Nuclear Waste: Corps of Engineers' Progress in Cleaning Up 22 Nuclear Sites
Published: 1999-02-26T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army Corps of Engineers' Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP), focusing on the: (1) Corps' cost and schedule estimates for cleaning up the FUSRAP sites; (2) Corps' progress in meeting milestones for site cleanups, FUSRAP staffing levels, and environmental document preparation; and (3) transition of the program from the Department of Energy (DOE) to the Corps.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: GAO noted that: (1) when the Corps took over the program, it reviewed DOE's cost and schedule estimates for the 22 sites, visited the sites, and developed new cost and schedule estimates for each; (2) the Corps' cost estimates, in total, are higher than estimates previously developed by DOE; (3) the Corps estimated that it would cost up to $2.25 billion and would take until after 2004 to complete cleanup at all sites; (4) however, there is potential for the $2.25 billion estimate to increase in the future because no proven technology is available to clean up one site and characterization is incomplete for others; (5) DOE had estimated that it would cost up to $1.5 billion and would take until as late as 2006 to complete the cleanup; (6) an examination of the individual cost estimates, however, shows that much of the difference between DOE's and the Corps' estimates can be attributed to two sites where new information became available after the program was transferred or the scope of the cleanup alternatives was changed; (7) since the program was transferred to the Corps in October 1997, the Corps has achieved or exceeded its milestones for planned cleanup activities at 16 of the 22 sites; (8) the Corps did not achieve one or more of its milestones at five sites, and one site did not have any milestones for fiscal year (FY) 1998; (9) to accomplish its goals for the program, in FY 1998, the Corps had 71 full-time equivalents involved in program management and support; (10) in regard to completing the environmental documentation necessary to begin removal and remedial work, the Corps has made considerable progress, including issuing two Records of Decision and five Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessments that provide detailed plans for site cleanups; (11) during the program's transition from DOE to the Corps, the Corps established transition teams and worked with departmental officials to transfer the 22 sites; (12) when the program was transferred, several issues remained unresolved; (13) only one issue remains to be formally resolved, specifically, which agency should be accountable for property management for the sites while they are in the program; and (14) attempts to resolve this issue through negotiation of a memorandum of understanding between the Corps and DOE are ongoing.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: The Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) was created in the mid-1970s to clean up radiological contamination resulting from the early development of nuclear weapons. The Department of Energy (DOE) was responsible for FUSRAP until October 1997, when responsibility for the program was transferred to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps). FUSRAP currently consists of 22 sites and was funded at $140 million in both fiscal years 1998 and 1999.
At your request, this report discusses (1) the Corps’ cost and schedule estimates for cleaning up the FUSRAP sites; (2) the Corps’ progress in meeting milestones for site cleanups, FUSRAP staffing levels, and environmental document preparation; and (3) the transition of the program from DOE to the Corps.
subsections: section_title: Background
paragraphs: DOE began FUSRAP in 1974 to address radiological contamination at sites operated by the Manhattan Engineering District and the Atomic Energy Commission, both predecessor agencies to DOE. During the 1940s through 1960s, work was performed at numerous locations within the United States as part of the nation’s nuclear weapons program. Storing, transporting, sampling, mining and milling, machining, and processing radioactive materials that were used to make nuclear weapons created sites that became contaminated with uranium, thorium, radium, and their decay products, as well as nonradioactive materials.
In general, these sites were cleaned up or released for use under the guidelines in effect when the work was completed. However, those guidelines were not as strict as those in effect today, and radiological contamination in excess of current guidelines remained at a number of sites. To date, 46 sites have been included in FUSRAP. After reviewing several hundred sites, DOE originally identified 41 sites for inclusion in FUSRAP. According to DOE, these sites were included because they had met several criteria, including the following: (1) they had been involved in processing or handling radioactive materials owned by the government, (2) DOE determined that it had authority over the sites, and (3) there was significant or potential radioactive contamination. In addition to the sites identified by DOE, the Congress assigned five sites to DOE for remediation, and the Department placed them in FUSRAP because of their similarity with or proximity to sites in the program. By 1997, DOE had completed the cleanup of 24 sites, leaving 22 sites in Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio, as shown in table 1.
In October 1997, the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for fiscal year 1998 (P.L. 105-62) transferred responsibility for the administration and execution of FUSRAP from DOE to the Corps. At that time, about $582 million had been spent for cleaning up sites since the program’s inception. Funding for FUSRAP for fiscal year 1998 was $140 million (compared with the funding levels of about $70 million per year during the last few years that DOE managed the program).
