Mineral Revenues

Information on Interior's Royalty Management Program Gao ID: RCED-88-165 July 22, 1988

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the Minerals Management Service's (MMS): (1) collection and disbursement of royalties and other revenues from mineral leases on federal and Indian lands; (2) mechanisms that help ensure proper collections and disbursements; and (3) initiatives to strengthen its Royalty Management Program.

GAO found that MMS: (1) collected $3.72 billion and made regular disbursements of $3.69 billion in revenues from federal onshore, Indian, and offshore mineral leases in fiscal year (FY) 1987; (2) disbursed $2.85 billion in previously escrowed offshore revenues from land within 3 miles of states' seaward boundaries in FY 1987; (3) improved audit coverage to help ensure that it made proper collections; (4) used various techniques to ensure that supporting documents for collections were accurate, timely, and in accordance with rules and regulations; and (5) initiated several actions to improve its Royalty Management Program, including payer account balance reconciliation, and computer system enhancements.



The Justia Government Accountability Office site republishes public reports retrieved from the U.S. GAO These reports should not be considered official, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Justia.