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Washington, D.C. - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Interior's Inspector General's audit of the Mineral Management Service's (MMS) Compliance Review Process. Hinchey is the author of language in the report of the Interior Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2007 that requires the Interior Department to report to Congress on how it will more effectively and accurately monitor royalty payments owed to the federal government.
"I am very pleased that the Office of the Inspector General has once again told it like it is when it comes to the Mineral Management Service and its audit compliance reviews. We've seen countless stories about the lack of auditors, the lack of commitment to recouping taxpayers' dollars, and frankly, the lack of common sense when it comes to MMS's handling of our public resources as well as the reporting required to collect proper royalty payments. That's why the House Appropriations Committee accepted my amendment earlier this year to require MMS to report to Congress on how
the agency is going to tighten up its auditing, collections, and valuation of these resources.
"Uncollected royalties are a direct financial burden on the American people who have entrusted their public lands to an agency that seems to think these public lands are at the agency's disposal. As a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, which has jurisdiction over MMS, I will continue to remind agency officials of their duties to adopt the recommendations of the Inspector General. As far as I'm concerned, MMS's failure to do so will jeopardize their budget."
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