The conference report on the legislation transferring FUSRAP directed the Corps to review the cost and schedule for each cleanup site. In March 1998, the Corps issued a report to Congress on the status and future of FUSRAP. The Corps included two cost and schedule estimates—baseline and conservative. The baseline estimates assumed cleanup levels consistent with future restricted or industrial land use, while the conservative estimates assumed cleanup levels consistent with future residential land use at all sites. Both the baseline and conservative estimates assumed unconstrained funding. Whether the baseline or conservative assumptions are closer to the cleanup that is actually implemented will depend on the results of the Corps’ risk analysis and coordination with the Environmental Protection Agency and state and local representatives.
section_title: Corps’ Cost and Schedule Estimates Differ From DOE’s and May Change
paragraphs: Soon after FUSRAP was transferred, the Corps developed cost and schedule estimates for each FUSRAP site. In comparison to prior cost and schedule estimates prepared by DOE, the Corps’ cost estimates, in total, are higher. The Corps estimated that it would cost up to $2.25 billion and would take until after 2004 to complete cleanup at all sites. DOE had estimated that it would cost up to $1.5 billion and would take until as late as 2006 to complete cleanup. An examination of the individual cost estimates, however, shows that much of the difference between DOE’s and the Corps’ estimates can be attributed to two FUSRAP sites where new information became available after the program was transferred and/or the scope of cleanup alternatives was changed. At several sites, the extent of contamination is unknown, and, at one site, a treatment technology or disposal site may not be available. For those sites, the Corps’ current cost and schedule estimates are probably not accurate and can be expected to increase as more information is developed.
subsections: section_title: Corps Based Cost and Schedule Estimates on DOE’s Prior Work, but Made Revisions at Some Sites
paragraphs: The Corps’ cost and schedule estimates were generally based on DOE’s site characterizations, scope of work, and estimates and do not differ significantly from DOE’s estimates at most of the 22 sites. Corps officials told us that this was because the Corps either agreed with DOE’s plan or did not have sufficient knowledge and information about a site to deviate from DOE’s plan. For example, within the Buffalo (N.Y.) District, the Corps’ report to Congress identified planned efforts at the Ashland 1 site during fiscal year 1998 that were very similar to those planned for by DOE in its June 1997 accelerated plan. Ashland 1 is a 10.8-acre site in Tonawanda, New York, that was used to store wastes from uranium processing. Contamination on the site is from uranium, radium, and thorium and the decay products associated with those elements. To estimate the site’s cleanup costs and schedule, the Corps used site characterization data compiled while the program was under DOE. Just as DOE had planned, the Corps plans to remove about 29,000 cubic yards of contaminated material. When completed, the site will be available for industrial use.
The cost or schedule estimates for some sites were based on the Corps’ judgment that the scope of the cleanup would have to be altered. For example, the Seaway site (located in Tonawanda, N.Y.) is a 93-acre landfill that includes 16 acres that are contaminated with uranium, thorium, and radium. DOE officials informed us that they had reached a tentative agreement with local officials to leave buried material in place. Other material in the landfill that was accessible would be assessed to determine if removal was required. DOE’s $250,000 cost estimate and 1999 closure date for the site assumed that no further remedial action was necessary. The Corps reviewed this information and determined that additional remedial action may be necessary. The Corps listed several options for remediating the site and estimated that the cost to complete the cleanup would be $10.2 million and that the cleanup would take until 2001.
Similarly, at the W.R. Grace site (the 260-acre site in Baltimore, Md., was used to extract thorium and other elements from sand), DOE was still conducting site characterization work and had not developed a cleanup plan. DOE estimated that it would cost from $12.1 million to $12.8 million to clean up the site and that it would take until 2002 or 2003 to complete the cleanup. The Corps reviewed DOE’s data and estimated that a further review of site information and remedial actions would cost from $39.6 million to $53.3 million and would take until 2002. The Corps also assumed that cost sharing with the site owner would not occur, while DOE assumed that the site’s owner would bear a portion of the costs.
In total, the Corps’ March 1998 report to Congress stated that the cleanup of the remaining 22 FUSRAP sites would cost from $1.56 billion under the baseline estimate to $2.25 billion under the conservative estimate, in addition to the costs incurred prior to fiscal year 1998. The Corps also estimated that, given unconstrained funding, 16 of the remaining 22 sites could be cleaned up and removed from FUSRAP by 2002. Four additional sites could be cleaned up by 2004 if funding were unconstrained and if the cleanup parameters—such as cleanup criteria or disposal location—were significantly changed. The report stated that the remaining two sites—the Niagara Falls (N.Y.) Storage Site and Luckey, Ohio—could not be completed until after 2004 because the contamination at those sites was not fully characterized and technological uncertainties existed.
