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GAO-02-278R 1 (2002-01-23)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptaolx0001 and id is 1 raw text is: I ~GAO Acc ountability * Integrity * Reliability United States General Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548 January 23, 2002 The Honorable Doug Ose House of Representatives Subject: Land Acquisitions: Agencies Generally Used Similar Standards and Appraisal Methodologies in CALFED and CVPIA Transactions Dear Mr. Ose: Since 1994, over $63.6 million of CALFED Delta-Bay (CALFED) and Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) funds have been used to purchase private lands in California for wetlands mitigation and wildlife enhancement. Using these funds, several federal agencies and nonprofit organizations have acquired about 101,800 acres-94,300 acres in full ownership and 7,500 acres in partial interest or easements that restrict how land may be used. Concerned about the potential effect that multiple purchasing agencies could have on land prices, you asked us to provide information on the land appraisal processes used in such acquisitions. Specifically, you asked us to determine (1) what appraisal standards and guidance federal and nonfederal entities used in CALFED and CVPIA funded land acquisitions, and (2) if different standards or guidance were used, the rationale for their use and whether their use raised any significant concerns regarding compliance with appraisal standards. To obtain information on the appraisal standards and guidance being used in these acquisitions and whether any differences in standards or guidance raised significant concerns about the appraisals, we examined the activities of three federal agencies and one of the nonprofit organizations that used such funds to acquire full ownership or easements-the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Reclamation, in the Department of the Interior, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in the Department of Agriculture and The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit organization. In addition, to determine if federal agencies and nonprofit organizations were adhering to their respective standards and guidance, we reviewed 6 of 47 transactions completed during fiscal years 1994 to 2001 that fell within the geographic area of your concern-the Central Valley of California (from Fresno to Redding and from San Francisco Bay to Sacramento). We selected these transactions to include one from each GAO-02-278R California Land Appraisals Page 1

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