OIL AND GAS 

MANAGEMENT

Continued Attention to 

Interior’s Human 

Capital Challenges Is 

Needed

Statement of Frank Rusco, Director

Natural Resources and Environment

Testimony 

Before the Subcommittee on Energy 

and Mineral Resources, Committee on 

Natural Resources, House of 

Representatives

For Release on Delivery 

Expected at 2:00 p.m. EST 

Thursday, February 27, 2014

GAO-14-394T

United States Government Accountability Office
United States Government Accountability Office

Highlights of GAO-14-394T, a testimony 

before the Subcommittee on Energy and 

Mineral Resources, Committee on Natural 

Resources, House of Representatives

February 27, 2014

OIL AND GAS MANAGEMENT

Continued Attention to Interior’s Human Capital 

Challenges Is Needed 

Why GAO Did This Study

Interior employs a wide range of highly

trained specialists and scientists with 

key skills to oversee oil and gas 

operations on leased federal lands and 

waters. GAO and others have reported 

that Interior has faced challenges 

hiring and retaining sufficient staff to 

carry out these responsibilities. In 

February 2011, GAO added Interior’s 

management of federal oil and gas 

resources to its list of programs at high 

risk of fraud, waste, abuse, and 

mismanagement in part because of 

Interior’s long-standing human capital 

challenges.

This testimony and the January 2014 

report on which it is based address (1) 

the extent to which Interior continues to 

face challenges hiring and retaining 

key oil and gas staff and the causes of 

these challenges, (2) Interior’s efforts 

to address its hiring and retention 

challenges, and (3) the effects of hiring 

and retention challenges on Interior’s 

oversight of oil and gas activities. To 

do this work, GAO surveyed all 44 

Interior offices that oversee oil and gas 

operations, of which 40 responded; 

analyzed offshore inspection records 

and other documents; and interviewed 

agency officials. 

What GAO Recommends 

In its January 2014 report, GAO 

recommended that Interior explore its 

oil and gas management bureaus’ 

expanded use of recruitment, 

relocation, retention, and other 

incentives and systematically collect 

and analyze hiring data. Interior 

generally agreed with GAO’s 

recommendations. GAO is not making 

any new recommendations in this 

testimony.

What GAO Found

The Department of the Interior continues to face challenges hiring and retaining 

staff with key skills needed to manage and oversee oil and gas operations on 

federal leases. Interior officials noted two major factors that contribute to 

challenges in hiring and retaining staff: lower salaries and a slow hiring process. 

In response to GAO’s survey, officials from a majority of the offices in the three 

Interior bureaus that manage oil and gas activities—the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and the 

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)—reported ongoing 

difficulties filling vacancies, particularly for petroleum engineers and geologists. 

Many of these officials also reported that retention is an ongoing concern as staff 

leave for positions in industry. Bureau of Labor Statistics data confirm a wide gap 

between industry and federal salaries for petroleum engineers and geologists. 

According to Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data, the fiscal year 2012 

attrition rate for petroleum engineers at BLM was over 20 percent, or more than 

double the average federal attrition rate of 9.1 percent. Field office officials stated 

that attrition is of concern because some field offices have only a few employees 

in any given position, and a single separation can significantly affect operations. 

Additionally, Interior records show that the average time required to hire 

petroleum engineers and inspectors in recent months generally exceeded 120 

calendar days—much longer than OPM’s target of 80 calendar days. 

Interior and the three bureaus—BLM, BOEM, and BSEE—have taken some 

actions to address their hiring and retention challenges, but they have not fully 

used their existing authorities to supplement salaries or collect and analyze hiring 

data to identify the causes of delays in the hiring process. For instance, BLM, 

BOEM, and BSEE officials said that recruitment, relocation, and retention 

incentives are key options to help hire and retain staff, but the bureaus’ use of 

these incentives to attract and retain petroleum engineers and inspectors has 

been limited for various reasons. Moreover, Interior and its bureaus have taken 

some steps to reduce hiring times, but they do not have complete and accurate 

data on hiring times. For instance, while BSEE and BOEM collect hiring data on 

a biweekly basis, the data are used primarily to track the progress of individual 

applicants as they move through the hiring process. Likewise, a BLM official 

stated that the bureau does not systematically analyze data on hiring times. 