In May 1997, DOE estimated that cleaning up the 22 FUSRAP sites would cost about $1.5 billion and could be completed by 2006. In June 1997, DOE estimated that cleaning up the 22 FUSRAP sites would cost about $983 million and could be completed by 2002. The May 1997 cost and schedule estimates were part of a plan to complete cleanup at all FUSRAP sites within 10 years. The June 1997 estimate was part of an accelerated plan to complete the cleanup within 6 years. In order to complete the cleanup within 6 years, many sites would be cleaned up to a less stringent level, leaving higher levels of contamination at the site than would have remained under the May 1997 plan. Because of this, the June cost estimate was much lower than the May cost estimate.
The difference between the Corps’ estimates and DOE’s estimates results primarily from the estimates for two sites—the Niagara Falls, New York, and Luckey, Ohio, sites. Table 2 shows DOE’s and the Corps’ cost estimates for these sites. (See app. I for a site-by-site comparison of DOE’s and the Corps’ estimates.)
The Corps’ overall total cost estimates for these sites differ from DOE’s because of changes in the scope of cleanup or additional contamination information that has become available. For example, the Niagara Falls Storage Site may eventually be cleaned to a more stringent level than was planned by DOE. The Niagara Falls site is a federally owned site consisting of 191 acres about 19 miles north of Buffalo, New York. Beginning in 1944, the former Manhattan Engineering District used the site to store waste material from processing uranium. On-site contamination includes uranium decay products, radium, and thorium. The site also contains highly radioactive processing residues in a containment structure with an interim cap. In its June 1997 plan, DOE planned to clean up two buildings at the site and monitor and maintain the interim cap that currently contains the contamination. This alternative would have resulted in the site’s removal from the program in 2002 at a cost of $6 million. DOE also planned to conduct long-term surveillance and maintenance at the site. Although DOE issued a draft plan that favored this approach, it was not universally accepted.
The National Research Council conducted a study that questioned DOE’s approach of leaving the contamination in place. DOE’s response included plans to review possible technologies for dealing with the highly radioactive processing residues prior to developing plans for their removal. In view of that study, the Corps may do more than DOE was planning to do at the site. The Corps intends to decontaminate the two on-site buildings and conduct a study to determine what to do with the rest of the contamination. The study will consider (1) removing the highly radioactive processing residues only, (2) removing all wastes, and (3) leaving all wastes in place under a permanent cap. Of these alternatives, the Corps’ baseline cost and schedule estimate ($285 million, with completion in 2006) provides for removing the highly radioactive processing residues only, while the conservative estimate ($434.5 million, with completion in 2008) provides for removing all contaminated soil. (The Corps’ baseline and conservative estimates included the first two alternatives only. A cost estimate for the third alternative was not developed.)
The Corps’ cost and schedule estimates in its March 1998 report to Congress for the Luckey, Ohio, site were based on a project scope different from that used by DOE because additional information became available after FUSRAP was transferred to the Corps. The Luckey site consists of 40 acres about 22 miles southeast of Toledo, Ohio. The former Atomic Energy Commission used the site to produce beryllium from 1949 through 1959. Radioactive contamination in the form of uranium, radium, and thorium and chemical contamination in the form of beryllium still exist on the site. In its June 1997 plan, DOE estimated that the site’s cleanup would cost $32 million and would be completed in 1999. However, site characterization had not been completed when FUSRAP was transferred, and the Corps has since found that beryllium contamination is much more extensive than previously known and that larger amounts of soil will have to be excavated. The Corps’ report to Congress described a baseline scope—assuming that a portion of the contaminated soils would be required to be disposed of off-site—for which, remediation was estimated to cost about $157.3 million and be completed in 2004. Under the conservative estimate, the Corps planned to remove larger amounts of contaminated soil, all of which would be disposed of off-site. The conservative cost estimate was $179.9 million, and completion was scheduled for 2005.
section_title: Corps’ Cost and Schedule Estimates Could Change for Some Sites
paragraphs: When DOE was responsible for FUSRAP, contaminated materials that were removed from sites were primarily shipped to one waste site—Envirocare in Utah. Since the program was transferred, the Corps has sent contaminated material to two additional waste sites—International Uranium Corporation’s uranium-processing facility in Utah and Envirosafe in Idaho. According to Corps officials, the competition created by using multiple sites has reduced disposal costs. For example, Corps officials informed us that they negotiated a contract with Envirosafe for the disposal of lead-contaminated waste at a cost of about 58 percent of the average disposal cost in fiscal year 1997. For the Ashland 2 site, the Corps negotiated a disposal contract with International Uranium Corporation for $90 per cubic yard of contaminated material. According to Corps officials, the disposal cost under the Corps’ existing contract with Envirocare ranged from $150 per cubic yard to over $1,000 per cubic yard, depending on the type of waste. Corps officials estimate that the lower disposal cost resulted in savings of about $16 million. The use of the International Uranium Corporation disposal site provides an additional benefit in that the radioactive material is extracted and recycled for use in the power industry. In addition, the Corps has negotiated a new contract with Envirocare to dispose of contaminated material at about one-half of the cost of a year ago and in December 1998 issued a request for proposals for additional FUSRAP disposal contracts.
