HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania Auditor General Timothy L. DeFoor has released findings from a two-year audit of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), highlighting shortcomings in the department’s Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2) grant process. The audit revealed that not all grants under the program were awarded competitively, even though the process was publicly advertised as such.
The review, covering grants issued from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023, aimed to evaluate DCNR’s compliance with laws and policies, ensure proper use of funds, and assess monitoring practices. “We found instances where DCNR executive management made the decision to award grants to applicants who missed application deadlines, funded projects that were ranked lower than others, or ignored the ranking altogether,” said Auditor General DeFoor. “When management can make its own rules, it diminishes the integrity of a grant program.”
Three key findings emerged from the audit:
- DCNR failed to consistently follow its competitive grant process, awarding some grants to lower-ranked applicants or those who submitted late applications. This invited the possibility of external influence and undermined transparency.
- While DCNR improved monitoring of grant expenditures through the adoption of a new electronic records system, some gaps remained. Documentation for older grants and certain project types was insufficient, limiting oversight in some cases.
- Inspection and reporting requirements for federally funded C2P2 grants were not always adequately fulfilled, indicating additional monitoring weaknesses.
The program, which provides state and federal grants to municipalities and nonprofits for conservation projects, was praised for its importance. However, auditors offered seven recommendations to enhance accountability, including stricter adherence to policies, broadening electronic document submissions, and improving oversight of federally funded projects.
DeFoor expressed cautious optimism, noting DCNR’s willingness to address the issues. “The good news is that we have an agency that is willing to implement change and do better,” he remarked. “When it comes to spending taxpayer dollars, internal controls and processes must be followed and any practice that undermines objectivity, accountability and transparency must be eliminated.”
This audit calls for immediate improvements to ensure the integrity of the C2P2 grant process. The suggested changes, if implemented effectively, have the potential to restore public trust and bolster the program’s impact on Pennsylvania’s conservation efforts.
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