Nuclear Waste

The Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that it could save upwards of $20 billion by using innovative technologies to clean up hazardous and radioactive contaminants at its nuclear weapons facilities. DOE is developing technologies that could reduce cleanup costs, speed cleanups, provide methods for cleanups for which no cost-effective technologies now exist, and reduce risks for cleanup workers and the public. However, earlier reports by GAO and others have cited obstacles to selecting and using innovative technologies at DOE sites. Because of concerns about the benefits returned from the $2.5 billion invested in DOE's Office of Science and Technology since 1989, this report reviews DOE's efforts to deploy innovative technologies. GAO discusses (1) the extent to which innovative technologies developed by the Office of Science and Technology have been used at DOE sites and how this rate of deployment compares with the rates of other government organizations that develop innovative technologies; (2) DOE's progress in overcoming obstacles to deploying innovative technologies at its cleanup sites; and (3) DOE's efforts to increase the deployment of innovative technologies.

GAO noted that: (1) OST has initiated 713 technology development projects and has reported that 152 projects have been deployed one or more times, for an overall deployment rate of 21 percent; (2) GAO found many errors in the office's deployment data and estimates that EM has deployed between 88 and 130 of these projects, for an overall deployment rate of 12 to 18 percent; (3) OST overstated its deployment information because it had not previously maintained comprehensive deployment data; compiled the data rapidly in response to congressional requests; and lacked procedures for compiling the data; (4) in comparison with the deployment rates of other programs that demonstrate environmental technologies--the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program and the Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology Certification Program--OST's deployment rate for projects at comparable stages of development falls between the rates of these two programs; (5) however, comparisons of OST's deployment rate with the rates of other organizations' programs must be viewed with caution because no organization is fully comparable with OST, and the deployment rate is not the only possible measure of success for research and development programs; (6) as DOE's Environmental Management program has matured, its waste cleanup sites have made progress in overcoming some obstacles to implementing innovative technologies; (7) other obstacles that are internal to the operations of EM and its OST continue to slow the use of innovative technologies, including the lack of: (a) involvement by technology users in the development of cleanup technologies by OST; and (b) technical assistance by OST to help sites select and implement technologies; (8) after congressional hearings in May 1997, EM initiated changes in its organization and processes to increase the deployment of innovative technologies; (9) some of these initiatives address the internal obstacles limiting deployment; (10) however, the office has not yet improved developer-user cooperation in individual technology development projects; (11) OST does not consistently and rigorously use its existing decisionmaking process for managing the development of innovative technologies; and (12) EM has yet to determine how it will: (a) provide technical assistance to sites in selecting and implementing innovative technologies; and (b) make modifications to completed technologies to meet sites' specific needs and conditions.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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