Since the publication of its report, the Corps has gathered additional data related to radioactive and chemical contaminants that could affect its cost and schedule estimates. For example, the data for the Luckey, Ohio, site mentioned earlier show that beryllium has migrated and was found in a drinking water well at an adjacent residence. The extent of the contamination is currently being studied, but Corps officials believe it has expanded beyond what was anticipated. The Corps’ Buffalo District officials told us that if additional remediation is required for the drinking water, it could potentially double cleanup costs (the March 1998 baseline estimate was $157.3 million) and delay completion of cleanup activities until 2004 or 2005.
In a similar situation, the Colonie, New York, site consists of an 11.2-acre site and 56 vicinity properties that have been contaminated. From 1958 through 1984, several different processes that involved radioactive materials were conducted on the site. The site’s primary known radioactive contaminants include uranium and thorium. In addition, at the time of the report to Congress, the site had known lead, copper, and tetrachloroethylene contamination. While the contaminants were known at the time of the report and DOE and state officials had an agreement that would allow some contaminated material to remain on-site under a cap, the extent of groundwater contamination and the cleanup needed had not been finalized. According to Corps officials, the lead and possible groundwater contamination could significantly increase costs and delay completion dates.
The CE site in Windsor, Connecticut, is a location where possible changes in cleanup levels could alter the cost and schedule information contained in the Corps’ report to Congress. The CE site consists of 1,100 acres and is located about 8 miles north of Hartford, Connecticut. From 1958 through 1961, nuclear fuel assemblies using highly enriched uranium were fabricated on-site. The CE site owner also conducted commercial nuclear manufacturing on-site and disposed of waste from those activities in many of the same areas as the FUSRAP wastes. Known site contamination involves the highly enriched uranium. In the Corps’ report to Congress, the baseline cost estimate was $40.7 million and the completion date was 2005; the conservative cost estimate was $99.3 million, and the completion date was 2005 also. The facility operator and the government have not agreed on the level of enriched uranium that will be cleaned up under FUSRAP. However, the current facility operator wants FUSRAP to be responsible for remediating additional uranium contamination, which DOE had not agreed to do and which would result in increased quantities and costs. In the fall of 1998, the current facility operator submitted a proposal to the Corps to expand the scope of FUSRAP cleanup at the CE site. The Corps is reviewing the proposal.
Unknown information on the Niagara Falls Storage Site mentioned earlier also has the potential to change the cleanup costs and completion schedule contained in the report to Congress. Although the Corps has made cost and schedule estimates to clean up the Niagara Falls site (the baseline estimate, with completion in 2006, is $285 million, and the conservative estimate, with completion in 2008, is $434.5 million), there is no proven technology for treating the contamination with the highest activity. The highly radioactive processing residues at the site are of the same material that DOE has at its Fernald, Ohio, facility. In 1994, DOE began building a pilot-scale vitrification plant at Fernald to demonstrate a treatment process for these residues. The purpose of the plant was to gather information for the design of a future full-scale facility. However, the project experienced significant delays, equipment problems, and cost overruns. As a result, DOE closed the plant and is currently reevaluating its remediation options. If the Corps’ study of alternatives for cleaning up the Niagara Falls site results in the selection of an option that requires treatment of the highly radioactive processing residues before shipping them to a disposal site, the technology developed to treat these residues will significantly affect the cost and schedule for cleaning up the site.
section_title: Corps’ Efforts Since the Transition
paragraphs: The Corps has been responsible for FUSRAP for only a little more than 1 year. Therefore, it is difficult to extrapolate the chances for FUSRAP’s future successes or failures from the Corps’ short history with the program. However, since FUSRAP was transferred to the Corps, it has achieved, and in some cases exceeded, its planned milestones for evaluating and cleaning up most individual sites. In fiscal year 1998, the Corps had 71 full-time equivalents involved in program management and support. The Corps’ staffing for FUSRAP has fluctuated and is expected to continue to fluctuate because of the type of work being conducted. It is difficult to compare the Corps’ staffing levels with DOE’s because the two agencies used a different basis for calculating the number of staff in the program. Considerable progress has also been achieved in completing environmental documents necessary to begin removal and remedial work.
subsections: section_title: Corps’ Efforts to Meet Site Milestones
paragraphs: DOE had planned to conduct decontamination work at 14 sites during fiscal year 1998. The Corps planned decontamination work at 11 sites during fiscal year 1998. (See app. II for the Corps’ and DOE’s fiscal year 1998 milestones for each FUSRAP site.) At 12 sites, planned environmental documentation and cleanup work were conducted as scheduled. For example, the Corps planned to complete Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessments for the St. Louis Airport Site, and the Wayne, New Jersey, site. These documents were completed. In addition, the St. Louis District planned to, and issued, a Record of Decision for the St. Louis Downtown Site.
