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Nathan Anderson

@atomicauditor.bsky.social
326 followers 67 following 74 posts

Director of the U.S. Government Accountability Office's nuclear cleanup and environmental liabilities portfolio. Fly fisherman with strong ties to the Pacific Northwest.

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Reposted by Nathan Anderson
Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
NNSA spends billions on contracts to operate its nuclear labs & sites. To improve transparency, NNSA uses line items in contracts to differentiate some large “tasks,” like major construction projects, from broad mission work.
gao.gov
U.S. GAO - National Nuclear Security Administration: Use of Line Items in Management and Operating Contracts Could Be Improved
The National Nuclear Security Administration spends over $20 billion per year on 9 contracts to manage and operate the nation's nuclear security...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
DOE could hire The Bobs to find efficiencies, but it already has contractor assurance systems that should proactively identify and correct a range of issues, from financial to health & safety matters. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
We already know that Nothing Compares 2 U (RIP Prince): We looked at supply and demand for all sorts of U(ranium), and we found the US has enough low-enriched U and high-enriched U for national security needs until the 2040s. (Good news!) #nukesky www.gao.gov/products/gao...
gao.gov
U.S. GAO - Nuclear Fuel: Actions Needed to Enhance Cost Reporting and Economic Analysis for Federal Uranium Supply Efforts
The National Nuclear Security Administration provides enriched uranium for U.S. national security needs. NNSA is pursuing 3 long-term efforts to...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
DOE works with other countries on nuclear waste cleanup but is missing opportunities to strategically engage with them to find approaches that reduce both costs and risks to workers and the public. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
gao.gov
U.S. GAO - Nuclear Waste Cleanup: DOE Is Missing Opportunities to Apply Lessons from Other Countries That Could Reduce Risks and Costs
Nuclear waste cleanup can be costly, risky, and time consuming. The Department of Energy's cleanup efforts in the U.S. will cost over $640 billion and...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Since 2019, DOE has used “end state" contracting for nuclear cleanup to focus contractors on a defined outcome. Under this system, DOE saw extra costs of >$500 million because it did not fully use contract incentives to manage costs. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
gao.gov
U.S. GAO - Nuclear Waste Cleanup: DOE Needs to Better Use End State Contracts to Achieve Intended Results
The Department of Energy employs contractors to conduct nuclear waste cleanup at its U.S. sites. Since 2019, DOE has used an "end state" contracting...
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Reposted by Nathan Anderson
Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
NNSA has lots of exciting scientific equipment—like linear accelerators and huge supercomputers—that it uses to design, assess, and certify the nation’s stockpile of nuclear weapons. However, much of it is decades old and needs repair.
gao.gov
U.S. GAO - National Nuclear Security Administration: Additional Actions Needed to Plan for Science, Technology, and Engineering Facilities and Workforce Investments
The National Nuclear Security Administration relies on unique science, technology, and engineering facilities and a highly skilled workforce to...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
DOE has removed >16 million tons of uranium mill tailings and other materials from the Moab Mill Site in Utah, where uranium was processed for weapons during the Cold War. The surrounding groundwater was contaminated and is threatening the Colorado River. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
gao.gov
U.S. GAO - Nuclear Waste: DOE’s Plans to Complete Cleanup and Transfer of Moab Mill Site
The Moab Mill Site in Utah processed uranium during the Cold War era. The surrounding groundwater was contaminated and flowed into the Colorado River...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
When planning new capital asset projects expected to cost more than $100 million, DOE’s nuclear waste cleanup office (EM) doesn’t always consider a wide range of options, leading to overlook potential cost-savings. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
gao.gov
U.S. GAO - Nuclear Waste Cleanup: Changes Needed to Ensure DOE Is Not Prematurely Excluding Less Expensive Options for Large Projects
To clean up nuclear waste, the Department of Energy spends billions of taxpayer dollars on large projects, like waste treatment facilities. When...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
As DOE prepares to grout ~24 million gallons of low-activity waste from 22 tanks at its Hanford site, it must decide whether to grout (1) at Hanford and transport the grout or (2) offsite, which could mean transporting liquid waste. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
DOE’s nuclear cleanup office (EM) lost staff in every location in FY25 (overall attrition 38%), raising concerns about the safety of operations now and in the future, especially as more staff become eligible for retirement. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Some good news: the Office of Naval Reactors is on track to save billions on decontamination & decommissioning (D&D) of excess facilities by partnering with DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) & leveraging its network of experienced contractors. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
DOE spends nearly $1 billion annually to maintain the facilities it needs for its nuclear cleanup efforts—an increase of 80% since FY2020. Improving how it manages and communicates data on this spending could save money and better address maintenance needs. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Clarifying the statutory definition of “high-level radioactive waste” (HLW) could help DOE save tens of billions of dollars in nuclear cleanup costs, including for treatment and disposal of ~90 million gallons of waste stored in underground tanks. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
gao.gov
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
According to DOE data, costs are up and schedules are delayed for many major nuclear cleanup projects and activities since our last report in 2022. Reasons include contractor performance issues, unanticipated site conditions, and technical challenges. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
The @nytimes.com discusses the competing priorities of states still dealing with cleanup of legacy nuclear waste. In our 2025 report on DOE’s waste disposal planning we recommended that DOE convene a forum of regulators to negotiate changes to its disposal plans. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
gao.gov
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Reposted by Nathan Anderson
Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Los Alamos looks forward to additional park-and-ride shuttle routes to the lab. NNSA has some concerns about potential challenges with having sufficient federal staff to oversee the program and assess whether it’s providing the intended benefits.
