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New GAO Reports – Federal Real Property, Regulatory Impact Analysis

  • FEDERAL REAL PROPERTY: GSA Should Better Target Its Use of Swap-Construct Exchanges, GAO-14-586. Published: Jul 24, 2014. Publicly Released: Aug 25, 2014: “The swap-construct approach can help GSA address the challenges of disposing of unneeded property and modernizing or replacing federal buildings, but various factors could affect future use of the approach. For example, swap-construct can require developers to spend large sums on GSA’s construction needs before receiving title to the federal property used in the exchanges. GSA’s solicitations have not always specified these construction needs. Consequently, developers may be unable to provide meaningful input, and GSA could miss swap-construct opportunities. Further, the viability of swap-construct exchanges may be affected by specific market factors, such as the availability of alternative properties. However, GSA lacks criteria to help determine if the agency should solicit interest in a swap-construct exchange. As a result, GSA could miss opportunities to use swap-construct or select properties and construction projects better suited to traditional disposal and funding processes. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and GAO guidance emphasize the importance of criteria in making capital-planning decisions and providing clarity on construction needs.”
  • REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: Development of Social Cost of Carbon Estimates, GAO-14-663: Published: Jul 24, 2014. Publicly Released: Aug 25, 2014: “To develop the 2010 and 2013 social cost of carbon estimates, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Council of Economic Advisers convened and led an informal interagency working group in which four other offices from the Executive Office of the President (EOP) and six federal agencies participated. Participating agencies were the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Transportation (DOT), and the Treasury.”

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