Nuclear Waste: Repository Work Should Not Proceed Until Quality Assurance Is Adequate
RCED-88-159
Published: Sep 29, 1988. Publicly Released: Oct 31, 1988.
Skip to Highlights
Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the Department of Energy's (DOE): (1) progress in developing a quality assurance program for characterizing the Yucca Mountain, Nevada, site for possible use as a nuclear waste repository; and (2) interaction with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in identifying and resolving potential quality-related licensing problems.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Energy | The Secretary of Energy should proceed with site characterization work segments only after the Secretary determines that all quality assurance programs related to regulatory work are in place and meet NRC standards. |
Closed – Implemented
In October 1988, DOE delayed site characterization until November 1989 because its quality assurance program was not adequate to begin work. DOE later slipped the date until January 1991 because the program will not be ready to begin work until at least then. In February 1991, NRC agreed with DOE findings that the program is adequate to begin limited new work.
|
| Department of Energy | The Secretary of Energy should proceed with site characterization work segments only after NRC has notified DOE that it concurs with the Secretary's determination. |
Closed – Implemented
DOE delayed the start of site characterization until January 1991. In February 1991, NRC agreed with the DOE finding that the program is adequate to begin limited new work.
|
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission | To help ensure that quality assurance concerns are addressed in a timely manner, the Chairman, NRC, should use NRC nuclear waste quarterly progress reports as a vehicle for bringing these concerns to the attention of senior NRC management. |
Closed – Implemented
NRC is now using its quarterly reports to identify problems in the DOE quality assurance program. It is also sending the reports to the Director, DOE Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, to ensure that DOE senior management is also aware of NRC concerns and the actions that the NRC staff considers are necessary to resolve them.
|
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission | To ensure that issues raised as a result of the interaction between NRC and DOE are resolved early, the Secretary of Energy and the Chairman, NRC, should incorporate into the pre-licensing consultation agreement procedures for ensuring that issues will be resolved on mutually agreeable schedules. |
Closed – Not Implemented
NRC believes that its existing agreement with DOE is effective and that additional procedures regarding issue resolution are not needed at this time. It provided two examples of recent progress in resolving issues as evidence that the agreement is working. GAO believes that the agency's increased attention to resolving long-standing matters satisfies the intent of this recommendation.
|
| Department of Energy | To ensure that issues raised as a result of the interaction between NRC and DOE are resolved early, the Secretary of Energy and the Chairman, NRC, should incorporate into the pre-licensing consultation agreement procedures for ensuring that issues will be resolved on mutually agreeable schedules. |
Closed – Not Implemented
According to DOE, modifying the agreement with NRC is neither necessary nor feasible. However, it agrees that additional rigor on the part of both agencies is needed to ensure that issues are resolved more timely. Since the report was issued, the agencies have identified open items in two major program areas that require resolution before beginning site characterization.
|
Full Report
Office of Public Affairs
Topics
Independent regulatory commissionsInteragency relationsLicensesMonitoringNoncomplianceNuclear waste disposalNuclear waste storageQuality assuranceRadioactive wastesSite selection