At four sites, the Corps not only met its milestones, but also conducted additional work. At the Maywood, New Jersey, site, the New York District had planned to remediate 13 vicinity properties during fiscal year 1998. Instead, the District was able to remediate 15 vicinity properties. In addition, the Corps remediated four other properties where contamination was found during the planned excavation of the vicinity properties. At Middlesex, New Jersey, half of a contaminated waste pile was scheduled for removal; however, because the New York District was able to obtain a favorable disposal rate by using an alternate disposal site, it was able to remove the entire pile. At the Painesville, Ohio, site, the Buffalo District originally planned to remove 250 cubic yards of contaminated soil; however, as the soil was removed, additional contamination was found, and 300 cubic yards was subsequently removed. The original milestones for the Niagara Falls Storage Site included only providing for site security and maintenance. The Corps provided security and maintenance and also decontaminated a building on the site.
At five sites, the milestones established for fiscal year 1998 were not met for various reasons. For example, the Corps originally planned to remove the Shpack Landfill site near Attleboro, Massachusetts, from FUSRAP by summer 1998. However, the Corps questioned whether the site’s contamination was attributable to the government. The Corps has delayed the closing and did not meet its milestone because it decided to do a more intensive review of the project records than it originally anticipated. One site (Madison, Ill.) did not have any fiscal year 1998 milestones.
section_title: Corps’ Staffing Changes to Meet the Program’s Needs
paragraphs: The Corps set a number of expectations for the program, including one that the Corps would implement the program without an increase in its overall staffing levels. During fiscal year 1998, the Corps had 71 full-time equivalents. Most of these—65 full-time equivalents—were located at the six Corps district offices that manage FUSRAP sites. In addition, six full-time equivalents were located at the Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Center of Expertise in Omaha, Nebraska. The Corps does not employ contractor staff to manage this program.
During the first year that the Corps managed FUSRAP, staffing levels fluctuated. Transition teams were formed and disbanded, and district FUSRAP teams and site teams were created. In addition, district officials have indicated that they expect staffing levels to continue to change in the near term as specific sites move through the different phases of cleanup. For example, Corps officials told us that the preparation of environmental documentation requires significantly more staff involvement than does the actual physical removal of contaminated material. (See app. III to this report for a listing of the number of staff involved in FUSRAP.)
At the time the program was transferred, DOE reports that it had 14 federal and 50 contractor full-time equivalents involved in a joint federal/contractor management team. It is difficult to compare the Corps’ and DOE’s staffing levels. Consistent with other DOE programs, DOE used a federally led management team in FUSRAP, while the Corps used all federal staff. In addition, as stated previously, the Corps’ staffing level includes program management and some program support staff, while DOE’s reported staffing level includes only program management.
section_title: Corps’ Preparation of Environmental Documentation
paragraphs: The Corps believes that its authority to execute FUSRAP is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended. One of the challenges the Corps identified during the program’s transition from DOE was completing environmental documents necessary to begin removal or remediation of contamination pursuant to the act. Removal actions are short-term actions taken to clean up, remove, and monitor contamination. Remedial actions are the study, design, and construction of longer-term responses aimed at permanently cleaning up a site.
When DOE managed FUSRAP, it used action memorandums as its primary decision document to carry out removal actions. An action memorandum identifies the selected removal action and authorizes the cleanup. It is supported by an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment, which characterizes the waste, examines different options, tentatively selects a remedy, and obtains public comment. DOE’s use of Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessments and action memorandums was consistent with a GAO report recommending that DOE consider the increased use of removal actions, where appropriate, as a potential means of schedule and cost savings.
The Corps has prepared five Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessments for removal actions involving six sites and two Records of Decision for cleanup involving four sites and plans to prepare Records of Decision to remediate and close out nearly all sites. Records of Decision document the selected remedy and authorize the cleanup. They are supported by a work plan, a remedial investigation, a feasibility study, and a proposed plan that tentatively selects a remedy and obtains public comment. Records of Decision are generally prepared to support and document longer, more complex remedial action cleanups. Corps officials told us that they make extensive use of Records of Decision because the Corps believes that Records of Decision are required under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, to achieve finality and completion of response actions at a site. Furthermore, the Corps believes that the Record of Decision process ensures full public comment on the selected remedial alternative.
