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By TopicsAgriculture and Food
  (11)Auditing and Financial Management
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                    Most Recent Reports**1 - 20 of 297 Reports**
	
	

	
	  **Released on   Feb 13, 2024**
          Coral Reef Conservation Program: Opportunities Exist to Better Track Expenditures and Share Information
    GAO-24-106692
      Published:   Feb 13, 2024
. 
        Publicly Released:   Feb 13, 2024
.
    Coral reefs host rich marine ecosystems and protect coastlines from flooding and erosion—providing global benefits estimated to be worth trillions of dollars annually. But coral reefs face threats such as ocean warming, disease, and tourism. The federal Coral Reef Conservation Program plays a key role in conserving and restoring coral reefs. In this Q&A report, we looked at the program's budget and accounting practices. The...
      **Released on   Dec 14, 2023**
          Artificial Intelligence in Natural Hazard Modeling: Severe Storms, Hurricanes, Floods, and Wildfires
    GAO-24-106213
      Published:   Dec 14, 2023
. 
        Publicly Released:   Dec 14, 2023
.
    Severe storms, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires kill hundreds of people and cause billions of dollars in damage in the U.S. each year. Forecasting models can help predict these hazards. Machine learning—a type of artificial intelligence —can help improve model accuracy, increase warning times, and reduce uncertainty. Some machine learning forecasting models are in use, but there are challenges to developing and adopting them more widely...
      **Released on   Jun 6, 2023**
          Veterans Employment: GI Bill Benefits Can Help Lead to Outdoor Recreation Careers
    GAO-23-106149
      Published:   Jun 6, 2023
. 
        Publicly Released:   Jun 6, 2023
.
    Many veterans leave military service with wilderness survival and related skills that can translate into careers in outdoor recreation, such as park ranger. Veterans can build on these skills by using the GI Bill from the Department of Veterans Affairs towards degrees in environmental science, forestry, and related disciplines, as well as other specialized job training (e.g., mountain climbing instructor). Federal agencies, like the Forestry...
      **Released on   May 16, 2023**
          Emergency Alerts: NOAA Should Take Additional Actions to Help Ensure Tsunami Alerts Reach Those at Risk
    GAO-23-105961
      Published:   May 16, 2023
. 
        Publicly Released:   May 16, 2023
.
    It's critical that the public receive alerts about destructive tsunamis. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sends tsunami alerts to the public via: Emergency broadcast messages on TV and radio Emergency texts on mobile devices Social media posts and website alerts NOAA has taken steps to improve how it alerts the public, such as updating its website to allow easy access to critical information during...
      **Released on   Apr 25, 2023**
          NOAA Acquisitions: Fully Aligning Procedures with Best Practices Could Improve the Reliability of Cost Estimates
    GAO-23-105808
      Published:   Apr 25, 2023
. 
        Publicly Released:   Apr 25, 2023
.
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates costs before purchasing acquisitions, such as satellites, ships, computers, and facilities. The reliability of these cost estimates can be improved by using the best practices outlined in GAO's cost estimating guide. The cost estimating procedures used by 2 NOAA offices that buy satellites and facilities weren't fully aligned with GAO's best practices. And 2 offices that purchase ships...
      **Released on   Nov 17, 2022**
          National School Lunch Program: USDA Could Enhance Assistance to States and Schools in Providing Seafood to Students
    GAO-23-105179
      Published:   Nov 17, 2022
. 
        Publicly Released:   Nov 17, 2022
.
    The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National School Lunch Program provides healthy meals to millions of kids from low-income households. Dietary guidelines say school age kids should eat 4-10 oz. of seafood weekly. But seafood made up just 1-2% of all animal proteins that USDA purchased for the program (about 3 oz. per student per year) in FYs 2014-19. Several factors—allergy concerns, student preferences, and cost—affected...
      **Released on   Aug 18, 2022**
          Federal Fisheries Management: Opportunities Exist to Enhance Climate Resilience
    GAO-22-105132
      Published:   Aug 18, 2022
. 
