DOE Management

This report examines how the Department of Energy (DOE) responded to a 1988 National Archives and Records Administration evaluation of DOE's record management program, which involves some of the most important and extensive scientific information in existence. That evaluation cited major problems affecting every phase of record management--from creation and maintenance through disposal. GAO looks at (1) the potential impact of these deficiencies on DOE operations, (2) how DOE has responded to the evaluation, and (3) additional actions DOE should take to improve its responsiveness to the recommendations.

GAO found that: (1) the NARA evaluation found over 30 deficiencies, involving insufficient DOE attention to sound records management principles and practices, especially in the areas of documenting decisions and activities, inventorying and scheduling records, educating its employees, and protecting its records from inappropriate removal; (2) DOE facilities did not comply with federal and departmental environmental training requirements, since none of the seven contractors visited by the Inspector General had adequate documentation or recordkeeping systems for hazardous waste training; (3) for over a year, DOE had not taken action on the NARA recommendations, primarily because of insufficient staff and high turnover in the DOE Records and Reports Management Branch; (4) since reorganizing that branch, DOE has acted on some of the NARA recommendations by increasing branch staff and resources, increasing communications between branch and field office records officers, and drafting revisions to its records management orders to include changes that NARA recommended; (5) after issuing its revised records management orders, DOE will have to implement adequate documentation practices and train employees at all levels of its operations, perform comprehensive inventories of all its records, develop new disposition schedules for those records, and establish procedures to prevent the removal or destruction of official records when employees leave DOE or its contractors; and (6) DOE has not developed plans for how it will address the remaining concerns NARA raised about its records management program.

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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