The use of either decision document complies with relevant requirements for documenting cleanup actions. Implementing regulations and applicable guidance documents for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, provide that both removal and remedial actions require a decision document to be included as part of the administrative record of each response action. The regulations and guidance indicate that this requirement may be satisfied differently for each type of action. While a Record of Decision is the document to be used for a remedial action, an action memorandum generally is used for a removal action.
section_title: Transition Activities and Issues
paragraphs: During the transition from DOE to the Corps, the Corps established transition teams and met with DOE officials to transfer contracts and obtain information related to the FUSRAP sites. The transition of FUSRAP sites and information to the Corps was achieved quickly and smoothly. However, several issues related to the program needed to be resolved. DOE and the Corps are negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding to clarify roles and responsibilities. DOE and Corps officials told us that the memorandum may be finalized in early 1999.
subsections: section_title: Transfer of FUSRAP Sites
paragraphs: When FUSRAP was initially transferred from DOE, the Corps set out to review and analyze the program, facilitate a smooth transition from DOE to the Corps, develop and submit a report to the Congress, and execute the program and projects within budget and on schedule. To accomplish the objectives, the Corps developed a management plan and created two teams—the Program Assessment Team and the Oak Ridge Transition Team.
The Program Assessment Team consisted of six members with backgrounds in hazardous, toxic, and radioactive waste management; technical requirements; construction contracting; laws and regulations; health physics and safety; and real estate. The team was chartered to develop the Corps’ overall assessment of the status of FUSRAP projects, DOE’s strategy for completion, and the technical appropriateness and funding level of existing DOE-directed contractor activities. During November 1997, the team visited the six Corps districts that manage FUSRAP sites and also visited most of the FUSRAP sites. The team was also to work with the Corps’ districts to determine if the cleanup of all sites could be completed by 2002, to determine a transition strategy for each project, and to consolidate, assemble, and coordinate site-specific components of the Corps’ report to Congress.
The Oak Ridge Transition Team had four members with expertise in hazardous, toxic, and radioactive waste; program and project management; contracting; and contract management. The team was chartered to assess DOE’s FUSRAP management practices, contract requirements, financial systems, scheduling, regulatory interfaces, community relations, and future program requirements. In addition, the team was responsible for assisting in preparation of the report to Congress.
The Corps’ and DOE’s staff held numerous meetings during the first few months of fiscal year 1998. For example, the day after the President signed the bill transferring the program, Corps officials from headquarters and the districts met with DOE headquarters officials. The Corps’ teams spent from October 20 through 24, 1997, with DOE and Bechtel National, Inc., (DOE’s prime management support contractor) staff in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where they were briefed on individual FUSRAP sites. The Corps’ headquarters officials again met with DOE officials on November 7. The Corps’ March 1998 report to Congress stated that during the transition period, DOE personnel at Oak Ridge and the FUSRAP sites provided outstanding cooperation. The report also stated that DOE’s program and project managers and its contractors involved in FUSRAP acted professionally and responsibly. DOE and Corps officials agreed that both agencies were cooperative and that the transition was a smooth, coordinated effort.
section_title: Transition Issues
paragraphs: Early in the transition, it was not clear whether the Corps had the same authority as DOE for regulating certain safety activities of contractors carrying out FUSRAP cleanups. With respect to nuclear safety and occupational safety and health activities, through the terms of its contracts, DOE regulated its FUSRAP cleanup contractors as authorized by the Atomic Energy Act. As a result, DOE’s contractors followed safety requirements imposed by DOE under its authority rather than those imposed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The Corps questioned whether this authority had been transferred. As a result, the Corps’ contractors were required to comply with the substantive provisions of all applicable safety and regulatory requirements of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Corps officials informed us that they have taken the position that the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, does not require the Corps to obtain Nuclear Regulatory Commission licenses for FUSRAP work performed entirely on-site but does require compliance with provisions of otherwise applicable license requirements for on-site work. Corps officials also believe that any portions of FUSRAP work that are entirely off-site are subject to applicable license or permit requirements. The Corps therefore requires its contractors to comply with all federal, state, and local regulations regarding the handling of FUSRAP materials and to meet all license or permit requirements for off-site work. On January 12, 1999, the Corps wrote a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that stated the Corps’ position and asked for the Commission’s guidance.
Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, an agency that cleans up a contaminated site may be able to recover some of the funds spent for response actions from potentially responsible parties. The Corps believed it needed specific legislative authority to deposit funds recovered this way in its FUSRAP accounts and then to use the funds for additional FUSRAP response actions. This issue was resolved when specific authority to deposit these funds was provided in the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1999 (P.L. 105-245).
