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State and Local Government Pension Plans: Economic Downturn Spurs Efforts to Address Costs and Sustainability (open access)

State and Local Government Pension Plans: Economic Downturn Spurs Efforts to Address Costs and Sustainability

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Despite the recent economic downturn, most large state and local government pension plans have assets sufficient to cover benefit payments to retirees for a decade or more. However, pension plans still face challenges over the long term due to the gap between assets and liabilities. In the past, some plan sponsors have not made adequate plan contributions or have granted unfunded benefit increases, and many suffered from investment losses during the economic downturn. The resulting gap between asset values and projected liabilities has led to steady increases in the actuarially required contribution levels needed to help sustain pension plans at the same time state and local governments face other fiscal pressures."
Date: March 2, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electronic Health Records: DOD and VA Should Remove Barriers and Improve Efforts to Meet Their Common System Needs (open access)

Electronic Health Records: DOD and VA Should Remove Barriers and Improve Efforts to Meet Their Common System Needs

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operate two of the nation's largest health care systems. To do so, both departments rely on electronic health record systems to create, maintain, and manage patient health information. DOD and VA are currently undertaking initiatives to modernize their respective systems, jointly establish the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER), and develop joint information technology (IT) capabilities for the James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC). In light of these efforts, GAO was asked to (1) identify any barriers that DOD and VA face in modernizing their electronic health record systems to jointly address their common health care business needs, and (2) identify lessons learned from DOD's and VA's efforts to jointly develop VLER and to meet the health care information needs for the FHCC. To do this, GAO analyzed departmental reviews and other documentation and interviewed DOD and VA officials."
Date: February 2, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites: Acquisition Is Under Way, but Improvements Needed in Management and Oversight (open access)

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites: Acquisition Is Under Way, but Improvements Needed in Management and Oversight

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with the aid of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), plans to procure the next generation of geostationary operational environmental satellites, called the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R series (GOES-R). GOES-R is to replace the current series of satellites, which will likely begin to reach the end of their useful lives in approximately 2014. This series is considered critical to the United States' ability to maintain the continuity of data required for weather forecasting through the year 2028. GAO was asked to (1) determine the status of the GOES-R program, (2) evaluate whether plans for the acquisition address problems experienced on similar programs, and (3) determine whether NOAA's plan will be adequate to support current data requirements. To do so, GAO analyzed contractor and program data and interviewed officials from NOAA and NASA."
Date: April 2, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Results-Oriented Cultures: Implementation Steps to Assist Mergers and Organizational Transformations (open access)

Results-Oriented Cultures: Implementation Steps to Assist Mergers and Organizational Transformations

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Comptroller General convened a forum in September 2002 to identify useful practices and lessons learned from major private and public sector mergers, acquisitions, and organizational transformations. This was done to help federal agencies implement successful transformations of their cultures, as well as the new Department of Homeland Security merge its various originating components into a unified department. There was general agreement on a number of key practices found at the center of successful mergers, acquisitions, and transformations. In this report, we identify the specific implementation steps for the key practices raised at the forum with illustrative private and public sector examples. To identify these implementation steps and examples, we relied primarily on interviews with selected forum participants and other experts about their experiences implementing mergers, acquisitions, and transformations and also conducted a literature review."
Date: July 2, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Toxic Chemicals: Long-Term Coordinated Strategy Needed to Measure Exposures in Humans (open access)

Toxic Chemicals: Long-Term Coordinated Strategy Needed to Measure Exposures in Humans

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed efforts to collect environmental health data, focusing on the: (1) extent to which states, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collect human exposure data on potentially harmful chemicals, including data to identify at-risk populations; and (2) main barriers hindering further progress in such efforts."
Date: May 2, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Regulatory Flexibility Act: Agencies' Interpretations of Review Requirements Vary (open access)

Regulatory Flexibility Act: Agencies' Interpretations of Review Requirements Vary

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO updated its previous reports on agencies' use of the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions to publish final rule notices, focusing on: (1) how many agencies had no Agenda entries that were characterized as Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) of 1980, section 610 reviews, whether agencies are interpreting the review requirements consistently, and why certain agencies that appeared subject to the requirements had no entries; (2) how many of the section 610 review entries in these Agendas appeared to meet the notification requirements in subsection 610(c); (3) if the section 610 review entries did not appear to meet the statutory requirements, why certain agencies' entries were characterized as section 610 reviews; and (4) whether any federal agencies had revised their section 610 review plans."
Date: April 2, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Results-Oriented Cultures: Insights for U.S. Agencies from Other Countries' Performance Management Initiatives (open access)

