Summary: In response to a congressional request, GAO evaluated how effectively states manage their abandoned mine reclamation funds, specifically whether they: (1) have adequate financial controls to ensure the proper use of reclamation funds; (2) are reclaiming eligible sites in proper priority sequence; (3) are managing projects in accordance with federal procurement, monitoring, and reporting standards; and (4) are correcting problems through completed projects.
GAO reviewed five states' reclamation programs and found that: (1) the states implemented financial control procedures and practices to ensure the proper expenditure of reclamation funds; (2) only one state complied with all related grant payment, audit, and inventory requirements; (3) the states generally reclaimed eligible, high-priority projects; (4) the states managed their reclamation projects in compliance with applicable procurement and project monitoring standards, except for Kentucky's selection of design contractors, which lacked documentation; (5) the states conducted inspections both immediately after completing construction and later to ensure that projects successfully resolved their reclamation problems; and (6) although none of the states compiled summary data, most completed projects successfully reduced the number of problems. GAO noted that it could not readily assess the overall success of the projects in reducing identified problems because summary data were not available.