        Publicly Released:   Aug 18, 2022
.
    Many coastal communities rely on fishing and related industries for jobs and income, but fisheries are increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change on ocean ecosystems. Most fisheries managers aren't factoring climate change into their management plans, but some are leading climate-related initiatives. Managers could benefit from learning about the actions others are taking, but the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)—which leads science and...
      **Released on   Jun 15, 2022**
          Water Quality: Agencies Should Take More Actions to Manage Risks from Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia
    GAO-22-104449
      Published:   Jun 15, 2022
. 
        Publicly Released:   Jun 15, 2022
.
    Overgrown algae can make toxins and lead to hypoxia (depleted oxygen) in water bodies, harming people and animals. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and EPA lead a federal interagency working group to manage harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. The working group agencies could do more to meet the goals they set in 2016, e.g., by expanding agency monitoring and forecasting of harmful algal bloom...
      **Released on   Feb 28, 2022**
          Chemical Accident Prevention: EPA Should Ensure Regulated Facilities Consider Risks from Climate Change
    GAO-22-104494
      Published:   Feb 28, 2022
. 
        Publicly Released:   Feb 28, 2022
.
    The EPA regulates certain facilities that make, use, or store hazardous chemicals. These facilities are required to have risk management programs to prevent and prepare for accidental releases of these chemicals. Federal data indicates about 31% of these facilities are located in areas with certain natural hazards—like wildfires and storm surges—that may be worsened by climate change. We found that EPA doesn't consistently assess how...
      **Released on   Sep 27, 2021**
          Sexual Assault and Harassment: NOAA Has Made Substantial Progress in Prevention and Response but Could Further Improve Its Processes
    GAO-21-560
      Published:   Aug 27, 2021
. 
        Publicly Released:   Sep 27, 2021
.
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has made substantial progress in the last 5 years to prevent and respond to sexual assault and harassment within its workplaces. Although NOAA has followed many Equal Employment Opportunity Commission "promising practices," we found some shortcomings in the agency's prevention and response processes. For example, NOAA's 2020 mandatory training for supervisors and managers didn't explain the consequences supervisors and...
      **Released on   Jul 21, 2021**
          Federal Lands and Waters: Information on Agency Spending for Outdoor Recreation Is Limited
    GAO-21-592
      Published:   Jul 21, 2021
. 
        Publicly Released:   Jul 21, 2021
.
    Federal agencies provide outdoor recreation areas and facilities on the lands and waters that they manage, attracting hundreds of millions of visitors each year. But how much does that cost the agencies? Although they aren't required to do so, most of the 7 federal agencies we reviewed identified some (but not all) of their spending related to outdoor recreation. It is difficult to identify spending...
      **Released on   Jul 20, 2021**
          Spectrum Management: Agencies Should Strengthen Collaborative Mechanisms and Processes to Address Potential Interference
    GAO-21-105319
      Published:   Jul 20, 2021
. 
        Publicly Released:   Jul 20, 2021
.
    In the U.S., the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration regulate radio-frequency spectrum use to ensure enough is available for 5G networks, satellites, etc. When there could be interference, FCC and NTIA coordinate with other federal agencies via interagency agreements and groups. We testified that the agreements and groups use some collaboration practices, but not others. For example, there aren't clear processes for...
      **Released on   Jul 19, 2021**
          Spectrum Management: Agencies Should Strengthen Collaborative Mechanisms and Processes to Address Potential Interference
    GAO-21-474
      Published:   Jun 29, 2021
. 
        Publicly Released:   Jul 19, 2021
.
    In the U.S., the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration regulate use of radio-frequency spectrum to help ensure there's enough available for 5G networks, satellites, and everything else. When there could be interference, FCC and NTIA coordinate with other federal agencies via interagency agreements and groups. The agreements and groups use some key collaboration practices but not others. For example, there are no...
      **Released on   Jun 30, 2021**
          Small Business Innovation Research: Agencies Need to Fully Implement Requirements for Managing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
    GAO-21-413
      Published:   Jun 30, 2021
. 
