Department of Energy

GAO updated its previous report on the Department of Energy's (DOE) fiscal year (FY) 2000 budget request, focusing on: (1) selected projects and activities by the Office of Environmental Management in which part or all of the FY 2000 budget request or budget authority from previous years is not needed; and (2) GAO's analysis of Environmental Management's and Defense Programs' carryover funds from prior years to determine if funds are available that could be used to reduce DOE's FY 2000 budget request.

GAO noted that: (1) GAO questioned about $259 million in funding for the Environmental Management Program; (2) specifically, $164 million in FY 2000 funding for five privatization projects is not needed because this budget authority exceeds the contractors' expected costs during FY 2000; (3) another $95 million in FY 2000 budget requests and funding provided in previous years is not needed for construction projects and operating activities because of various reasons, including the fact that a project's scope had been reduced but DOE plans to retain the funds for other purposes or DOE is requesting funding a year or more in advance of when the funds will be needed; (4) GAO's review of the Environmental Management Program's projected carryover funds indicates that no funds would be available to offset DOE's FY 2000 budget request; (5) rather, the Environmental Management Program is projected to have about $58 million less than the projected goal for carryover funds at the start of FY 2000; and (6) a similar situation exists for Defense Programs, where DOE is projected to have about $101 million less than the projected goal for carryover funds at the start of FY 2000.