Sites may be added to FUSRAP when new information about radioactive contamination related to sites used by DOE’s predecessor agencies becomes available. For example, as recently as 1994, the CE site in Windsor, Connecticut, was added to the program. The Corps does not regard the designation of new FUSRAP sites as being within the scope of responsibilities that were transferred. The Corps believes that DOE is the repository for information on the Manhattan Engineering District and early activities by the Atomic Energy Commission and that such information is essential for determining the eligibility for cleanups under FUSRAP. DOE’s initial position was that the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act of 1998 transferred complete responsibility for carrying out FUSRAP to the Corps—including the designation of new sites, although DOE also stated that it would provide the Corps with reasonable assistance in evaluating the eligibility of potential new sites. DOE and Corps officials informed us that they have tentatively resolved this issue—DOE will research the history of proposed new FUSRAP sites to determine their eligibility, and the Corps will assess the sites’ level of contamination—in a Memorandum of Understanding that is currently being negotiated.
Questions about which agency should be accountable for sites is another transition issue that requires resolution. DOE and Corps officials informed us that they have tentatively agreed—in the Memorandum of Understanding that is currently being negotiated—that DOE will be responsible for any surveillance and maintenance of sites that have been released from the program. Questions about which agency should be accountable for sites still in FUSRAP remain under discussion. Specifically, the matter of which agency is responsible for property management has not been decided. The Corps has proposed that DOE should retain responsibility for these matters. DOE’s position is that while the Corps’ cleanup activities are in progress, these responsibilities are best handled by the Corps. DOE and Corps officials informed us that they are attempting to resolve this issue in the Memorandum of Understanding, which may be finalized in early 1999.
section_title: Conclusions
paragraphs: The Corps has been responsible for FUSRAP for only a little more than a year; because of this short period, it is difficult to predict the future of the program. However, during the first year that the Corps managed FUSRAP, it accomplished much. The Corps reviewed all 22 sites, developed cost and schedule estimates for each, and established site-specific milestones. For most sites, these milestones were achieved or exceeded. The Corps also realized reductions in the costs of disposing of contaminated materials and in staffing levels. The transition of the sites from DOE to the Corps was achieved quickly and smoothly.
Despite the successes of the Corps’ first year, unknowns still exist for several aspects of FUSRAP. We found several sites where the extent of contamination had not yet been completely characterized or the technology required to clean up the contamination is not yet available. As a result, there is potential for the Corps’ $2.25 billion cleanup cost estimate to increase in the future. In addition, several overall transition issues related to the Corps’ responsibilities and authorities remain to be formally resolved, particularly, its responsibility for determining the eligibility of new FUSRAP sites, accountability for the sites removed from the program, and accountability for the sites currently in the program. The first two issues have been tentatively resolved; discussions continue on the third.
section_title: Agency Comments and Our Evaluation
paragraphs: We provided the Corps and DOE with a draft of this report for their review and comment. The Corps concurred with the report’s assessment of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program. The Corps also commented about its 71 full-time equivalent management and support staff that we reported were employed in the program. The Corps’ letter stated that management of the program was accomplished with 26 full-time equivalents. During our review, we requested information on program management staffing levels, and the Corps informed us that it had 71 full-time equivalents involved in program management and support. We included that information in the report and the Corps’ comments provide no basis for making changes to the report. As stated in the report, we are aware that a comparison between DOE’s and the Corps’ staffing levels is difficult and that staffing levels for the program tend to fluctuate. Nevertheless, the staffing level data that the Corps previously provided us with and the President’s fiscal year 2000 budget—which show staffing levels of 97 full-time equivalents for the program for fiscal year 1998 and 140 full-time equivalents for fiscal years 1999 and 2000—further support our view that the assessment of the Corps’ staffing levels presented in this report should not be adjusted downward.
DOE’s letter provides a perspective on the last several years of the Formerly Utilized Site Remedial Action Program—when it was managed by DOE—and the condition of the program when it was transferred to the Corps. This report focused on transition issues and activities that occurred after the program was transferred, and, as a result, we did not make any changes to the report. The full texts of the Corps’ and the DOE’s comments are included in appendixes IV and V, respectively.
section_title: Scope and Methodology
paragraphs: To obtain information on issues related to FUSRAP’s transition from DOE to the Corps, we held discussions with and obtained documents related to the transition period from the Corps’ headquarters, division, and district officials; former DOE program officials in headquarters and Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and DOE contractor officials who were responsible for FUSRAP. To determine the basis for the Corps’ cost and schedule estimates contained in its report to Congress and to obtain information on the Corps’ program milestones, staffing levels, and environmental document preparation, we visited and held discussions with officials from the six Corps districts that are responsible for FUSRAP sites. We obtained documents related to cleanup costs and schedules, site contamination, program milestones and accomplishments, staffing levels, and environmental requirements. We visited 21 of the 22 FUSRAP sites (the site we did not visit is an active site, and the operator requested that we not visit because doing so could disrupt current activities). We also visited the Corps’ Omaha, Nebraska, District Office and the Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Center of Expertise in Omaha to obtain documents and information on contractual and technical assistance that they provided for FUSRAP districts. We conducted our review from July 1998 through January 1999 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.
