Department of Energy's Transuranic Waste Disposal Plan Needs Revision
RCED-86-90
Published: Mar 21, 1986. Publicly Released: Jun 04, 1986.
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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. |
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.
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Topics
Cost analysisEnvironmental policiesFederal facilitiesHazardous substancesInternal controlsProgram managementRadiation safetyRadioactive waste disposalSource selectionWaste management