Skip to main content

Department of Energy's Transuranic Waste Disposal Plan Needs Revision

RCED-86-90 Published: Mar 21, 1986. Publicly Released: Jun 04, 1986.
Jump To:
Skip to Highlights

Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed certain aspects of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Transuranic (TRU) Waste Disposal and Defense Waste Management Plan to determine: (1) whether the plan covered the permanent disposal of all TRU waste; (2) whether the plan identified all costs for the permanent disposal of TRU waste; and (3) the status of DOE efforts to resolve environmental and safety issues related to the permanent disposal of TRU waste.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should revise the plan and submit it to all legislative, authorization, appropriations, and oversight committees to include: (1) specific plans for the permanent disposal of buried waste, contaminated soil, and difficult-to-certify waste; (2) cost estimates for the permanent disposal of TRU waste, including the options for buried waste, contaminated soil, and difficult-to-certify waste, processing and certifying newly generated TRU waste, decontamination and decommissioning of TRU waste processing facilities, and interim operations; and (3) specific and detailed discussions of environmental and safety issues for the permanent disposal of TRU waste.
Closed – Implemented
DOE issued a June 1987 report for the specific purpose to respond to this recommendation. The report addresses each of the three areas identified in this recommendation.

Full Report

Office of Public Affairs

Topics

Cost analysisEnvironmental policiesFederal facilitiesHazardous substancesInternal controlsProgram managementRadiation safetyRadioactive waste disposalSource selectionWaste management