Results-Oriented Cultures: Insights for U.S. Agencies from Other Countries' Performance Management Initiatives

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Strategic human capital management challenges face public sector organizations both here and abroad. The United States is not alone in examining how government agencies can use their performance management systems as a tool to foster a more results-oriented organizational culture. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has reported that its member nations have increasingly moved towards performance-based pay and appraisal systems that reward employees, hold them accountable for the quality of their work, and connect their efforts to organizational results. Four OECD member countries--Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom--have begun to use their performance management systems to achieve results. Although the performance management initiatives in these countries reflect their specific organizational structures, cultures, and priorities, their experiences developing and implementing results-oriented individual performance management initiatives may provide U.S. agencies with information and insights as they implement strategic human capital practices. These countries have begun to use their performance management systems to create a "line of sight" between individual and organizational goals, use competencies to provide a fuller assessment of individual performance, link pay to individual and overall organizational performance, and foster organizationwide …
Date: August 2, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Western National Forests: A Cohesive Strategy is Needed to Address Catastrophic Wildfire Threats (open access)

Western National Forests: A Cohesive Strategy is Needed to Address Catastrophic Wildfire Threats

A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on: (1) the extent and seriousness of forest-health-related problems in national forests in the interior West; (2) the status of efforts by the Forest Service to address the most serious of these problems; and (3) barriers to successfully addressing these problems and options for overcoming them."
Date: April 2, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Army Corps of Engineers: Budget Formulation Process Emphasizes Agencywide Priorities, but Transparency of Budget Presentation Could Be Improved (open access)

Army Corps of Engineers: Budget Formulation Process Emphasizes Agencywide Priorities, but Transparency of Budget Presentation Could Be Improved

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is the world's largest public engineering, design, and construction management agency. In fiscal year 2006 it began incorporating performance information into its budget process, but Congress raised concerns that the criteria used by the Corps to prioritize projects are not transparent and the budget formulation process could achieve a higher return on investment. GAO was asked to (1) describe the information the Corps uses in its budget formulation process and the implications of the process, and (2) evaluate whether the President's recent budget requests for the Corps are presented so that agency priorities are clear and proposed use of funds transparent. GAO reviewed the Corps' internal budget guidance, documentation of its project rankings and budget formulation process, performance review materials, and budget presentation materials. GAO also interviewed Corps and Office of Management and Budget officials."
Date: April 2, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mortgage Financing: FHA's $7 Billion Reestimate Reflects Higher Claims and Changing Loan and Performance Estimates (open access)

Mortgage Financing: FHA's $7 Billion Reestimate Reflects Higher Claims and Changing Loan and Performance Estimates

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), through its Federal Housing Administration (FHA), provides insurance for private lenders against losses on home mortgages. FHA's largest insurance program is the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (Fund), which currently is self-financed and operates at a profit. FHA submitted a "reestimate" of $7 billion for the credit subsidy and interest for the Fund as of the end of fiscal year 2003, reflecting a reduction in estimated profits. Given this substantial reestimate, Congress asked GAO, among other things, to determine what factors contributed to the $7 billion reestimate and the underlying loan performance variables influencing these factors and to assess how the loan performance variables underlying the reestimate could impact future estimates of new loans."
Date: September 2, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Troubled Asset Relief Program: Additional Actions Needed to Better Ensure Integrity, Accountability, and Transparency (open access)

Troubled Asset Relief Program: Additional Actions Needed to Better Ensure Integrity, Accountability, and Transparency

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "On October 3, 2008, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act was signed into law. The act established the Office of Financial Stability (OFS) within the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and authorized the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Every 60 days, the U.S. Comptroller General is required to report on a variety of areas associated with oversight of TARP. This report reviews (1) the activities that have been undertaken through TARP as of November 25, 2008; (2) the structure of OFS, its use of contractors, and its system of internal controls; and (3) preliminary indicators of TARP's performance. GAO reviewed documents related to TARP, including contracts, agreements, guidance, and rules. GAO also met with OFS, contractors, federal agencies, and officials from some participating institutions. GAO plans to continue to monitor these and other issues including future and ongoing capital purchases, other transactions undertaken as part of TARP (e.g., capital purchases in Citigroup and American International Group), and the status of other aspects of TARP."
Date: December 2, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intermodal Transportation: A Variety of Factors Influence Airport-Intercity Passenger Rail Connectivity (open access)

