Final Audit Report, Abandoned Mine Lands in the Department of the Interior, July 2008 (No. C-IN-MOA-0004-2007)

“This final report presents the results of our audit of abandoned mine lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Park Service (NPS). We visited approximately 45 areas with abandoned mines from March 2007 through April 2008 and talked to over 75 employees from 13 BLM offices and 5 national parks. We concluded that BLM and NPS are putting the public’s health and safety at risk by not addressing hazards posed by abandoned mines on their lands [emphasis added]. Although NPS has been more effective at protecting the public, there are still many more sites that need to be mitigated. Mines located on BLM and NPS lands primarily in the western states of California, Arizona, and Nevada have dangerous physical safety and serious environmental hazards. We identified abandoned mines where members of the public had been killed, injured, or exposed to dangerous environmental contaminants. Growth of the population and use of off-road vehicles in the West will increase the likelihood of additional deaths or injuries.”