Without reliable data on hiring times, Interior’s bureaus cannot identify how long it 

takes to complete individual stages in the hiring process or effectively implement 

changes to expedite the hiring process. 

According to BLM, BOEM, and BSEE officials, hiring and retention challenges 

have made it more difficult to carry out oversight activities in some field offices. 

For example, many BLM and BSEE officials GAO surveyed reported that 

vacancies have resulted in a reduction in the number of inspections conducted. 

As a result of these challenges, bureau officials cited steps they have taken to 

address vacancies in key positions, such as borrowing staff from other offices or 

using overtime, but these are not sustainable, long-term solutions. 

View GAO-14-394T. For more information, 

contact Frank Rusco at (202) 512-3841 or 

ruscof@gao.gov.
 

Page 1 GAO-14-394T 

Chairman Lamborn, Ranking Member Holt, and Members of the 

Subcommittee:

I am pleased to be here today to discuss the Department of the Interior’s 

challenges to hiring and retaining staff to manage and oversee oil and 

gas activities on leased federal lands and waters. Interior plays an 

important role in permitting the development of new oil and gas wells on 

federal lands and waters and inspecting those wells to ensure compliance 

with environmental, safety, and other regulations.

In recent years, federal leases onshore and in offshore federal waters 

produced a substantial portion of the natural gas and oil produced in the 

United States. In 2012, onshore federal leases produced 13 percent of 

domestic natural gas and 5 percent of domestic oil, while in 2011—the 

most recent year for which data are available—offshore federal leases 

produced almost 24 percent of domestic natural gas and over 6 percent 

of domestic oil. Increasing oil prices, along with advances in technologies, 

such as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling in shale plays onshore, 

and deepwater drilling offshore, have made it possible to develop 

substantially more oil and gas resources. Such technological advances 

make it imperative that Interior hire and retain sufficient staff to oversee 

oil and gas activities on federal lands and waters.

Within Interior, three bureaus are responsible for regulating the processes 

that oil and gas companies must follow when leasing, drilling, and 

producing oil and gas from federal leases. The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) oversees onshore federal oil and gas activities, the 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) oversees offshore oil and 

gas leasing, and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement 

(BSEE) reviews applications for drilling and inspects offshore oil and gas 

activities.

Interior’s management of oil and gas activities on federal leases has been 

the focus of a large body of our work over the past several years, and we 

have reported on the weaknesses and challenges to Interior’s oversight of 

federal oil and gas and recommended specific actions to address them. In 

February 2011, we added Interior’s management of federal oil and gas 

resources to GAO’s list of programs at high risk of fraud, waste, abuse,

and mismanagement in part because of Interior’s long-standing and 
 

Page 2 GAO-14-394T 

continued human capital challenges.1 In July 2012, we reported, among 

other things, that BOEM and BSEE continued to face challenges hiring 

and retaining staff for oversight of oil and gas activities in the Gulf of 

Mexico, and did not have strategic workforce plans in place to outline 

strategies to address their human capital challenges.

2

In this context, my testimony today discusses the findings from our recent 

January 2014 report on Interior’s challenges in hiring and retaining 

sufficient staff to manage oil and gas activities on federal leases, as well 

as the status of recommendations from our prior work relating to Interior’s 

human capital challenges.3

Our January report included the results of a survey of management 

officials representing all 44 Interior offices responsible for oil and gas 

oversight operations—3 BOEM regional offices, 5 BSEE district offices 

and 3 BSEE regional offices, and 33 BLM field offices and 1 BLM state 

office. We received responses from 40 offices for an overall response rate 

of 91 percent. We also analyzed offshore inspection records and other 

documents and interviewed agency officials. Additional information on our 

scope and methodology is available in our January report. The work upon 

which this testimony is based was conducted in accordance with 

generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards 

require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate 

evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions 

based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained 

provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on 

our audit objectives.

Accordingly, this testimony addresses (1) the 

extent to which Interior continues to face challenges hiring and retaining 

key oil and gas staff and the causes of these challenges, (2) Interior’s 

efforts to address its hiring and retention challenges, and (3) the effects of 

hiring and retention challenges on Interior’s oversight of oil and gas 

activities.