Intermodal Transportation: A Variety of Factors Influence Airport-Intercity Passenger Rail Connectivity

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Most major U.S. airports have some degree of physical proximity to intercity passenger rail stations, though only 2 airports are currently collocated with intercity rail stations. Specifically, 42 of the nation's 60 large and medium hub airports are located within 10 miles of Amtrak stations; 21 of the 42 airports are within 5 miles of Amtrak stations. At the 2 collocated airports, passengers can access Amtrak either via an automated people mover (Newark Liberty International Airport) or by walking (Bob Hope Burbank Airport). At some airports, such as Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, passengers can take a direct shuttle between the airport and the nearby Amtrak station, while at other airports, connections to Amtrak can be made through other modes of transportation. Studies and data, while limited, suggest that relatively few passengers in the United States use intercity rail to travel to and from the airport or through more integrated travel such as code-sharing agreements, whereby airlines sell tickets for Amtrak's service. The only existing air-rail code-sharing agreement in the United States is at Newark Airport. Amtrak and states are considering projects to expand intercity rail …
Date: August 2, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Clean Air Act: Key Stakeholders' Views on Revisions to the New Source Review Program (open access)

Clean Air Act: Key Stakeholders' Views on Revisions to the New Source Review Program

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revisions to the New Source Review (NSR) program to control industrial emissions have drawn attention from state and local agencies that implement the program, as well as industry and environmental and health groups. Under the revisions, companies may not have to install pollution controls when making some facility changes. GAO was asked to obtain the opinions of state air quality officials and other stakeholders on the impact of both the final and proposed revisions EPA issued in December 2002. GAO obtained survey responses from NSR program managers in 44 states and certain localities and contacted six environmental and health groups, and eight industry groups active in the NSR debate. Survey details are available in GAO-04-337SP."
Date: February 2, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wildfire Suppression: Funding Transfers Cause Project Cancellations and Delays, Strained Relationships, and Management Disruptions (open access)

Wildfire Suppression: Funding Transfers Cause Project Cancellations and Delays, Strained Relationships, and Management Disruptions

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 2003, wildfires burned roughly 4 million acres, destroyed over 5,000 structures, took the lives of 30 firefighters, and cost over $1 billion to suppress. The substantial expense of fighting wildfires has exceeded the funds appropriated for wildfire suppression nearly every year since 1990. To pay for wildfire suppression costs when the funds appropriated are insufficient, the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior have transferred funds from their other programs. GAO was asked to identify (1) the amount of funds transferred and reimbursed for wildfire suppression since 1999, and the programs from which agencies transferred funds; (2) the effects on agency programs from which funds were taken; and (3) alternative approaches that could be considered for estimating annual suppression costs and funding wildfire suppression."
Date: June 2, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Disability Assistance: Wide Array of Programs Needs to be Examined in Light of 21st Century Challenges (open access)

Federal Disability Assistance: Wide Array of Programs Needs to be Examined in Light of 21st Century Challenges

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2003, GAO designated modernizing federal disability programs as a high-risk area requiring urgent attention and organizational transformation to ensure that programs function as efficiently and effectively as possible. GAO found that although social attitudes have changed and medical advancements afford greater opportunities for people with disabilities to work, the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs have maintained an outmoded approach that equated disability with inability to work. We have prepared this report under the Comptroller General's authority as part of a continued effort to help policymakers better understand the extent of support provided by federal programs to people with disabilities and to assist them in determining how these programs could be better aligned to more effectively meet the needs of individuals with disabilities in the 21st century. This report identifies (1) the wide array of federal programs that serve people with disabilities, and (2) the major challenges these federal programs face in the 21st century. In addition, GAO presents factors policy makers and program administrators should address in assessing whether, and how, they could be transformed to better meet 21st century challenges."
Date: June 2, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Indian Health Service: Millions of Dollars in Property and Equipment Continue to Be Lost or Stolen (open access)

Indian Health Service: Millions of Dollars in Property and Equipment Continue to Be Lost or Stolen

