On May 2, 2012, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) initiated an investigation based on allegations against unnamed employees from the National Park Service (NPS) and NPS contractor Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB) of misconduct, scientific misconduct, and fraud, waste, and abuse. The complainant, an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and adjunct professor at a California university, alleged that either NPS or VHB altered, concealed, or unfavorably misrepresented soundscape data in a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) that was prepared jointly by NPS and VHB to address environmental impacts for the potential issuance of a special use permit (SUP) to Drakes Bay Oyster Company (the Company). The data in question led to the assessment of the Company’s oyster farming equipment as having a “major” impact on the soundscape within the Point Reyes National Seashore.