Interior Department agencies mishandled and in some cases misspent supplemental funds that Congress provided to reduce wildland fire risks, auditors said in a report made public Thursday.
The assessment by Interior’s Office of Inspector General found that the department’s Office of Wildland Fire “did not efficiently manage” the extra funds provided during the Biden administration, while the four Interior bureaus with firefighting responsibilities “did not always expend [the] funds in accordance with the Act.”
The supplemental funds in question came from a 2021 package that provided Interior $878 million for wildland fuels management over a five-year period.
“Internal control weaknesses in the oversight and management of [the] fuels management funds may significantly affect DOI’s ability to ensure bureaus are using the funds in accordance with the [act] and to reduce the risk of fraud, waste, and abuse,” the auditors noted.