Department of Energy
Research and Agency Missions Need Reevaluating Gao ID: T-RCED-95-105 February 13, 1995The priorities of the Energy Department (DOE) have changed dramatically since it was created in 1977, leading GAO to conclude that the agency and its mission should be reevaluated. Weapons production and environmental cleanup issues now overshadow DOE's original focus on energy research and conservation. New missions have also emerged in science and industrial competitiveness. At the same time, DOE suffers from significant management problems, ranging from poor environmental management of the nuclear weapons complex to major internal inefficiencies involving poor contractor oversight, inadequate information systems, and workforce weaknesses.