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Reposted by Nathan Anderson
Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Under a new authority in the FY25 NDAA, NNSA sites can reimburse some contractor commuting costs. This could improve safety and congestion. To date, Los Alamos is the only site to have made a proposal; they estimated it would cost $74 million to implement from FY25–30.
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Commuting can be a slog. One way NNSA can address recruitment & retention challenges at its labs is by making it easier to get to work, including by offering park-and-ride shuttles and public transit subsidies. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
NNSA said it plans to implement new processes, including the use of templates and root cause guidance, to help project managers better meet reporting requirements. We recommend they complete the guidance and implement the process.
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
NNSA saw costs grow >25% on 7 out of 14 construction projects, but didn’t notify Congress about 5 of them for months, let alone within the 30 days required by law. Nor did NNSA assess the root causes of cost overruns for those 5 within 90 days or inform Congress, as required. #nukesky
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
NNSA spends a lot of money on nuclear weapons & infrastructure. NNSA has requirements (similar to those of the Nunn-McCurdy Act) to formally notify Congress about cost overruns and assess the reasons for the overruns, but it hasn’t consistently done so. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
The cleanup of soil and landfills contaminated with nuclear waste, which DOE is on the hook for, could cost tens of billions of dollars and take decades. But the agency is unable to readily identify the scope, schedule, and cost of this cleanup. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Most Department of Energy sites haven’t completed reviews of their use of “forever chemicals” known as #PFAS, which have been linked to harmful health effects. We recommend that DOE finish these reviews so it can fully address PFAS contamination. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Reposted by Nathan Anderson
Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Until the UPF is ready, NNSA will have to keep using an 80-year old facility that could cost up to a half billion dollars to maintain in the meantime. We recommended that NNSA develop a comprehensive plan for this maintenance.
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Reposted by Nathan Anderson
Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
The UPF is also delayed. The agency is monitoring the project, but there are already doubts that the contractor will meet its project milestone for 2029. There are concerns about the ability to track project progress because of the way the contractor categorizes project tasks.
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
The estimated cost to complete the UPF has increased nearly $4 billion just since construction started in 2018. Poor management accounts for $770 million of that. NNSA has conducted reviews to get to the root of the cost increases and implemented 19 out of 20 corrective actions.
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
In 2004 NNSA began planning the Uranium Processing Facility to replace Manhattan Project-era facilities at Y-12 in TN. Fast forward 21 years: UPF’s est. cost is up to nearly $10 billion and it’ll cost NNSA to keep using old facilities until UPF is complete. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
This morning @nytimes reported on radiological risks in Ukraine. We have a recent report on the range of nuclear security and safety risks related to the war in Ukraine. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
gao.gov
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
You wouldn’t think the cost of a fixed-price construction contract could increase—but hundreds of NNSA’s run over, to the tune of $37.5 million just in FY23. NNSA’s construction budget is always tight so unexpected increases mean delays for other projects. www.gao.gov/products/gao... #nukesky
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Fusion is essential for powering the USS Enterprise—and, here on earth, for maintaining and modernizing the U.S. nuclear stockpile without explosive nuclear testing. NNSA operates 3 fusion facilities for these purposes. www.gao.gov/products/gao... #nukesky
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Even so, there are signs that DNFSB is on the right track: DNFSB’s score on a measure of employee engagement & satisfaction jumped to 70 (out of 100) in 2024, from 39 in 2017. DNFSB’s primary resource is its people so better human capital planning means better outcomes.
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
But! DNFSB is supposed to have 5 presidentially nominated & Senate-confirmed Board members. Filling seats has been challenging; as of August 2025, the Board had 2 seats filled, with 1 member’s term expiring in Oct 2025. With 1 seated member, the Board’s authority will be limited.
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
DNFSB enhanced collaboration with stakeholders, improved internal processes, and boosted employee morale. One among many examples: DNFSB hired & delegated authority to an Executive Director of Operations to supervise staff and manage the day-to-day.