 

1

GAO, High-Risk Series: An Update, GAO-11-278 (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 16, 2011). 

2

GAO, Oil and Gas Management: Interior’s Reorganization Complete, but Challenges 

Remain in Implementing New Requirements, GAO-12-423 (Washington, D.C.: July 30, 

2012). 

3

GAO, Oil and Gas: Interior Has Begun to Address Hiring and Retention Challenges but 

Needs to Do More, GAO-14-205 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 31, 2014). 
 

Page 3 GAO-14-394T 

We found that Interior continues to experience problems hiring and 

retaining sufficient staff to provide oversight and management of oil and 

gas activities on federal lands and waters. BLM, BOEM, and BSEE office 

managers we surveyed reported that they continue to find it difficult to fill 

vacancies for key oil and gas oversight positions, such as petroleum 

engineers, inspectors, geologists, natural resource specialists, and 

geophysicists. These managers reported that it was difficult to retain staff 

to oversee oil and gas activities because staff leave for higher salaries in 

the private sector. They also reported that high rates of attrition are a 

concern because some Interior offices have just one or two employees 

per position, so a single retirement or resignation can significantly affect 

office operations and oversight. Nearly half of the petroleum engineers 

that left BLM in fiscal year 2012 resigned rather than retired, suggesting 

that they sought employment outside the bureau. According to Office of 

Personnel Management (OPM) data, the fiscal year 2012 attrition rate for 

petroleum engineers at BLM was over 20 percent, or more than double 

the average federal attrition rate of 9.1 percent. We found hiring and 

retention problems were most acute in areas where industry activity is 

greatest, such as in the Bakken shale play in western North Dakota, 

because the government is competing there with industry for the same 

group of geologists and petroleum engineers.

Interior officials cited two major factors that affect the agency’s ability to 

hire and retain sufficient staff to oversee oil and gas activities on federal 

leases:

• Higher industry salaries. BLM, BOEM, and BSEE office managers 

surveyed reported that they have lost potential applicants and staff to 

industry because it can pay higher salaries. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

data confirm that there is a wide and growing gap between industry 

and federal salaries for some positions, particularly petroleum 

engineers and geologists. For example, from 2002 through 2012, 

mean federal salaries for petroleum engineers have remained fairly 

constant at about $90,000 to $100,000 per year whereas private 

sector salaries have steadily increased from about $120,000 to over 

$160,000 during this same time period.

• The lengthy federal hiring process. BLM, BOEM, and BSEE officials 

surveyed reported that the federal hiring process has affected their 

ability to fill key oil and gas positions because it is lengthy, with 

multiple required steps, and that many applicants find other 

employment before the federal hiring process ends. We analyzed 

Interior’s hiring data and found that the average hiring time for 

Interior Continues to 

Face Challenges 

Hiring and Retaining 

Key Oil and Gas 

Staff, Primarily 

Because of Higher 

Industry Salaries and 

the Lengthy Federal 

Hiring Process
 

Page 4 GAO-14-394T 

petroleum engineers was 197 days, or more than 6 months, at BOEM 

and BSEE. BLM fared a little better; its average hiring time for 

petroleum engineers was 126 days, or a little more than 4 months. 

However, all hiring times were much longer than 80 calendar days—

OPM’s target.

According to BLM, BOEM, and BSEE officials, other factors have 

contributed to difficulties hiring and retaining key oil and gas oversight 

personnel, such as few qualified applicants in remote areas, or areas with 

a high cost of living.

Interior and its three bureaus—BLM, BOEM, and BSEE—have taken 

some steps to address hiring and retention challenges but could do more. 

Interior has used special salary rates and incentives to increase hiring 

and retention for key oil and gas positions, but use of these incentives 

has been limited. Interior has taken some steps to reduce the time it takes 

to hire oil and gas oversight staff but does not collect data to identify the 

causes of delays in the hiring process and opportunities for reducing 

them. Finally, Interior has taken some actions to improve recruiting, such 

as developing workforce plans to coordinate hiring and retention efforts, 

but this work is ongoing, and the extent to which these plans will help is 

uncertain.

