The Interior Department’s internal watchdog on Thursday recounted having secured several “substantial settlements” totaling more than $60 million for underpayment of oil and gas royalties.
In his latest semiannual report to Congress, Interior’s Inspector General Mark Lee Greenblatt cited in particular the work done by his office’s energy investigations unit. The report covers the period between Oct. 1, 2023, and March 31 of this year.
One case led to a $34.6 million settlement for oil and gas royalty underpayment and an additional $10 million payment to the Office of Natural Resources Revenue. A second case highlighted by Greenblatt led to a $16 million settlement for oil and gas royalty underpayment.
“These two recoveries illustrate the meaningful financial results that our investigative work brings to the federal government and accordingly to the American public,” Greenblatt wrote in the introduction to the 106-page report.
