The U.S. Forest Service plans to bill the Alabama Forestry Commission $5.12 million for unsubstantiated spending from a federal grant. But the state forester said the state doesn’t owe the money.
The Forest Service’s acting chief financial officer, Thelma J. Strong, told state Forester Linda Casey in a June 29 letter that the federal agency would bill the state for the amount.
The U.S. Forest Service said Alabama will have 60 days to pay in full or work out a repayment plan. The state also may petition for a waiver of part of or all of the debt.
In an interview on Tuesday, Casey said the federal action is a result of the U.S. Forest Service’s misunderstanding of Alabama’s grant accounting procedure. “We don’t owe anything,” she said.
From Tuscaloosa News: https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20120713/NEWS/120719929?tc=ar