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Open Recommendations (90 total)

Justice40: Additional Efforts Needed to Improve Tribal Applicants' Access to Federal Programs Under Environmental Justice Initiative

GAO-24-106511
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of the USDA should ensure that program offices consult with federally recognized Tribes and conduct outreach to eligible Indigenous communities to ensure meaningful involvement when determining benefits for Justice40 covered programs in accordance with EOP guidance and determine how to incorporate the input into future Justice40 implementation efforts. (Recommendation 9)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Justice40: Additional Efforts Needed to Improve Tribal Applicants' Access to Federal Programs Under Environmental Justice Initiative

GAO-24-106511
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that program offices of USDA Justice40 covered programs document previously identified statutory and regulatory barriers to access for tribal applicants informing their implementation of the Justice40 Initiative. As a part of this process, the agency should—with input from Tribes—identify any additional changes necessary to address remaining statutory and regulatory barriers, recommending legislative changes where the agency determines appropriate. The agency should make a summary of the results of this process publicly available. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of the USDA should ensure that program offices implementing Justice40 covered programs maintain records of related consultations with Tribes and consider—with tribal input—publicly sharing a high-level summary of consultation results, as appropriate, to improve tribal applicants' access to information about tribal input on federal programs and decrease the burden on Tribes and eligible Indigenous communities. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Federal Software Licenses: Agencies Need to Take Action to Achieve Additional Savings

GAO-24-105717
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the agency tracks software licenses that are currently in use for its widely used licenses by, at a minimum, consistently implementing its procedures for tracking license usage. (Recommendation 1)
Open
The Department of Agriculture generally concurred with this recommendation. When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the agency compares the inventories of software licenses that are currently in use with information on purchased licenses to identify opportunities to reduce costs and better inform investment decision making for its widely used licenses on a regular basis. At a minimum, it should consistently implement its procedures for comparing the inventories of licenses in use to purchase records. (Recommendation 2)
Open
The Department of Agriculture generally concurred with this recommendation. As of March 2024, the department statement that it is in the process of developing a new enterprise-wide process to consistently reconcile purchased licenses with active usage. We will continue to monitor the department's efforts to fully implement this recommendation.

Foreign Investments in U.S. Agricultural Land: Enhancing Efforts to Collect, Track, and Share Key Information Could Better Identify National Security Risks

GAO-24-106337
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3 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Chief Operating Officer of FPAC-BC to ensure its AFIDA reporting is complete, such as incorporating country information from additional foreign persons beyond the primary investor when available. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Chief Operating Officer of FPAC-BC to improve its verification and monitoring of collected AFIDA data, such as reviewing and validating information throughout the AFIDA data collection process. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Administrator of FSA, as FPAC-BC updates the AFIDA handbook, to clarify and provide specific instructions to headquarters and county employees for completing AFIDA responsibilities, including reviewing the accuracy of forms and identifying missing information. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Oil and Gas Pipelines: Agencies Should Improve Oversight of Decommissioning

GAO-24-106444
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Agriculture The Chief of the Forest Service should analyze all gathering lines the Forest Service oversees to identify and prioritize those that pose the greatest safety, environmental, or fiscal risks for oversight and decommissioning. (Recommendation 9)
Open
The Forest Service agreed with this recommendation. We will update the status of the recommendation when we have more information.
Department of Agriculture The Chief of the Forest Service should develop a documented plan to ensure the agency collects and maintains the data necessary to oversee the decommissioning of gathering lines. (Recommendation 7)
Open
The Forest Service agreed with this recommendation. We will update the status of the recommendation when we have more information.
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