
Appendix
IV Discussion of refuges visited
Appendix
V GAO survey of the economic uses of wildlife refuges
Appendix
VI GAO legal opinion on oil and gas leasing on wildlife refuge
lands
Abbreviations
API American Petroleum Institute
BLM Bureau of Land Management
DOI Department of the Interior
DSC Denver Service Center
EIS environmental impact statement
FWS Fish and Wildlife Service
GAO General Accounting Office
IBLA Interior Board of Land Appeals
MBO management by objective
NEPA National Environmental Policy Act
NWR National Wildlife Refuge
NWRS National Wildlife Refuge System
NWRSAA National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act
of 1966
WPA Waterfowl Production
Area |