Residential private exclusive use of federal recreation lands: a history, review of regulation, and implementation strategy for the bureau of reclamation's management activities

In December 2008, the federal government issued regulation allowing for the conditional continuation of residential private exclusive use (PEU) existing on recreation lands administered by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) that alternately aligns and conflicts with certain aspects of federal regulation and directives previously issued. In complying with this new federal regulation and in considering past known issues, Reclamation must meet its responsibilities to the American public by ensuring the following: 1) That compatibility determinations are conducted consistently and in a transparent manner involving public input; 2) That sufficient identification, addressing, and monitoring of environmental and health and safety risks is conducted; and 3) That the public receives fair compensation for the private exclusive use of its recreation lands. In order to establish the current situation and implementation status and to develop an appropriate strategy to correct past deficiencies and ensure future compliance, interviews were held with Reclamation policy and program officials. Additionally, a literature review was conducted of federal legislation and regulation, Reclamation policy and directives, strategic plans and financial and audit reports issued by the Department of the Interior and its offices. The resulting recommendations are meant to help Reclamation fully comply with the 2008 federal regulation and help strike a balance between the private exclusive use of public recreation lands and the public need for these lands.