**GAO-08-1081**                      Published: Sep 26, 2008. Publicly Released: Sep 26, 2008.                  

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## Highlights

The Department of Energy (DOE) spends billions of dollars annually to clean up nuclear wastes at sites that produced nuclear weapons. Cleanup projects decontaminate and demolish buildings, remove and dispose of contaminated soil, treat contaminated groundwater, and stabilize and dispose of solid and liquid radioactive wastes. Ten of these projects meet or nearly meet DOE's definition of major: costs exceeding $1 billion in the near term--usually a 5-year window of the project's total estimated life cycle. GAO was asked to determine the (1) extent to which the cost and schedule for DOE's major cleanup projects have changed and key reasons for changes, and (2) factors that may hinder DOE's ability to effectively manage these projects. GAO met with project directors and reviewed project documents for 10 major cleanup projects: 9 above the near-term $1 billion threshold, and 1 estimated to cost between $900 million and $1 billion over the near term.

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## Topics

Energy

Cost analysisCost overrunsDecontaminationEnvironmental cleanupsEnvironmental monitoringFuture budget projectionsLand managementLife cycle costsNuclear facilitiesNuclear powerplant constructionNuclear waste disposalProgram evaluationProgram managementRadioactive waste disposalReporting requirementsRisk assessmentRisk managementSchedule slippagesTanks (containers)Waste disposalWaste treatmentWork measurementCost estimatesProgram goals or objectives