Special salary rates. For fiscal years 2012 and 2013, Congress approved 

a special 25 percent base pay increase for geologists, geophysicists, and 

petroleum engineers at BOEM and BSEE in the Gulf of Mexico. 

According to Interior officials in the Gulf of Mexico, this special pay 

authority helped retain some geologists, geophysicists, and petroleum 

engineers, at least in the near term. BOEM and BSEE requested an 

extension of this special pay authority though fiscal year 2014. In 2012, 

BLM met with OPM officials to discuss special salary rates for petroleum 

engineers and petroleum engineering technicians in western North 

Dakota and eastern Montana, where the disparity between federal and 

industry salaries is most acute, according to a BLM official. A BLM official 

told us that OPM requested that BLM provide more data to support its 

request. The official also told us that BLM submitted draft language to 

Congress requesting special salary rates through a congressional 

appropriation. According to Interior officials, all three bureaus are 

preparing a department-wide request for special salary rates to submit to 

OPM.

Interior Has Taken 

Some Actions to 

Address Hiring and 

Retention Challenges
 

Page 5 GAO-14-394T 

Incentives. BLM, BOEM and BSEE have the authority to pay incentives in 

the form of recruitment, relocation, and retention awards of up to 25 

percent of basic pay, in most circumstances, and for as long as the use of 

these incentives is justified, in accordance with OPM guidance, such as in 

the event an employee is likely to leave federal service. However, we 

found that the bureaus’ use of these incentives has been limited. For 

example, during fiscal years 2010 through 2012, the three bureaus hired 

66 petroleum engineers but awarded just four recruitment incentives, five 

relocation incentives, and four retention incentives. BLM awarded two of 

the four retention incentives in 2012 to help retain petroleum engineers in 

its North Dakota Field Office. OPM data showed that, in 2011, Interior 

paid about one-third less in incentive awards than it did in 2010. BLM 

officials cited various factors that contributed to the limited use of 

incentives, such as limited funds available for incentives. A BLM official 

also told us that there was confusion about an OPM and Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) requirement to limit incentive awards to 

2010 levels and that some field office managers were uncertain about the 

extent to which office managers were allowed to use incentive awards.

Without clear guidance outlining when these incentives should be used, 

and a means to measure their effectiveness, we concluded that Interior 

will not be able to determine whether it has fully used its authority to offer 

incentives to hire and retain key oil and gas oversight staff.

Hiring times. To improve its hiring times, Interior participated in an OPMled, government-wide initiative to streamline the federal hiring process. In 

2009, a team of hiring managers and human resources specialists from 

Interior reviewed the department’s hiring process and compared it with 

OPM’s 80 calendar-day hiring target. The team identified 27 action items 

to reduce hiring times, such as standardizing position descriptions and 

reducing the number of managers involved in the process. Interior and its 

bureaus implemented many of the action items over the past few years 

and made significant progress to reduce hiring times, according to Interior 

officials and agency records. For example, BSEE reduced the time to 

select eligible applicants from 90 to 30 days by limiting the amount of time 

allowed for managers to review and select applicants. A BLM official told 

us that the bureau is working to automate vacancy announcements to 

improve the efficiency of its hiring process. However, neither the 

department nor the three bureaus have complete and accurate data on 

hiring times that could help them identify and address the causes of 

delays in the hiring process. Beginning in 2011, Interior provided quarterly 

data on hiring times to OPM, calculated based on Interior’s personnel and 

payroll databases. However, we identified discrepancies in some of the 

data—for example, in some cases, hiring times were erroneously 
 

Page 6 GAO-14-394T 

recorded as 0 or 1 day. In addition, none of the bureaus systematically 

analyze the data collected. For instance, BSEE and BOEM collect hiring 

data on a biweekly basis, but officials told us they use the data primarily 

to track the progress of individual applicants as they move through the 

hiring process. Likewise, a BLM official stated that the bureau does not 

systematically analyze data on hiring times. Without reliable data on 

hiring times, Interior’s bureaus cannot identify how long it takes to 

complete individual stages in the hiring process or effectively implement 

changes to expedite the hiring process.

