Proposed Interim Consolidation of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

GAO was required to review the proposed Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) interim consolidation plan, and to identify and evaluate other options. An interim consolidation is planned pending completion of a permanent facility of sufficient size. NRC is presently housed in eight buildings in four geographic locations in Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Maryland. The NRC proposed interim consolidation entails relocating about 1200 employees from Montgomery County to Washington, D.C., and consolidating the remaining employees in Bethesda, Maryland. Employees of eight federal agencies would be relocated to the space vacated by NRC. The proposed plan would put senior agency management and the major regulatory offices in the same building and put the agency's research and standards development offices close together.