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
DNFSB has been busy—in addition to independently overseeing health & safety protections at U.S. defense nuclear facilities, it has been improving its management and planning based on recommendations from GAO and others.
gao.gov
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Cesium is so old school. There are much more cutting-edge ways to irradiate your shrimp. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Reposted by Nathan Anderson
Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
#nukesky When DOE’s Office of the Inspector General set up a division for auditing DOE’s largest contractors in 2021, it estimated it would cost ~$19 million/year to operate… but, as of 2025, the cost turns out to be more like $43.7 million.
gao.gov
Department of Energy: Inspector General’s Budget Estimates for Audits of Certain Contractors’ Costs Need Improvement
The Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General seeks to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. In 2021 the OIG established a new division to audit...
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
NNSA struggles to identify the total costs of its nuclear weapons programs and compare costs across contractors, making it hard for Congress and the agency to oversee these costs. We’ve made numerous recommendations over the years to address this. #nukesky
gao.gov
National Nuclear Security Administration: Progress Made Toward Fully Addressing Recommendations on Common Financial Reporting
The National Nuclear Security Administration pays contractors billions of dollars annually to run 8 sites where the agency maintains and modernizes U...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico is the nation’s only disposal site for defense-related transuranic nuclear waste. It’s projected to accept waste until the 2080s but much of its key infrastructure is decades old and needs repair/replacement. #nukesky www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Tune in to our podcast for a deeper discussion of our report!
gao.gov
Ukraine Nuclear Security and Safety Efforts
Under harsh conflict conditions, Ukrainians have struggled to operate nuclear power plants and to secure nuclear and radioactive materials from...
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Reposted by Nathan Anderson
Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
We recommend that DOE (1) require timely fraud risk assessments for programs that experience a changed operating environment and (2) formalize transition plans to better ensure Ukrainian partners can sustain nuclear security/safety efforts. DOE agreed with the recommendations.
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
In terms of ensuring the sustainability of its work, NNSA has transferred responsibility for some efforts to Ukrainian partners and is assessing the readiness of its Ukrainian partners to take responsibility for others. NNSA hasn’t yet formalized its plans to transition the efforts.
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
NNSA took steps to mitigate fraud risk for individual contracts but didn’t conduct an overarching fraud risk assessment, which would’ve helped it design fraud mitigation controls tailored to the changed environment it was operating in.
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
NNSA intensified existing efforts, including to prevent nuclear smuggling, and initiated new ones, such as supporting nuclear/radiological emergency preparedness. The State Dept, NRC, and DOD also supported a range of nuclear security/safety efforts in Ukraine.
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
#nukesky Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine amplified nuclear security and safety risks. In response, US agencies built on their decades-long nuclear security & safety efforts in the region, largely with supplemental appropriations.
gao.gov
Ukraine: DOE Could Better Assess Fraud Risks and Formalize Its Transition Plans for Nuclear Security and Safety Efforts
Russia's 2022 invasion made it harder for Ukraine to safely operate its nuclear power plants and secure sites with radioactive materials, which could...
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
To clean up its 15 legacy research and production sites, the Department of Energy expects to generate more than 11 million cubic meters of radioactive waste, enough to fill 4,400 Olympic-sized swimming pools. We don’t recommend taking a swim. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
The letter includes new priority recs on NNSA’s recruitment and retention of federal staff as well as management of its nuclear modernization programs. Implementing these recs could help meet deadlines for producing essential nuclear materials and components.
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Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Each year we send a letter to DOE reiterating our highest-priority recommendations. This year’s letter discusses 30 recs for addressing key challenges related to DOE’s contract management and environmental liability, among others. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
Legacy waste cleanup at Los Alamos National LaboratoryA glovebox at Los Alamos National Laboratory
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Nuclear weapons need chemical explosives, but NNSA’s supply chain for explosives is vulnerable to risks, like aging facilities, a changing regulatory environment, and budgetary constraints.
gao.gov
National Nuclear Security Administration: Explosives Program Is Mitigating Some Supply Chain Risks but Should Take Additional Actions to Enhance Resiliency
Nuclear weapons require high explosives to trigger nuclear detonation. The National Nuclear Security Administration needs new explosive components to...
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Small business can involve big numbers. To comply with government contracting goals, NNSA reported awarding $16.8 billion in small business contracts from 2018-2022. But of that amount, more than $1 billion went to businesses that were not actually small. #nukesky
gao.gov
Small Business Contracting: National Nuclear Security Administration Needs Increased Contractor Oversight to Reduce Reporting Errors
The federal government aims to award at least 20% of contract dollars to small businesses. The National Nuclear Security Agency and 6 of its...
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Allison Bawden @nukeoversight.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Congress requires NNSA to report on risks facing its industrial base—its supply chain, ops & facilities, logistics & transport, & workforce. While NNSA has processes to manage these risks, it hasn’t communicated priorities or resource needs for doing so. #nukesky
gao.gov
National Nuclear Security Administration: Reporting on Industrial Base Risks Needs Improvement
The National Nuclear Security Administration relies on contractors for thousands of parts for the nuclear weapons stockpile. However, NNSA faces risks...
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