Full Title: Nuclear Waste Cleanup: Army Corps Could Benefit from Following Leading Practices for Program Management for Contaminated Sites
Author(s): U.S. Government Accountability Office
Publisher(s): U.S. Government Accountability Office
Publication Date: October 17, 2023
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Atomic energy activities supported by the federal government generated large amounts of radioactive and hazardous waste over several decades of nuclear weapons production and energy research following World War II. This waste has contaminated soil, groundwater, and structures at sites across the country, posing potential risks to human health and the environment.
The Corps is responsible for cleaning up or controlling contamination at some of these sites through FUSRAP. GAO was asked to provide information about the Corps’ efforts to clean up contamination under FUSRAP. This report, among other things, (1) describes the reported environmental liabilities associated with active FUSRAP sites and uncertainties around those estimates and (2) examines the extent to which FUSRAP meets leading practices for program management.
GAO reviewed legal requirements,federal accounting standards, agency documents, and leading program management practices; analyzed data on the Corps’ cleanup expenditures and total cost estimates; and interviewed agency officials.