Inspector General of the Department of the Interior

Inspector General of the Department of the Interior
Post	Inspector General of the Department of the Interior
Incumbent	Vacant
Department	United States Department of the Interior
Reports to	United States Secretary of the Interior, United States Congress
Appointed by	President of the United States
Formation	1978
First	Earl Devaney

Contents

Inspector General of the Department of the Interior The Inspector General of the Department of the Interior is the statutory watchdog charged with promoting efficiency, preventing waste, fraud, and abuse, and conducting audits and investigations within the United States Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and other DOI bureaus. The office interacts with the United States Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, the Government Accountability Office, and law enforcement entities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice to enforce compliance with federal statutes and regulations.

History

The office was created following the passage of the Inspector General Act of 1978 and was reshaped by the Inspector General Act Amendments of 1988 and subsequent reforms influenced by events like the Gulf War procurement controversies and the Hurricane Katrina response. Early leadership confronted investigative challenges involving the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the United States Geological Survey. High-profile probes into resource management and land leasing brought the office into contact with entities such as BP, ExxonMobil, and Aramco-related matters through oversight of energy development on federal lands. Legislative oversight by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has shaped statutory authority and budgetary support.

The Inspector General exercises authority granted by the Inspector General Act of 1978 to conduct audits, investigations, evaluations, and inspections involving DOI programs including the National Park Service, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. The office issues subpoenas, compels testimony, and refers criminal matters to the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Office while coordinating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Office of Personnel Management on matters involving procurement fraud, bribery, and employee misconduct. It produces reports for the President of the United States, the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and the United States House Committee on Natural Resources and maintains a semiannual reporting schedule to Congress as prescribed by law.

The leadership includes the Inspector General, Deputy Inspectors General, and divisions for Audit, Investigations, Evaluations, and Counsel. The office employs auditors and investigators with backgrounds from the Government Accountability Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Criminal Division (United States Department of Justice), and the Environmental Protection Agency. Regional field offices engage with regional bureaus such as the Bureau of Land Management field offices, National Park Service regional headquarters, and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. Administrative coordination occurs with the Office of Management and Budget, the Chief Financial Officers Council, and the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.

Major probes have examined royalty collection and leasing practices involving the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and companies like Chevron Corporation and Shell plc, procurement irregularities linked to DOI contracts with defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, and mismanagement allegations within the Bureau of Indian Affairs and federally recognized tribes including Navajo Nation and Cherokee Nation. Audits of wildfire management engaged with the U.S. Forest Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency operations during incidents such as the Camp Fire (2018) context. Investigations into cultural resource protection have intersected with cases involving the National Historic Preservation Act and consultations under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act with tribes like the Sioux and institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution.

The Inspector General is accountable to both the President of the United States through appointment and to United States Congress through mandated reporting, testimony before committees such as the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and interaction with the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. External oversight includes audit quality reviews by the Government Accountability Office standards and Inspector General peer reviews. Whistleblower protections under statutes like the Whistleblower Protection Act and coordination with the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Office of Special Counsel bolster investigative authority and employee safeguards.

Notable leaders have included Earl Devaney, who oversaw investigations that intersected with the General Services Administration and energy leasing controversies; a successor who coordinated large-scale audits involving the Bureau of Reclamation and the Colonial Pipeline context; and Inspectors General who engaged Congress during debates over public lands policy and energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf. These figures often worked alongside officials from the Department of the Interior such as Secretaries from administrations including Reagan administration, Clinton administration, Obama administration, and Trump administration while coordinating with federal law enforcement partners like the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice.