Status of the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

GAO discussed the Department of Energy's (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) storage facility for transuranic (TRU) nuclear waste. GAO found that DOE needs to: (1) address brine seepage problems at the facility; (2) develop a plan that provides technical justification for storing TRU wastes underground; (3) ensure that the facility will comply with revised Environmental Protection Agency disposal standards; and (4) obtain the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) certification that the type of containers it plans to use for transporting TRU wastes meets NRC standards. GAO also found that DOE: (1) reduced the quantity of wastes that it plans to store at WIPP; (2) changed its planned date to receive TRU wastes from October 1988 to the first quarter of 1989; and (3) plans to conduct a long-term environmental impact study to determine the suitability of the facility for permanent waste storage. GAO believes that Congress may wish to consider: (1) allowing DOE to conduct underground experiments using TRU wastes; and (2) postponing land withdrawal legislation pending a demonstration that the facility meets federal waste disposal standards.