Department of Energy

The Department of Energy (DOE) manages the largest laboratory system of its kind in the world: 23 laboratories in 14 states, a combined budget exceeding $10 billion a year, and a staff of about 60,000. Since the early days of the World War II Manhattan Project, DOE's laboratories have played a major role in maintaining U.S. leadership in research and development. During the last 20 years, however, various advisory groups have questioned DOE's stewardship of the laboratory complex, citing management weaknesses. In recent years, Congress has held several hearings on the future of the national laboratories. The September 1998 report, GAO/RCED-98-197, (1) identifies the recommendations by various advisory groups for addressing management weaknesses at DOE and the laboratories and (2) evaluates how DOE and its laboratories have responded to these recommendations.

GAO noted that: (1) for nearly 20 years, many advisory groups have found that while DOE's national laboratories do impressive research and development, they are unfocused, are micromanaged by DOE, and do not function as an integrated national research and development system; (2) these groups have made dozens of recommendations ranging from improving strategic planning to streamlining DOE's internal processes, and some have also suggested major organizational changes in the way the laboratories are directed; (3) while DOE has made some progress--principally by reducing paperwork burdens on its laboratories--most of its actions in response to past advisory groups are still underway or have unclear outcomes; (4) DOE cannot show how its actions have resulted or may result in fundamental change because they lack the objectives, performance measures, and milestones needed to effectively track progress and account for results; (5) without a strategy for ensuring that reforms actually take place, DOE will make limited progress in achieving meaningful reforms; and (6) additionally, DOE's organizational weaknesses, which include unclear lines of authority, are a major reason why the Department has been unable to develop long-term solutions to the recurring problems reported by advisory groups.