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Open Recommendations

Nuclear Waste: Addressing Legal and Regulatory Barriers Could Accelerate Cleanup and Reduce Costs
GAO-27-107791
Oct 16, 2026
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9 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The DOE Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management should direct DOE cleanup sites to evaluate and document the expected costs and potential schedule associated with cleanup of a particular area based on multiple potential future land use assumptions when substantial cost or schedule benefits could potentially be achieved using a future land use assumption other than the one initially selected. This evaluation should occur prior to the selection of a cleanup approach for that area and be included as part of the decision-making process. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Environmental Protection Agency The Administrator of EPA should clarify or provide additional guidance on considering reasonably anticipated future land use as part of the environmental cleanup process at DOE cleanup sites. Specifically, EPA should provide guidance on (1) how DOE should evaluate and document if an anticipated future land use is realistic and supports cost-effective and practicable cleanup alternatives, (2) when this evaluation should be done in the cleanup process, and (3) when multiple future land use assumptions should be incorporated at later stages in the cleanup process, such as at stages where alternative cleanup options are being considered and evaluated. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy, in collaboration with EPA and other relevant federal agencies, as appropriate, should develop options that could allow DOE to clean up iodine-129 and other beta-emitting radionuclides in groundwater at DOE sites to levels that consider current scientific methods, and report those options to Congress along with plans to pursue them. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Environmental Protection Agency The Administrator of EPA, in collaboration with DOE and other relevant federal agencies, as appropriate, should develop options that could allow DOE to clean up iodine-129 and other beta-emitting radionuclides in groundwater at DOE sites to levels that consider current scientific methods, and report those options to Congress along with plans to pursue them. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy, in collaboration with EPA, should establish an interagency task force of experts focused on DOE's nuclear waste cleanup to review high-priority site and project-level cleanup decisions, ongoing cleanup processes, and areas of legal or regulatory disagreement that are driving higher-than-expected costs and longer schedules and make recommendations for DOE and EPA to implement. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Environmental Protection Agency The Administrator of EPA, in collaboration with DOE, should establish an interagency task force of experts focused on DOE's nuclear waste cleanup to review high-priority site and project-level cleanup decisions, ongoing cleanup processes, and areas of legal or regulatory disagreement that are driving higher-than-expected costs and longer schedules and make recommendations for DOE and EPA to implement. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Geothermal Energy: Bureau of Land Management Should Improve Permitting Process as Development Demand Grows on Federal Lands
GAO-26-108040
Oct 08, 2026
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3 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Land Management The BLM Director should finalize geothermal resources handbooks and make them publicly available to inform both BLM officials and geothermal developers on the agency's leasing and permitting procedures. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Land Management The BLM Director should establish a unified mechanism to track, manage, and monitor the status of geothermal permitting activity across BLM field offices on the status of permitting reviews and accurate time frames for process completion. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Land Management The BLM Director should define goals for the time frame to process geothermal permits. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Nuclear Power: Actions Needed to Improve NRC’s Assessment of Its Workforce Needs
GAO-26-108737
Sep 28, 2026
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Nuclear Regulatory Commission The Chair of the NRC should direct staff to finalize the NEXUS tool by the first quarter of fiscal year 2027, as planned, to identify critical staffing needs and assess where the ADVANCE Act authorities can be used to help NRC retain and hire staff necessary to support mission needs. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission The Chair of the NRC should direct staff to establish metrics to measure and assess whether existing workforce authorities adequately address NRC's workforce needs. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

DOE Contracting: Risk-Informed Oversight and Clearer Expectations for Assurance Systems Would Improve Accountability
GAO-26-107850
Aug 26, 2026
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Office of Environmental Management The Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management should develop and implement a process for conducting CAS effectiveness evaluations, including defining CAS effectiveness and establishing specific, measurable evaluation criteria. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In August 2026, DOE concurred with our recommendation and stated that it plans to develop specific evaluation criteria and a process for conducting CAS effectiveness evaluations using approved lines of inquiry in calendar year 2026 for implementation in calendar year 2027.
Office of Environmental Management The Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management should document how it will use CAS information from field offices to ensure a tailored and risk-informed oversight program, to include determining the information it needs from field offices, standardizing key terms and metrics, and determining how it will use CAS information to tailor oversight. (Recommendation 2)
Open
In August 2026, DOE concurred with our recommendation said it would develop a documented process for using CAS information to tailor field office and EM headquarters oversight. DOE said this process will establish information needs and use standardized terminology and metrics. DOE plans to implement these actions in calendar year 2027.
Office of Environmental Management The Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management should design and implement oversight assessment schedules of field offices, to include assessments of field offices' oversight of CAS effectiveness, to determine how to prioritize its direction and feedback to field offices to address the greatest risks. (Recommendation 3)
Open
In August 2026, DOE concurred with our recommendation and said it would design and implement an assessment of field office oversight of CAS effectiveness. It would then use the results from that assessment to prioritize feedback based on risk. EM headquarters plans to conduct this oversight activity after the field offices implement actions in response to recommendations one and two.
Office of Environmental Management The Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management should use appropriate contract mechanisms to establish and communicate clear contractor performance expectations for CASs and consequences for not meeting those expectations. (Recommendation 4)
Open
In August 2026, DOE concurred with our recommendation and said that by December 31, 2026, it would review contract mechanisms to ensure clear performance expectations and consequences for all aspects of contract performance, including CAS, and identify appropriate changes relating to CAS performance expectations.
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