Border Security: Additional Actions Needed to Better Ensure a Coordinated Federal Response to Illegal Activity on Federal Lands
GAO-11-177
Published: Nov 18, 2010. Publicly Released: Dec 08, 2010.
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Highlights
Federal and tribal lands on the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico are vulnerable to illegal cross-border activity. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)--through its U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Border Patrol (Border Patrol)--is responsible for securing these lands, while the Departments of the Interior (DOI) and Agriculture (USDA) manage natural resources and protect the public. GAO was asked to examine the extent that (1) border security threats have changed on federal lands; (2) federal agencies operating on these lands have shared threat information and communications; and (3) federal agencies have coordinated budgets, resources, and strategies. GAO reviewed interagency agreements and threat assessments; analyzed enforcement data from 2007 through 2009; and interviewed officials at headquarters and two Border Patrol sectors selected due to high volume of illegal cross-border activity (Tucson) and limited ability to detect this activity (Spokane). GAO's observations cannot be generalized to all sectors but provide insights. This is a public version of a sensitive report that GAO issued in October 2010. Information that DHS deemed sensitive has been redacted.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Interior | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that federal land managers have guidance to more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands, the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture should review and determine whether their field units on the southwest border have adequate guidance to assist federal land managers in determining when public access to federal borderlands should be restricted in response to risks associated with cross-border illegal activity. After completion of this review, and if additional guidance is needed, DOI and USDA should consult with DHS to ensure that any additional guidance developed is consistent with DHS contingency plans for southwest border violence. | During our review, Department of Interior (DOI) land managers in Tucson sector expressed concern that available agency guidance was insufficient to determine when public access to federal lands should be restricted in response to potential danger caused by cross-border illegal activity. We recommended that the Secretary of the Interior review and determine whether DOI field units on the southwest border have adequate guidance to assist federal land managers in determining when public access to federal borderlands should be restricted in response to such risks. DOI agreed with our recommendation and in fiscal year 2012, took corrective action to review existing guidance, interview senior... policy officials, and conduct on-line questionnaires to field managers on southwest borderlands in regard to sufficiency of guidance. As a result of these actions, DOI determined that it would not propose changes to guidance in agency regulations or manuals, but provided field managers with a memorandum outlining several key factors to be considered when making decisions to close and open public lands, strongly recommended that field managers use a risk assessment tool used by the U.S. Coast Guard and adapted for use by the National Park Service, to assess risk factors and document decisions to open and close areas to the public, and work with U.S. Border Patrol Public Lands Liaison Agents (PLLAs) to obtain real time threat information helpful in making a determination on public safety. Such coordination with Border Patrol PLLAs was also to inform Border Patrol of changes in status of access to public lands to coordinate any adjustments in patrol activities or procedures. DOI's actions are consistent with our recommendation.
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| Department of Agriculture | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that federal land managers have guidance to more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands, the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture should review and determine whether their field units on the southwest border have adequate guidance to assist federal land managers in determining when public access to federal borderlands should be restricted in response to risks associated with cross-border illegal activity. After completion of this review, and if additional guidance is needed, DOI and USDA should consult with DHS to ensure that any additional guidance developed is consistent with DHS contingency plans for southwest border violence. | During our review, Forest Service land managers in Tucson sector expressed concern that available agency guidance was insufficient to determine when public access to federal lands should be restricted in response to potential danger caused by cross-border illegal activity. We recommended that the Secretary of Agriculture review and determine whether DOI field units on the southwest border have adequate guidance to assist federal land managers in determining when public access to federal borderlands should be restricted in response to such risks. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agreed with our recommendation and took steps in 2010 and 2011 to address it. In October and November...
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| Department of Agriculture | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of threat information for federal lands that is timely and actionable. | During our review, we found that DHS, DOI and USDA had not coordinated to ensure that all law enforcement officials patrolling federal lands had access to timely and actionable threat information. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of threat information for federal lands that is timely and actionable. DHS, DOI and USDA agreed with our recommendation and provided information on coordination efforts, such as task forces and joint trainings, which the...