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2008, GAO issued a report and testimony revealing gross mismanagement of property at the Indian Health Service (IHS). GAO found that 5,000 items with an acquisition value of $15.8 million were reported lost or stolen for fiscal years 2004 through 2007. GAO attributed the property mismanagement and waste to weak internal controls. GAO made 10 recommendations to IHS. IHS ultimately agreed to implement all 10 recommendations. Given the extent and seriousness of the property management problems at IHS, GAO was asked to determine (1) whether property loss, property theft, and wasteful spending continue at IHS; and (2) to what extent IHS made progress in implementing GAO's prior recommendations. GAO analyzed IHS property records from fiscal year 2008 through January 2009, conducted a full physical inventory at IHS headquarters, and performed a probability sample of information technology equipment inventory at six IHS field locations. GAO also examined IHS policies, analyzed documents, and conducted interviews with IHS officials."
Date: June 2, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
State Department: State Has Initiated a More Systematic Approach for Managing Its Aviation Fleet (open access)

State Department: State Has Initiated a More Systematic Approach for Managing Its Aviation Fleet

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of State's (State) Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) owns 357 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft (valued at over $340 million) primarily to help carry out its counternarcotics efforts, such as aerial eradication of drug crops in Colombia. INL relies on contractor support to help maintain and operate its aircraft. In 2004, GAO analysis showed that INL lagged behind other agencies in implementing Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and General Services Administration (GSA) aviation fleet management principles. GAO was mandated to review INL's management and oversight of this fleet. GAO specifically examined (1) the extent INL has complied with OMB and GSA aviation fleet management guidance and (2) how INL has overseen its aviation support contracts. Since INL has undertaken initiatives to address the weaknesses GAO observed, GAO makes no recommendations. GAO will follow up to ensure that these initiatives are completed, as planned. In comments on this report, State highlighted reforms under way. State also indicated that INL conducted analyses to justify most aviation investments. GAO notes, however, that the documentation provided did not reflect the key analyses called for …
Date: February 2, 2007
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
VA Health Care: Important Steps Taken to Enhance Veterans' Care by Aligning Inpatient Services with Projected Needs (open access)

VA Health Care: Important Steps Taken to Enhance Veterans' Care by Aligning Inpatient Services with Projected Needs

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates one of the nation's largest health care systems. In 1999, GAO reported on VA's aged, obsolete capital assets, noting that better management of these assets could significantly reduce VA's operating costs. GAO further noted that VA could reinvest the savings to enhance veterans' health care services. In response, VA initiated its Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) process. Through CARES, VA identified what health care services it should provide and in which locations through 2022. The CARES process included assessing alternative ways to align inpatient services by closing or adding services at existing VA medical facilities or establishing new facilities. In May 2004, VA published its CARES decisions, but did not provide a national comprehensive summary of all its decisions about the alignment of inpatient services. GAO was asked to provide additional information about the inpatient service assessments and decisions made by VA. To provide a national, comprehensive summary, GAO summarized the locations where VA (1) identified a need to evaluate alternative ways to align inpatient health care service to improve quality, efficiency, or access and (2) made …
Date: March 2, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iraq and Afghanistan: Actions Needed to Enhance the Ability of Army Brigades to Support the Advising Mission (open access)

Iraq and Afghanistan: Actions Needed to Enhance the Ability of Army Brigades to Support the Advising Mission

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Developing capable Iraqi and Afghan security forces is a key component of the U.S. military effort in Iraq and Afghanistan and, in 2009, the Army began augmenting brigade combat teams (BCT) with advisor personnel to advise the host nation security forces in these countries. House Armed Services Committee report 111-491 directed GAO to report on the Army's plans to augment BCTs to perform advising missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. This report (1) identifies the key characteristics of the augmented BCT concept; (2) assesses the extent to which the Army has provided augmented BCTs, and what challenges, if any, these units have faced; and (3) assesses the extent to which requirements for augmented BCTs have impacted overall Army personnel requirements, including the Army's ability to provide advisor personnel. GAO examined augmented BCT doctrine and guidance, analyzed advisor requirements, reviewed after- action reviews and lessons learned from augmented BCTs, and interviewed Army, theater command, and augmented BCT officials."
Date: August 2, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Yucca Mountain: DOE Has Improved Its Quality Assurance Program, but Whether Its Application for a NRC License Will Be High Quality Is Unclear (open access)

Yucca Mountain: DOE Has Improved Its Quality Assurance Program, but Whether Its Application for a NRC License Will Be High Quality Is Unclear