        Publicly Released:   Jun 30, 2021
.
    Federal agencies awarded small businesses almost $4 billion in FY 2019 to perform research and development and commercialize technologies. The Small Business Administration oversees the programs for making these awards, which are carried out by 11 agencies. SBA established 10 requirements to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse in these programs. For instance, SBA requires that agencies verify eligibility and certifications of ownership from businesses that...
      **Released on   Sep 10, 2020**
          Natural Disasters: Economic Effects of Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, and Irma
    GAO-20-633R
      Published:   Sep 10, 2020
. 
        Publicly Released:   Sep 10, 2020
.
    Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, and Irma—4 of the costliest hurricanes in the U.S. since 2005—caused damage totaling trillions of dollars. Their effects on economic activity and employment in damaged areas varied widely. State and local government officials said that the storms significantly affected certain communities, local governments, households, and businesses. Communities are taking actions to improve resilience (e.g., elevating homes, erecting flood barriers), but many remain...
      **Released on   Apr 29, 2020**
          Maritime Infrastructure: A Strategic Approach and Interagency Leadership Could Improve Federal Efforts in the U.S. Arctic
    GAO-20-460
      Published:   Apr 29, 2020
. 
        Publicly Released:   Apr 29, 2020
.
    Climate change has led to record low levels of ice in the U.S. Arctic—prolonging the shipping season and opening up shipping routes. This may expand economic opportunities, but harsh weather and ice conditions—plus the lack of maritime infrastructure—pose safety risks. For example, not having a designated harbor of refuge means ships don’t have a place to moor in an emergency. Agencies have taken steps to...
      **Released on   Feb 13, 2020**
          Water Infrastructure: Technical Assistance and Climate Resilience Planning Could Help Utilities Prepare for Potential Climate Change Impacts
    GAO-20-24
      Published:   Jan 16, 2020
. 
        Publicly Released:   Feb 13, 2020
.
    Extreme weather related to climate change potentially threatens utilities that produce drinking water and treat wastewater. We examined federal technical and financial assistance to make such infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather and asked experts about additional options. For example, EPA provides technical assistance to utilities to improve resilience. However, EPA’s program is small and can’t help nationwide. Experts told us a network of technical...
      **Released on   Feb 6, 2020**
          Emergency Alerting: Agencies Need to Address Pending Applications and Monitor Industry Progress on System Improvements
    GAO-20-294
      Published:   Feb 6, 2020
. 
        Publicly Released:   Feb 6, 2020
.
    Emergency alerts can provide lifesaving information. FEMA manages the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, allowing public safety agencies to send alerts to cell phones, radios, and TVs during natural disasters or other emergencies. FEMA has begun to modernize alerting capabilities with help from the FCC. However, some state and local public safety agencies cannot access the system and others have low confidence in using...
      **Released on   Feb 5, 2020**
          Puerto Rico Disaster Recovery: FEMA Actions Needed to Strengthen Project Cost Estimation and Awareness of Program Guidance
    GAO-20-221
      Published:   Feb 5, 2020
. 
        Publicly Released:   Feb 5, 2020
.
    Para la versión de esta página en español, ver a GAO-20-381 . After 2 hurricanes devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, FEMA identified about 10,000 damaged sites including schools, hospitals, and roads needing funds to repair or rebuild. FEMA and Puerto Rico manage a Public Assistance Program that provides federal funds to state and local governments and some nonprofits to help in recovery efforts. FEMA has...
      **Released on   Dec 19, 2019**
          Climate Change: Potential Economic Costs and Opportunities to Reduce Federal Fiscal Exposure
    GAO-20-338T
      Published:   Dec 19, 2019
. 
        Publicly Released:   Dec 19, 2019
.
    Disaster costs will likely increase as extreme weather events become more frequent and intense due to climate change, scientists report. In 2018 alone, weather and climate disasters in the United States cost at least $91 billion. We testified about our work on reducing the federal government’s fiscal exposure from climate change, a topic on our High Risk List since 2013. Among other things, the government...
    
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