ANSWER: Yes, an Inspector General's audit and evaluation of the field office distribution was requested and the audit was completed. The auditors investigated four Solicitor's Regional Offices and ten Solicitor's Field Offices. However, the auditors were unable to determine, or properly evaluate, the workload distribution. The auditors recommended that an automated MIS be developed and used to make decisions related to the distribution of offices. As the priorities, objectives, and workload of the Department change, so does the workload of the Solicitor's Office. As a service organization, we will continue to evaluate our personnel needs and initiate reassignments as necessary to coincide with our workload and departmental organization structure.

QUESTION: We notice that the Kansas City field office is not listed in this year's justification. Has that office been closed or do you plan to close it in the future?

ANSWER: We plan to close the Kansas City Field Office on or about April 12, 1982, to coincide with the closing of the Surface Mining Office. In addition, we plan to transfer our personnel to the Southwest Regional Office.

QUESTION: The allocation for the Rocky Mountain region is increased approximately 9% over the fiscal 1982 appropriation which is a slightly higher percentage increase than for most of the other regions. Why aren't there any savings realized with the closure of one field office?

ANSWER: An adjustment decreasing the Rocky Mountain Regional allocation has not been made as yet. The Rocky Mountain and Southwest allocations will be adjusted to reflect the transfer of functions from Kansas City to Tulsa. No net savings will be realized since the affected personnel will be reassigned to the Southwest Office. The organizational structure does reflect the closing of the Kansas City Office, the allocation chart does not reflect this change.

WORKLOAD

QUESTION: Of the 14 categories into which the Solicitor's work is divided, the average hours required per item has remained relatively constant in all areas except one: Administrative Litigation Other than Surface Mining. The average number of hours per item in fiscal 1981 and 1982 was 28. This year's justification shows the average to be only 8 hours. Has productivity increased this greatly or is there an error in the justification?

ANSWER: There was a typographical error in the fiscal year 1983 justification. The average hours per item in the "Litigation (Administrative) Other" category is 28 for fiscal years 1981, 1982, and 1983.

QUESTION: Of the total number of items handled by the Regional Offices, less than 3% of the work is done in the Intermountain Region and only 7 staff are stationed there. Are there any special circumstances which require a separate office in Salt Lake City?

ANSWER: The seven staff stationed in Salt Lake City are five attorneys and two support personnel. Our analyses of workload shows that five attorney-years of work are estimated to be performed in the Intermountain Office. One of the values of the automated MIS will be to determine whether this office is necessary. The reason for this

Salt Lake City Office is to serve client bureaus that are geographically located in close proximity to Salt Lake City.

QUESTION: Why should the Phoenix Area Office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Denver Regional Office of the National Park Service be clients of the Salt Lake City office when the Solicitor has offices in both Phoenix and in Denver?

ANSWER: The reference to the Intermountain Regional Office serving the Phoenix Area Office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Denver Regional Office of the Park Service is a bit misleading. Our office in Salt Lake City handles primarily those areas that are within the State of Utah. For example, the Regional Office provides legal services to the Park Service as they relate to Bryce Canyon, Dinosaur National Monument, Glen Canyon and Arches National Park all located in Utah. Further, the Intermountain Regional Office provides legal services in conjunction with the various national monuments and recreational areas within Utah. The same is true with regard to the services we provide to the Bureau of Indian Affairs such as, providing legal assistance on matters concerning the Intermountain Indian School, in Brigham City, as well as legal support of the Unitah and Ourah Indian reservations. It is both more economical and efficient to provide these legal services out of the Intermountain Regional Office than out of the Phoenix or Denver Regional offices.

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

QUESTION: There is a change in the general administration account for fiscal years 1982 and 1983 in that the space costs have now been allocated to the various offices rather than all being charged to the GA account. Please provide for the record, the estimated fiscal 1982 and 1983 space costs by Region.

ANSWER: The estimated fiscal years 1982 and 1983 space

costs, by office, are:

We have determined that a more sound principle of accounting is to show space and other costs in the division or region where the costs are incurred.

SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS

Senator MCCLURE. The subcommittee will recess until 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 3, when the subcommittee will take testimony from public witnesses on non-Indian programs.

[Whereupon, at 11:45 a.m., Tuesday, March 2, the subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene at 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 3.]

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1983

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 1982

U.S. SENATE,

SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS,

Washington, D.C.

The subcommittee met at 8:40 a.m., in room 1224, Everett McKinley Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. James A. McClure (chairman) presiding.

Present: Senators McClure and Burdick.

NONDEPARTMENTAL WITNESSES

Senator MCCLURE. Good morning. This is the time scheduled to take testimony from nondepartmental witnesses regarding the non-Indian programs under the jurisdiction of this subcommittee.

Because we have nearly 40 witnesses scheduled to testify this morning, I regret that we must limit the time of each to just 5 minutes. However, you can be sure that your full written statement will be made a part of the record.

When you are called to testify, please give one copy of your testimony to the reporter, and bring the other two to me.

Before we do begin, let me extend my apology to those of you who may have had your hearing times changed, as well as to those who will not be able to testify due to time constraints.

We had originally scheduled a hearing that would last all day. Because of the matter concerning Senator Williams on the floor of the Senate today, we have been asked not to conduct hearings past noon. We urge those who will not be able to testify to submit a written statement, which will of course be made a part of the official record.

We may be able to go a little beyond noon, because the Williams matter will not start now until after 1 o'clock. We have permission to sit only for 2 hours after the Senate is in session this morning, so we may transgress a few minutes, but not much more than that.

STATEMENT OF DAVID FURUKAWA, MANAGER, SAN DIEGO OFFICE, RESOURCES CONSERVATION CO.

Senator MCCLURE. With that, the first witness is Resources Conservation Co., David Furukawa.

Do you have copies of your testimony?