This report summarizes a NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigation into allegations that NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden, Jr. inappropriately consulted with Marathon Oil Corporation (Marathon), a company in which he has a significant financial interest, while he was considering NASA's involvement with an alternative fuel development project. The project, known as the Offshore Membrane Enclosure for Growing Algae or OMEGA, seeks to produce fuel through controlled offshore reactions of wastewater and algae. Complaints received by the OIG claimed that Bolden engaged in a conflict of interest by consulting with Marathon. The allegations against Bolden became public on June 20, 2010, when an article appeared in The Orlando Sentinel. On April 30, 2010, Bolden spoke by telephone with a senior Marathon official for approximately 10-15 minutes seeking her technical perspective on the viability of algae-based fuels. At the time of his call, Bolden was considering a proposed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between NASA and the Department of the Navy (Navy) relating to the OMEGA project. Also at that time, Bolden owned between $500,000 and $1 million in Marathon stock and had served on Marathon's Board of Directors for the 6 years immediately prior to his becoming NASA Administrator.


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