Status of Efforts of OSMRE To Improve Administration of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

GAO discussed the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement's efforts to revise its automated Collection Management Information System. GAO noted that although the Office attempted to develop a case management system, it developed a system containing inaccurate data. GAO found that: (1) data problems still exist 4 years after the automation effort began; (2) the problems with the system were caused by a lack of management expertise, which contributed to an error rate in excess of 50 percent; and (3) the system did not have any internal controls over data input. The Office commented that: (1) the lack of internal controls over data input occurred because it did not recognize the need for such controls; and (2) it does not intend to use a statistically valid quality assurance test to verify the accuracy of information in its new database because it emphasizes the portion of the database which appears to be the most error-ridden.