Recruiting. BLM, BOEM, and BSEE have taken some steps to improve 

recruiting. In 2012, BOEM and BSEE contracted with a consulting firm to 

draft a marketing strategy highlighting the advantages of employment at 

the bureaus, such as flexible work hours and job security. BOEM and 

BSEE used this marketing strategy to revise the recruiting information on 

their external websites and develop recruiting materials such as 

brochures and job fair displays. According to a BLM workforce strategy 

planning document, the bureau is considering contracting with a 

consulting firm to review its recruiting strategy. All three bureaus are also 

visiting colleges and universities to recruit potential applicants for oil and 

gas positions, and each has had some success offering student intern 

positions that may be converted to full-time employment.

Workforce planning. Interior is participating in a government-wide initiative 

led by OPM to identify and address critical skills gaps across the federal 

government. The effort aims to develop strategies to hire and retain staff 

possessing targeted skills and address government-wide and 

department-specific mission-critical occupations and skill gaps. In March 

2012, Interior issued a plan providing an overview of workforce planning 

strategies that it can use to meet emerging workforce needs and skills 

gaps within constrained budgets. As part of the next phase of this effort, 

Interior asked its bureaus to develop detailed workforce plans using a 

standardized model based on best practices used at Interior. Both 

planning efforts are ongoing, however, so it is too early to assess the 

effect on Interior’s hiring and retention challenges for key oil and gas 

positions at this time. BLM, BOEM, and BSEE are developing or 

implementing workforce plans as well. As we reported in July 2012, 

BOEM and BSEE did not have strategic workforce plans, and we 

recommended that the bureaus develop plans to address their hiring and 
 

Page 7 GAO-14-394T 

retention challenges.4 In September 2013, BSEE issued a strategic 

workforce plan, and BOEM officials told us that they expect to complete 

one in 2014. BLM issued a workforce planning strategy in March 2012 

that outlined strategic objectives to address some of its key human capital 

challenges; however, this strategy does not include implementation; 

address challenges with the hiring process; or outline mechanisms to 

monitor, evaluate, or improve the hiring process; so it is too soon to tell 

whether BLM’s planning strategy will help the bureau address its human 

capital challenges. Moreover, we found that the bureaus’ efforts do not 

appear to have been conducted as part of an overarching workforce plan, 

or in a coordinated and consistent manner, therefore the bureaus do not 

have a basis to assess the success of these efforts or determine whether 

and how these efforts should be adjusted over time.

The BLM, BOEM, and BSEE officials that we interviewed and surveyed 

reported that hiring and retention challenges have made it more difficult to 

carry out their oversight activities. These officials stated that position 

vacancies have resulted in less time for oversight, and vacancies directly 

affect the number of oversight activities they can carry out—including the 

number of inspections conducted and the time for reviewing applications 

to drill. Officials at some BLM field offices told us that they have not been 

able to meet their annual inspection and enforcement goals because of 

vacancies.

Of the 20 offices with inspector vacancies that we surveyed, 13 

responded that they conducted fewer inspections in 2012 compared with 

what they would have done if fully staffed, and 9 responded that the 

thoroughness of inspections was reduced because of vacancies. Of the 

21 BLM and BSEE offices with petroleum engineer vacancies, 8 reported 

that they reviewed fewer applications to drill in 2012 compared with what 

they would have done if fully staffed.

BSEE officials told us that fewer or less-thorough inspections may mean 

that some offices are less able to ensure operator compliance with 

applicable laws and regulations and, as a result, there is an increased risk 

to human health and safety due to a spill or accident. According to a 

BSEE official, the longer federal inspectors are away from a site, the 

 

4

GAO-12-423. 

Hiring and Retention 

Challenges Have 

Made it More Difficult 

for Interior to Carry 

Out Some Oversight 

Activities
 

Page 8 GAO-14-394T 

more likely operators are to deviate from operating in accordance with 

laws and regulations.

Officials at each of the three bureaus cited steps they have taken to 

address vacancies in key oil and gas positions; specifically, reassigning 

staff from lower-priority to higher-priority tasks, borrowing staff from other 

offices, or increasing overtime. However, each of these steps comes at a 

cost to the agency and is not a sustainable solution. Interior officials told 

us that moving staff from lower to higher priority work means that the 

lower priority tasks—many of which are still critical to the bureaus’ 

missions—are deferred or not conducted, such as processing permits. 

