GAO provided its quarterly status report on the Department of Energy's (DOE) implementation of its Nuclear Waste Program for the quarter ended March 31, 1988.

GAO found that: (1) DOE issued a draft site characterization plan for the Yucca Mountain site to the state of Nevada and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); (2) NRC raised objections concerning alternative conceptual modeling of the site, quality assurance plans, and construction of the exploratory shaft facility; (3) DOE disagreed with the NRC viewpoint that its site characterization approach supported a preferred model; (4) DOE adjusted the program to comply with legislative requirements, including termination of all site-specific activities, except reclamation, at the Deaf Smith and Hanford sites; (5) states and Indian tribes that received grants also phased out all but their managerial activities; (6) DOE reduced its project office staffs by about 50 percent; and (7) DOE estimated the costs for phase-out of project activities, reclamation, and completion of all activities at $53 million for the Deaf Smith site and $85 million for the Hanford site.