As arranged with your office, unless you publicly announce its contents earlier, we plan no further distribution of this report until 10 days after the date of this letter. At that time, we will send copies of the report to the Secretaries of Defense and Energy, the Director, Office of Management and Budget, and other interested congressional parties. We will also make copies available to others on request.
section_title: DOE’s and Army Corps of Engineers’ Cost Estimates for FUSRAP Sites
paragraphs: Corps’ estimates of cost to complete (continued)
section_title: Status of Fiscal Year 1998 Milestones at FUSRAP Sites
paragraphs: W.R. Grace, Baltimore, Md.
No FY 1998 milestones.
Award contract to prepare Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment.
Occurred.
Ashland 1, Tonawanda, N.Y.
Begin removal of contamination.
Complete Record of Decision.
Occurred.
Ashland 2, Tonawanda, N.Y.
Begin removal of contamination.
Complete Record of Decision and initiate remediation.
Occurred.
Bliss & Laughlin Steel, Buffalo, N.Y.
No FY 1998 milestones.
Release Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment to the public.
Delayed because of lack of access to site.
Linde, Tonawanda, N.Y. Demolish building No. 30.
Occurred.
Decontaminate building No. 14.
Complete decontamination of building No. 14 and demolish and remove building No. 30.
Niagara Falls Storage Site, Lewiston, N.Y.
Surveillance and maintenance.
Provide for site security and maintenance.
Exceeded. Decontaminated Building No. 403.
Seaway, Tonawanda, N.Y.
Issue hazard assessment.
Issue Record of Decision. Has not occurred because additional characterization found higher volume of contaminated material.
Continue site characterization and begin remedial action.
Complete site characterization.
Occurred. Planned characterization was completed; however, beryllium was found to have migrated, and additional characterization work will be performed.
Complete remedial action.
Issue Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment and Action Memorandum and excavate/dispose of 250 cubic yards of material.
Exceeded. Additional contamination found. Removed 300 cubic yards.
CE Site, Windsor, Conn.
Start site characterization.
Initiate site characterization.
Occurred. (continued)
Ventron, Beverly, Mass.
Issue final certification document.
Has not occurred because of Corps’ desire not to put out Record of Decision for public review prior to completion of negotiations related to the owner’s plans to sell the site.
Shpack Landfill, Norton/Attleboro, Mass.
Remove from program.
Remove from program.
Has not occurred because of the need to review more records than originally anticipated.
Maywood, Maywood, N.J. Complete residential vicinity properties. Begin remediation of municipal vicinity properties.
Remediate 13 vicinity properties.
Exceeded. Completed 15 vicinity properties and began remediation of 6 vicinity properties scheduled for FY 1999. Completed four additional properties not originally in the program.
Middlesex Sampling Plant, Middlesex, N.J.
Complete Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment. Remove 50 percent of waste pile.
Issue Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment. Remove half of contaminated waste pile.
Exceeded. Issued Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment and removed entire waste pile.
Wayne Interim Storage Facility, Wayne, N.J.
Complete removal of waste pile. Begin removal of subsurface contamination.
Issue Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment and remove 10,000 cubic yards.
Occurred.
Colonie, Colonie, N.Y.
Complete vicinity property cleanup. Begin subsurface soil remediation.
Award contract for total site remediation. Conduct various decontamination and removal activities.
Occurred.
Dupont Chambers Works, Deepwater, N.J.
Remove drums containing waste.
Issue Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment and remove drums containing waste.
Occurred. Drums removed under a Post Hazard Assessment document. (Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment was not used.)
Madison, Madison, Ill.
No FY 1998 milestones. No FY 1998 milestones. Not applicable. (continued)
St. Louis Airport Site, St. Louis, Mo.
Begin excavation of surface and subsurface soil. Remove contaminated sediment in ditches.
Complete rail spur for loading out material and issue Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment. Remove contaminated material.
Occurred.
St. Louis Airport Site Vicinity Properties, St. Louis, Mo.
Continue remediation of haul routes.
Issue Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment for ball fields as part of Airport Site Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment. Remove contaminated material.
Occurred.
St. Louis Downtown Site, St. Louis, Mo.
Continue building decontamination. Begin subsurface soil remediation.
Issue Record of Decision. Remove contaminated material.
Occurred.
Hazelwood Interim Storage Site and Latty Ave. Properties, Hazelwood, Mo.
Begin removal of waste storage pile.
Issue Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment and start rail spur.
Engineering Evaluation/Cost Assessment was issued, and rail spur was not started because the property owner would not sign the agreement to allow the Corps on the property.
section_title: Army Corps of Engineers’ FUSRAP Staffing Levels at the End of Fiscal Year 1998
section_title: Comments From the Army Corps of Engineers
section_title: Comments From the Department of Energy
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