"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

     Interior's policies toward NWRS management

     Objectives, scope, and methodology

     Formulation of an expanded use policy and the response from FWS regions

     The compatibility test: decision left to the Secretary's discretion

     Existing resource problems in NWRS from public and economic use

     Conclusions

     FWS cannot substantiate its figures on expanded use

     Implementation of policy has not been uniform

     Conclusions

     Recommendation

     FWS assisted API with survey to identify existing oil and gas activity

     Existing oil and gas operations in NWRS

     Impact of existing operations on refuges

     Conclusions

     Recommendations

     Events which led to Interior's consideration of leasing refuge lands

     Other proposals to open NWRS lands to leasing were not actively being considered

     Status of oil and gas lease applications

     Conclusions

     Statutory and regulatory requirements for access and use

     Access regulations for economic use privileges are unclear

     Fees for access and use are not consistently collected

     Collection and tracking system for revenues could be improved

     Conclusions

     Recommendations

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

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