Cross-posted

by Photographer and Journalist

“In summary, there were nearly 70 different types of leasable minerals extracted from federal lands and waters in fiscal years 2010 and 2011. . . For example, the volumes of the four most valuable of these minerals—oil, gas, natural gas liquids, and coal—are measured in barrels, million cubic feet (mcf), gallons, and tons, respectively. According to ONRR data, the total value of all leasable minerals extracted from federal and Indian land and sold in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 was $92.3 billion and $98.6 billion, respectively.”¹  Keep these figures in mind, explained further, and also keep in mind this is only one segment of many these agencies recklessly managed.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) and Bureau of land management (BLM) within this example, is easily missing $168.20 Billion dollars of taxpayer money!  “Where’s the money?”  The American Public has a right to know!

Once again the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management is under fire.  Not so surprising is the continuing fact of mismanagement, incompetence, dispersing false information, and managing America’s taxpayer dollars in a reckless and irresponsible manner. After many years of misinformation the BLM, for example, begins to believe it.  This is when money starts missing from their fees banks, criminal behavior takes precedence, and lies to cover-up the behavior becomes more and more outlandish and unbelievable.  These agencies have reached their maximum within this capacity and time for a thorough investigation overall.

Theft cover-up or just incompetence?

The Problem in this instance, the GAO Report goes further in Actual Profit Received: “The resulting revenue to the federal government from mineral leasing activity on federal and Indian land in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 was $11.3 billion and $11.4 billion, respectively. Of this amount, oil, gas, and natural gas liquids accounted for the majority of the revenue—$10.1 billion in each fiscal year. The bulk of this revenue comes from royalties, which accounted for 92.8 percent of total revenue in 2011.” ¹ 

In easy terms and within this particular case, missing is $168.20 Billion dollars of taxpayer money, belonging to Americans, not the DOI or BLM or their favored corporations!

Not so farfetched is the fact many people state DOI and BLM’s management procedures and irresponsible conduct illegal in many cases.  The general public continues to ask, “Why is there no one in jail from either of these agencies, when considering this type of deplorable conduct and outright theft?”

The fact is the subject brought up by Senator Tom Udall in a September 7, 2011 letter to Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General, Government Accountability Office. . . : ² 

Senator Udhall”s request to the GAO:

It is vitally important that the American taxpayer receives a fair return for the mineral resources extracted from federal land. Therefore, we are requesting that GAO undertake an examination of the value of minerals extracted and the amount of revenues collected in fiscal year 2010 for minerals obtained from federally managed lands and waters under the General Mining Act of 1872, and the other various mineral leasing acts. The examination should include the following:

• What was the amount of minerals extracted from federal land and the Outer Continental

Shelf and what was the estimated dollar value of these minerals?

• How much did the federal government collect for these minerals, including royalties,

rents, and bonuses, and how was this amount determined?

The unbeatable reality

We can take the GAO Report math as accurate, and generating the difference in the reality of what was charged in Fees, and in accord with law and management’s responsibility to do so, we then find missing the amounts of $81.0 Billion dollars in 2010 and $87.2 Billion in 2011.  This is considered chargeable revenue from authentic fees being charged, or should have been charged, while these corporations used and depleted our Public Lands.

We can also legitimately debate the fact of how much destruction and ruin was done by these corporations (i.e. BP for example), and allowed by DOI and BLM agencies, who are responsible for oversight and proper management of our Public Lands.

We discover quickly that either the fees were not charged to the appropriate corporations using our Public Lands, or the fees simply taken and used elsewhere.  Assumptive conclusions are the need to record these same fees, apparently thought to be unnecessary by DOI or BLM personnel.  Either way a crime has been committed, and yet, no one is in jail or has been investigated!

Conclusion

This type of conduct by government agency personnel has always been, and remains so today, questionable and illegal.  DOI and BLM remains a conduit for Lobby Groups and special interest groups only.  Both of these agencies state they operate at a profit, but that remains simply misinformation, as usual.

Basically, if one multiplies this situation and estimates how much of this is ongoing throughout the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management, then we can obtain an overall “low” estimate of $450 Billion dollar expenditures’ every couple of years (upon summaries of several DOI and BLM budgets as can be reviewed in Public Domain).  Oddly at the same time taxpayers are having their taxes raised!  Why is this?

This math is not so farfetched when one considers energy, oil, natural gas, mining and minerals, and other large money-making corporations are involved on our Public Lands.

So the Public is currently being blamed for outright fiscal spending and being asked to sacrifice more and more and daily.  Yet we find this situation, as well as many more within our government, to be not only costly but criminal.

It becomes quite obvious where the budget cuts should be made.  It is also quite obvious that the DOI and the BLM are too large, and have indeed become a monopoly not for the American Public, but for Lobby groups and special interest groups, and at taxpayer expense, wildlife expense, and the ruination of our Public Land environments and ecosystems!

This is a problem not just for Legislators, but for Americans.  This problem must be resolved in order for America to continue as a Democracy, and the overall Public interest to not be ignored any longer.  The reality is American’s Rights have been replaced by short term profits received by criminal corporations and conducted by criminals within our government agencies.  We as Americans are being led to believe, by these same government entities, that everything is okay — But it is NOT OKAY!

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¹  Letter from Government Accountability Office on November 15, 2012 The Honorable Raúl M. Grijalva Ranking Member Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Committee on Natural Resources House of Representatives – GAO Report enclosed — Internet —http://grijalva.house.gov/uploads/GAO%20Report%20on%20Mineral%20Extraction%20on%20Federal%20Lands.pdf

²  Letter from Senator Tom Udall to The Honorable Gene Dodaro Comptroller General, Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20548 – Internethttp://grijalva.house.gov/uploads/Grijalva%20Udall%20GAO%20Letter%20on%20Extraction%20Sept%207.pdf