United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-04-30 monographic deposited born digital 25 p. GA 1.13:RCED-99-129 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-129 P0b002ee1803772d1 f:rc99129 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-129 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-129 RCED-99-129 Nuclear waste disposal Interagency relations Strategic planning Nuclear waste management Life cycle costs Statistical methods Cost control Environmental monitoring Future budget projections DOE Environmental Management Program DOE Paths to Closure Report Letter Report RCED The Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for the world's largest environmental cleanup effort. Decades of nuclear weapons production has left a legacy of radioactive, chemical, and other hazardous wastes at sites across the country. This report provides information on the (1) methodologies and assumptions used to develop DOE's Accelerated Cleanup: Paths to Closure report and any associated limitations, (2) uncertainties in the report that may affect its usefulness, and (3) funding implications related to the cost of cleanup. GAO found that the report is an improvement over earlier planning efforts. However, limitations in the methodology and assumptions may affect the reliability of the data; uncertainties in such areas as the level of site cleanup and the sites' ability to meet cleanup schedules could cause cost and schedule estimates to be revised; and uncertainties about information in the report, particularly in the sites' cost and schedule estimates, could affect the report's usefulness. For example, many field offices based their cost estimates on assumed cleanup levels that have yet to be agreed to by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the states. In addition, DOE faces several challenges to achieving its Paths to Closure goals at the $5.75 billion annual funding level identified in the report. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-129/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-129.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-129/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-129.pdf GAO/RCED-99-129 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-129 Letter Report GAO/RCED-99-129; Nuclear Waste: DOE's Accelerated Cleanup Strategy Has; Nuclear waste disposal Interagency relations Strategic planning Nuclear waste management Life cycle costs Statistical methods Cost control Environmental monitoring Future budget projections DOE Environmental Management Program DOE Paths to Closure Report