Nuclear Waste:
Delays in Addressing Environmental Requirements and New Safety Concerns Affect DOE's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
T-RCED-91-67: Published: Jun 13, 1991. Publicly Released: Jun 13, 1991.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
GAO discussed the status of the Department of Energy's (DOE) program for conducting transuranic (TRU) waste disposal tests at its Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). GAO noted that: (1) DOE cannot use the WIPP repository until the facility meets environmental requirements and DOE resolves safety concerns; (2) from 1981 through 1988, DOE focused on building WIPP and failed to consider environmental compliance issues; (3) in 1989, DOE proposed to test TRU waste in WIPP to determine compliance with environmental requirements, but delayed the tests until it could determine that WIPP would comply with environmental standards; (4) technical problems delaying the tests included gases generated by TRU wastes, the interaction of brine with TRU wastes, and obtaining waste samples characteristics of the waste to be stored at WIPP; (5) the natural movement of rock surrounding underground storage areas raised questions regarding the safety of waste storage operations and the retrieval of wastes after the tests; (6) DOE has not identified where it will store TRU waste in the event that WIPP fails to meet environmental requirements; and (7) temporary storage of TRU wastes has become a contentious issue betweeen DOE and states hosting temporary storage facilities.
Jan 22, 2021
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
Information on the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability ProgramGAO-21-240R: Published: Jan 22, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 22, 2021.
Jan 19, 2021
-
Chemical Assessments:
Annual EPA Survey Inconsistent with Leading Practices in Program ManagementGAO-21-156: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Jan 19, 2021.
Jan 15, 2021
-
Environmental Liabilities:
NASA's Reported Financial Liabilities Have Grown, and Several Factors Contribute to Future UncertaintiesGAO-21-205: Published: Jan 15, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 15, 2021.
Jan 13, 2021
-
Nuclear Waste:
Congressional Action Needed to Clarify a Disposal Option at West Valley Site in New YorkGAO-21-115: Published: Jan 13, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 13, 2021.
Jan 7, 2021
-
Hanford Cleanup:
DOE's Efforts to Close Tank Farms Would Benefit from Clearer Legal Authorities and CommunicationGAO-21-73: Published: Jan 7, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 7, 2021.
Dec 18, 2020
-
Drinking Water:
EPA Could Use Available Data to Better Identify Neighborhoods at Risk of Lead ExposureGAO-21-78: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 18, 2020. -
Recycling:
Building on Existing Federal Efforts Could Help Address Cross-Cutting ChallengesGAO-21-87: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 18, 2020.
Dec 9, 2020
-
Environmental Protection:
Action Needed to Ensure EPA's Enforcement and Compliance Activities Support Its Strategic GoalsGAO-21-82: Published: Dec 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 9, 2020. -
Oil and Gas:
Onshore Competitive and Noncompetitive Lease RevenuesGAO-21-138: Published: Nov 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 9, 2020.
Dec 7, 2020
-
Air Pollution:
Opportunities to Better Sustain and Modernize the National Air Quality Monitoring SystemGAO-21-38: Published: Nov 12, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 7, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here
Explore our Key Issues on Natural Resources and Environment
- Air Quality
- Climate Change Funding and Management
- Climate Change Response
- Department of Energy's Contract Management for the National Nuclear Security Administration and Office of Environmental Management - High Risk Issue
- Disaster Assistance
- Economic Sanctions
- Electricity Markets, Grid Security and Resilience
- Farm Programs
- Hardrock Mining on Federal Lands
- Limiting the Federal Government's Fiscal Exposure by Better Managing Climate Change Risks - High Risk Issue
- Management of Federal Oil and Gas Resources - High Risk Issue
- Managing Federal Lands and Waters
- National Flood Insurance Program - High Risk Issue
- Nuclear Energy
- Nuclear Waste Disposal
- Oil, Natural Gas, and Alternative Fuels
- Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Toxic Chemicals - High Risk Issue
- Tribal and Native American Issues
- Understanding Climate Change
- U.S. Arctic Interests
- U.S. Government's Environmental Liability - High Risk Issue
- Water Quality and Protection
- Wildland Fire Management
Explore our other Key Issues here