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| Department of the Interior | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of threat information for federal lands that is timely and actionable. | During our review, we found that DHS, DOI and USDA had not coordinated to ensure that all law enforcement officials patrolling federal lands had access to timely and actionable threat information. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of threat information for federal lands that is timely and actionable. DHS, DOI and USDA agreed with our recommendation and provided information on coordination efforts, such as task forces and joint trainings, which the...
|
| Department of Homeland Security | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of threat information for federal lands that is timely and actionable. | During our review, we found that DHS, DOI and USDA had not coordinated to ensure that all law enforcement officials patrolling federal lands had access to timely and actionable threat information. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of threat information for federal lands that is timely and actionable. DHS, DOI and USDA agreed with our recommendation and provided information on coordination efforts, such as task forces and joint trainings, which the...
|
| Department of Agriculture | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of future plans for upgrades of compatible radio communications used for daily law enforcement operations on federal lands. | During our review, we found that the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Interior (DOI) and Agriculture (USDA) did not coordinate to ensure that federal land law enforcement officials in the Tucson sector had access to compatible secure radio communications to coordinate daily operations. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure coordination of future plans for upgrades of compatible radio communications used for daily law enforcement operations on federal lands. DHS, DOI and USDA agreed with our recommendation, and in response, the Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol issued a memorandum in January 2011...
|
| Department of the Interior | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of future plans for upgrades of compatible radio communications used for daily law enforcement operations on federal lands. | During our review, we found that the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Interior (DOI) and Agriculture (USDA) did not coordinate to ensure that federal land law enforcement officials in the Tucson sector had access to compatible secure radio communications to coordinate daily operations. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure coordination of future plans for upgrades of compatible radio communications used for daily law enforcement operations on federal lands. DHS, DOI and USDA agreed with our recommendation, and in response, the Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol issued a memorandum in January 2011...
|
| Department of the Interior | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of efforts to determine agencies' information needs for intelligence, including coordination of Border Patrol annual assessments of the threat environment and vulnerabilities affecting border security on federal lands. | During our review, we found that DHS, DOI, and USDA had not coordinated to share intelligence assessments that are used to describe border security threats and vulnerabilities in each sector and inform efforts needed to address them. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of efforts to determine agencies' information needs for intelligence, including coordination of Border Patrol annual assessments of the threat environment and vulnerabilities affecting...
|
| Department of Agriculture | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of efforts to determine agencies' information needs for intelligence, including coordination of Border Patrol annual assessments of the threat environment and vulnerabilities affecting border security on federal lands. | During our review, we found that DHS, DOI, and USDA had not coordinated to share intelligence assessments that are used to describe border security threats and vulnerabilities in each sector and inform efforts needed to address them. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of efforts to determine agencies' information needs for intelligence, including coordination of Border Patrol annual assessments of the threat environment and vulnerabilities affecting...
|
| Department of Homeland Security | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of Border Patrol budget requests for personnel, infrastructure, and technology that affect federal lands. | During our review, we found that DHS, DOI, and USDA had not coordinated budget requests for border security on federal lands. The 2006 MOU places primary responsibility on the Border Patrol to coordinate its budget with federal land management agencies, specifically to ensure that federal land managers can provide input and are, in the early stages of planning, aware of what personnel, infrastructure, and technology the Border Patrol would like to deploy on federal lands. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement...
|
| Department of the Interior | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of Border Patrol budget requests for personnel, infrastructure, and technology that affect federal lands. | During our review, we found that DHS, DOI, and USDA had not coordinated budget requests for border security on federal lands. The 2006 MOU places primary responsibility on the Border Patrol to coordinate its budget with federal land management agencies, specifically to ensure that federal land managers can provide input and are, in the early stages of planning, aware of what personnel, infrastructure, and technology the Border Patrol would like to deploy on federal lands. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement...
|
| Department of Homeland Security | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of deployment plans for personnel, infrastructure, and technology on federal lands before such deployment is initiated. | During our review, DHS, DOI, and USDA said they generally consulted on Border Patrol deployment of sector personnel, infrastructure, and technology, but agencies disagreed on how early consultation needed to occur prior to planning the deployment of the fencing and technology projects. DHS, DOI, and USDA officials also reported differences in the extent to which agencies had coordinated to conduct joint operations for border security across federal lands as outlined by the 2006 MOU. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to...
