Wildlife Service Lacks Performance Goals for Inflation Reduction Act Projects, GAO Reports

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has not established specific performance goals to measure the success of projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). While the agency has obligated nearly all of the $125 million allocated for restoring and enhancing units of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) and state wildlife management areas, the GAO found that FWS lacks a clear method to determine if these projects are meeting their intended objectives. The IRA funding is intended to improve the resilience of habitats and infrastructure against future weather events.

According to the GAO report, FWS has primarily distributed these funds through financial awards to state agencies and other partners for projects across 23 states and over 75 NWRS units. These projects aim to restore habitats, improve infrastructure, and bolster resilience. Examples of these initiatives include efforts to restore forests, enhance wildlife habitat, and mitigate flood risks in the Northeast and Midwest. As of early April 2026, the agency had disbursed approximately $48.9 million, or 39 percent, of the available funds. FWS officials indicated that these IRA-funded projects have already resulted in the restoration of over 5,000 acres of wetlands and an additional 16,000 acres of other habitats. The NWRS encompasses a vast network of 856 million acres dedicated to wildlife protection and recreational activities.

The selection process for IRA-funded projects involved FWS identifying NWRS areas with planned but unfunded activities that aligned with the IRA’s objectives, particularly enhancing resilience to weather events. The agency also prioritized projects in regions that had not recently received significant supplemental appropriations, such as for disaster relief, and where collaboration with established partners like state and local agencies could broaden the project’s reach. Following project selection, regional FWS offices utilized existing processes to define specific activities, such as constructing water control structures for flood management or installing fencing for bison management. Standard agency policies, including guidance on recipient risk, were applied when issuing financial awards and contracts.

To oversee these IRA projects, FWS developed an implementation plan that outlined objectives, such as improving the capacity to recover from extreme weather. However, while data on metrics like acres restored was tracked, the GAO report states that performance goals were not set to gauge progress toward these objectives. The GAO recommends that FWS develop and utilize performance goals for each IRA project. This would enable the agency to better assess whether projects are achieving their intended outcomes and to make necessary adjustments if they are not. The FWS has concurred with these recommendations.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office

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