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Nuclear power reactors generate highly radioactive waste. To permanently store this waste, the Department of Energy (DOE) has been working to submit a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain about 100 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada. Although the project has been beset with delays, in part because of persistent problems with its quality assurance program, DOE stated in July 2006 that it will submit a license application with NRC by June 30, 2008. NRC states that a high-quality application needs to be complete, technically adequate, transparent by clearly justifying underlying assumptions, and traceable back to original source materials. GAO examined (1) DOE's development of its schedule for submitting a license application and the stakeholders with whom it consulted, (2) NRC's assessment of DOE's readiness to submit a high-quality application, and (3) DOE's progress in addressing quality assurance recommendations and challenges identified in GAO's March 2006 report. GAO reviewed DOE's management plan for creating the license application, reviewed correspondence and attended prelicensing meetings between DOE and NRC, and interviewed DOE managers and NRC on-site representatives for the …
Date: August 2, 2007
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Afghanistan Reconstruction: Deteriorating Security and Limited Resources Have Impeded Progress; Improvements in U.S. Strategy Needed (open access)

Afghanistan Reconstruction: Deteriorating Security and Limited Resources Have Impeded Progress; Improvements in U.S. Strategy Needed

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In October 2001, in response to the Taliban regime's protection of al Qaeda terrorists who attacked the United States, coalition forces forcibly removed the regime from Afghanistan. In December 2002, Congress passed the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act authorizing assistance funds to help Afghanistan rebuild a stable, democratic society. The act directed GAO to monitor the implementation of U.S. humanitarian and development assistance. This report analyzes, for fiscal years 2002-2003, (1) U.S. obligations and expenditures in Afghanistan, (2) results of assistance projects, (3) the assistance coordination mechanisms and strategy, and (4) major obstacles that affected the achievement of U.S. goals."
Date: June 2, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Transportation Services: Better Dissemination and Oversight of DOT's Guidance Could Lead to Improved Access for Limited English-Proficient Populations (open access)

Transportation Services: Better Dissemination and Oversight of DOT's Guidance Could Lead to Improved Access for Limited English-Proficient Populations

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "More than 10 million people in the United States are of limited English proficiency (LEP), in that they do not speak English at all or do not speak English well. These persons tend to rely on public transit more than English speakers. Executive Order 13166 directs federal agencies to develop guidance for their grantees on making their services accessible to LEP persons. The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued its guidance in 2001, with revised guidance pending issuance. This report reviews (1) the language access services transit agencies and metropolitan planning organizations have provided, and the effects and costs of these services; (2) how DOT assists its grantees in providing language access services; and (3) how DOT monitors its grantees' provision of these services."
Date: November 2, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Fleets: Overall Increase in Number of Vehicles Masks That Some Agencies Decreased Their Fleets (open access)

Federal Fleets: Overall Increase in Number of Vehicles Masks That Some Agencies Decreased Their Fleets

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since fiscal year 2005, the number of federal non-postal civilian and non-tactical military vehicles has increased about 7 percent, from about 420,000 to 449,000 vehicles. However, from fiscal year 2005 to 2011, some agencies decreased their fleets, and the change in fleet size from agency to agency varied considerably. For example, one-third of the agencies (8 of 24) with the largest number of vehicles decreased their fleets by at least 2 percent during this period. Of the 4 agencies GAO selected for review, the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Veterans Affairs (VA) increased their fleets 5 and 49 percent, respectively since fiscal year 2005; the U.S. Air Force and Department of the Interior (Interior) decreased their fleets 7 and 9 percent, respectively. Overall, federal agencies increased the portion of their fleets made up of alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., vehicles that operate using ethanol or batteries) from about 14 percent to 33 percent from fiscal years 2005 to 2011. In addition, GAO found that 8 agencies accounted for almost 80 percent of total federal vehicles in fiscal year 2011, while 35 other agencies held the remaining vehicles."
Date: August 2, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Green Building: Federal Initiatives for the Nonfederal Sector Could Benefit from More Interagency Collaboration (open access)

Green Building: Federal Initiatives for the Nonfederal Sector Could Benefit from More Interagency Collaboration

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Economic, environmental, and health concerns have spurred interest in "green building"--construction and maintenance practices designed to make efficient use of resources, reduce environmental problems, and provide long-term financial and health benefits. Federal laws and executive orders direct agencies to meet green building standards in federal buildings and to foster green building in the nonfederal sector; the latter includes private, state, local, and tribal entities and accounts for the majority of the nation's buildings. GAO was asked to (1) identify current initiatives by federal agencies to foster green building in the nonfederal sector and (2) determine what is known about the results of these initiatives. As part of the review, GAO sent questionnaires to the 11 agencies implementing the initiatives identified, including the Departments of Energy (DOE) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); examined agency documents; and spoke with agency officials. GAO did not report funding data because officials stated that agencies do not track many green building funds separately."
Date: November 2, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library