Likewise, offices that borrow staff from other offices gain the ability to 

carry out activities, but this comes at a cost to the office that loaned the 

staff. With regard to overtime, BOEM officials reported that a heavy 

reliance on overtime was exhausting their staff.

BLM and BSEE are developing and implementing risk-based inspection 

strategies—long recommended by GAO and others—as they work to 

ensure oversight resources are efficiently and effectively allocated; 

however, staffing shortfalls and turnover may adversely affect the 

bureaus’ ability to carry out these new strategies. In 2010, we reported 

that BLM routinely did not meet its goals for conducting key oil and gas 

facility inspections, and we recommended that the bureau consider an 

alternative inspection strategy that allows for the inspection of all wells 

within a reasonable time frame, given available resources.5

In our January 2014 report, to address the hiring challenges we identified, 

we recommended that Interior explore its bureaus’ expanded use of 

recruitment, relocation, retention, and other incentives and systematically 

In response 

to this recommendation, in fiscal year 2011, BLM implemented a riskbased inspection strategy whereby each field office inspects the highest 

risk wells first. Similarly, BSEE officials told us that they have contracted 

with Argonne National Laboratory to help develop a risk-based inspection 

strategy.

 

5

GAO, Oil and Gas Management: Interior’s Oil and Gas Production Verification Efforts Do 

Not Provide Reasonable Assurance of Accurate Measurement of Production Volumes, 

GAO-10-313 (Washington, D.C.: Mar.15, 2010). 
 

Page 9 GAO-14-394T 

collect and analyze hiring data. Interior generally agreed with our 

recommendations.6

Chairman Lamborn, Ranking Member Holt, and Members of the 

Subcommittee, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be 

pleased to answer any questions that you may have at this time. 

If you or your staff members have any questions concerning this 

testimony, please contact me at (202) 512-3841 or ruscof@gao.gov. 

Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public 

Affairs may be found on the last page of this statement. Other individuals 

who made key contributions include Christine Kehr, Assistant Director; 

Mark Braza, Glenn Fischer, Michael Kendix, Michael Krafve, Alison 

O’Neill, Kiki Theodoropoulos, Barbara Timmerman, and Arvin Wu.

 

6

GAO-14-205. 

GAO Contact and 

Staff 

Acknowledgments

(361561)
This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the 

United States. The published product may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety 

without further permission from GAO. However, because this work may contain 

copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be 

necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately.
The Government Accountability Office, the audit, evaluation, and 

investigative arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its 

constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and 

accountability of the federal government for the American people. GAO 

examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and 

policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance 

to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. 

GAO’s commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of 

accountability, integrity, and reliability.

The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no 

cost is through GAO’s website (http://www.gao.gov). Each weekday 

afternoon, GAO posts on its website newly released reports, testimony, 

and correspondence. To have GAO e-mail you a list of newly posted 

products, go to http://www.gao.gov and select “E-mail Updates.”

The price of each GAO publication reflects GAO’s actual cost of 

production and distribution and depends on the number of pages in the 

publication and whether the publication is printed in color or black and 

white. Pricing and ordering information is posted on GAO’s website, 

http://www.gao.gov/ordering.htm. 

Place orders by calling (202) 512-6000, toll free (866) 801-7077, or 

TDD (202) 512-2537. 

Orders may be paid for using American Express, Discover Card, 

MasterCard, Visa, check, or money order. Call for additional information.

Connect with GAO on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube. 

Subscribe to our RSS Feeds or E-mail Updates. Listen to our Podcasts. 

Visit GAO on the web at www.gao.gov. 

Contact:

Website: http://www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm

E-mail: fraudnet@gao.gov

Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454 or (202) 512-7470

Katherine Siggerud, Managing Director, siggerudk@gao.gov, (202) 512-

4400, U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 

7125, Washington, DC 20548

Chuck Young, Managing Director, youngc1@gao.gov, (202) 512-4800

U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7149 

Washington, DC 20548

GAO’s Mission

Obtaining Copies of 

GAO Reports and 

Testimony

Order by Phone

Connect with GAO

To Report Fraud, 

Waste, and Abuse in 

Federal Programs

Congressional 

Relations

Public Affairs

Please Print on Recycled Paper.