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Natural Resources and Environment

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Open Recommendations

Nuclear Waste Cleanup: DOE Should Collect Information Specific to Soil and Legacy Landfills to Inform Overall Remediation Efforts
GAO-25-107565
Sep 26, 2025
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Office of Environmental Management The Assistant Secretary for the Office of Environmental Management should ensure that EM headquarters collects and uses information specific to the scope, schedule, and cost of soil and legacy landfill cleanup to enhance technical and policy support provided to sites and inform prioritization decisions to reduce risk. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Forest Service: Next Steps Are Uncertain for Improving Communications for Wildland Firefighters and Tracking Their Locations
GAO-25-107905
Sep 25, 2025
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Chief of the Forest Service—in coordination with the Department of the Interior and other firefighting agencies, as needed—develops a comprehensive strategic plan to improve its wildland firefighter communications, tracking, and mapping capabilities.
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Persistent Chemicals: DOE Should Complete Efforts to Review PFAS Use
GAO-25-107809
Sep 24, 2025
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should direct all DOE sites that have not completed an initial historical and current use review of PFAS to do so by an established deadline and report to the heads of each responsible DOE office on if additional investigation, characterization, or cleanup of PFAS contamination is needed. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board: Opportunities Exist to Further Improve Management and Planning
GAO-25-107948
Sep 04, 2025
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board DNFSB should update its 2024 human capital plan so that it better aligns with internal control standards and includes: (1) what is to be achieved, (2) who is to achieve it, (3) how it will be achieved, and (4) the time frames for achieving it. (Recommendation 1)
Open
DNFSB concurred with this recommendation. In its July 2025 response letter, DNFSB stated that the agency will integrate its human capital plan into broader implementation activities to ensure the workforce is optimally aligned with strategic objectives. When we confirm what actions DNFSB has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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