|
| Department of Agriculture | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of deployment plans for personnel, infrastructure, and technology on federal lands before such deployment is initiated. | During our review, DHS, DOI, and USDA said they generally consulted on Border Patrol deployment of sector personnel, infrastructure, and technology, but agencies disagreed on how early consultation needed to occur prior to planning the deployment of the fencing and technology projects. DHS, DOI, and USDA officials also reported differences in the extent to which agencies had coordinated to conduct joint operations for border security across federal lands as outlined by the 2006 MOU. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to...
|
| Department of the Interior | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of deployment plans for personnel, infrastructure, and technology on federal lands before such deployment is initiated. | During our review, DHS, DOI, and USDA said they generally consulted on Border Patrol deployment of sector personnel, infrastructure, and technology, but agencies disagreed on how early consultation needed to occur prior to planning the deployment of the fencing and technology projects. DHS, DOI, and USDA officials also reported differences in the extent to which agencies had coordinated to conduct joint operations for border security across federal lands as outlined by the 2006 MOU. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to...
|
| Department of the Interior | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of access to information resulting from deployment of technology on federal lands. | During our review, DHS, DOI, and USDA said they generally consulted on Border Patrol deployment of sector personnel, infrastructure, and technology, but agencies disagreed on how early consultation needed to occur prior to planning the deployment of the fencing and technology projects. Moreover, federal land managers stated that DHS had not consulted with them to discuss whether federal land law enforcement officials would have access to the intelligence information resulting from SBInet, the primary infrastructure and technology deployed on their lands. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel...
|
| Department of Agriculture | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of access to information resulting from deployment of technology on federal lands. | During our review, DHS, DOI, and USDA said they generally consulted on Border Patrol deployment of sector personnel, infrastructure, and technology, but agencies disagreed on how early consultation needed to occur prior to planning the deployment of the fencing and technology projects. Moreover, federal land managers stated that DHS had not consulted with them to discuss whether federal land law enforcement officials would have access to the intelligence information resulting from SBInet, the primary infrastructure and technology deployed on their lands. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel...
|
| Department of Homeland Security | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of access to information resulting from deployment of technology on federal lands. | During our review, DHS, DOI, and USDA said they generally consulted on Border Patrol deployment of sector personnel, infrastructure, and technology, but agencies disagreed on how early consultation needed to occur prior to planning the deployment of the fencing and technology projects. Moreover, federal land managers stated that DHS had not consulted with them to discuss whether federal land law enforcement officials would have access to the intelligence information resulting from SBInet, the primary infrastructure and technology deployed on their lands. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel...
|
| Department of Homeland Security | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of future plans for upgrades of compatible radio communications used for daily law enforcement operations on federal lands. | During our review, we found that the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Interior (DOI) and Agriculture (USDA) did not coordinate to ensure that federal land law enforcement officials in the Tucson sector had access to compatible secure radio communications to coordinate daily operations. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure coordination of future plans for upgrades of compatible radio communications used for daily law enforcement operations on federal lands. DHS, DOI and USDA agreed with our recommendation, and in response, the Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol issued a memorandum in January 2011...
|
| Department of Homeland Security | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of efforts to determine agencies' information needs for intelligence, including coordination of Border Patrol annual assessments of the threat environment and vulnerabilities affecting border security on federal lands. | During our review, we found that DHS, DOI, and USDA had not coordinated to share intelligence assessments that are used to describe border security threats and vulnerabilities in each sector and inform efforts needed to address them. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of efforts to determine agencies' information needs for intelligence, including coordination of Border Patrol annual assessments of the threat environment and vulnerabilities affecting...
|
| Department of Agriculture | To more easily balance public safety and access to federal borderlands and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA coordinate efforts to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response on these lands, and to help ensure that DHS, DOI, and USDA partners operating on federal lands have a common understanding of existing cross-border threats and coordinate to provide an effective interagency law enforcement response, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture should take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement provisions of the 2006 MOU, specifically coordination of Border Patrol budget requests for personnel, infrastructure, and technology that affect federal lands. | During our review, we found that DHS, DOI, and USDA had not coordinated budget requests for border security on federal lands. The 2006 MOU places primary responsibility on the Border Patrol to coordinate its budget with federal land management agencies, specifically to ensure that federal land managers can provide input and are, in the early stages of planning, aware of what personnel, infrastructure, and technology the Border Patrol would like to deploy on federal lands. We recommended that the Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Interior, and Agriculture take necessary action to ensure that personnel at all levels of each agency conduct early and continued consultations to implement...
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