Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 26/08/2026DOE 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... 142
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 30/07/2026DOE could also replicate operating facilities in “test facilities,” like France and the UK do, to address technical issues and train employees. These facilities have saved each country significant money and minimized disruptions to cleanup efforts. 100
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 15/07/2026EM estimates that the Moab Cleanup Project, which has cost $970 million so far, will cost $1.16 billion total and be completed by 2029. When complete, EM expects to hand over the site to Grand County, UT, so the community can determine the site’s future use. 110
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 02/07/2026With EM expecting to execute more ≥$100M projects at several sites, we recommend EM consults external experts before moving past the mission need stage, so the agency can ensure it is impartially considering all cost-saving options. 000
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Example: EM already had the Low-Activity Waste Pretreatment System in mind as its preferred option because it aligned with a regulatory agreement, but later determined it would cost >50% than estimated, and has since renegotiated its agreement to allow for cheaper options. 100
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Large projects start with a mission need statement that should leave a range of options open rather than identify a specific solution. But we found that the majority of EM’s mission need statements for such projects identified a predetermined solution. 100
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 22/05/2026We found that grouting 24 million gallons of this waste could cost $480 million to $1.1 billion. Shipping pretreated waste as liquid via truck to disposal sites would cost ~$12 million to $36 million. DOE estimated the cost to ship solid grouted waste would likely be double that. 010
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 22/05/2026DOE could design and construct a new grouting facility at Hanford or transport liquid waste to existing grouting facilities. DOE must consider a range of factors, including cost and schedule, risks, and disposal options. 110
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 22/05/2026In January 2025, DOE, EPA, and Washington State agreed to grout waste from 22 tanks and dispose of it as low-level waste outside the state—likely in UT or TX. DOE must decide where to grout before July. 110
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 22/05/2026As 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... 121
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 21/05/2026Mission-critical positions at EM lost 29% of their staff since FY23, resulting in a 44% vacancy rate. Of the 183 mission-critical staff lost, 59 were especially key to safety, according to EM officials. 152
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 21/05/2026DOE’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... 173
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 21/05/2026Mission-critical positions at EM lost 29% of their staff since FY23, resulting in a 44% vacancy rate. Of the 183 mission-critical staff lost, 59 were especially key to safety, according to EM officials. 000
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 07/05/2026Naval Reactors, which develops nuclear propulsion for the navy, estimated that it could take up to 100 years to D&D contaminated facilities at 4 sites it is responsible for. However, partnering with EM could help it finish D&D as soon as 2035, pending funding availability. 000
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 07/05/2026Some 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... 100
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 05/05/2026DOE 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... 110
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 25/03/2026The definition is based primarily on the waste’s origin—waste resulting from reprocessing spent nuclear fuel to extract plutonium for the nation’s arsenal—rather than just its radiological characteristics, which inform the environmental and health risks it might pose. 120
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 02/03/2026We identified opportunities for significant cost savings on several cleanup projects and activities, such as by grouting certain radioactive waste and pursuing less costly approaches to cleaning up highly radioactive waste at the Hanford site. 000
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 02/03/2026According 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... 100
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 26/09/2025The 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... 282
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 24/09/2025DOE found PFAS contamination in groundwater at Paducah, KY—up to 128,000 parts per trillion (ppt). No regulations currently limit PFAS in groundwater, but two PFAS types, PFOA and PFOS, are limited to 4 ppt in drinking water—about 1 drop in 5 Olympic-sized swimming pools. 100
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 24/09/2025DOE has used PFAS—which has been linked to health issues like cancer and infertility—in firefighting foam and for uranium enrichment, among other things. These applications can release PFAS into the environment, but the extent of contamination is unknown. 100
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 24/09/2025Most 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... 110
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 24/09/2025DOE has used PFAS—which has been linked to health issues like cancer and infertility—in firefighting foam and for uranium enrichment, among other things. These applications can release PFAS into the environment, but the extent of contamination is unknown. 000
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 24/06/2025Over half of WIPP’s mission-critical infrastructure is in poor condition—such as the salt shaft shown here, built in 1924—which jeopardizes the site’s waste disposal mission. We recommend some changes to help DOE better manage infrastructure at the site. 020
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 24/06/2025The 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... 2173
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 29/05/2025To 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... 110
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 24/04/2025Each 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... 221
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 21/11/2024The sites are cleaning contaminated groundwater to drinking water standards using various techniques including phytoremediation–watering trees with contaminated water and allowing photosynthesis to remove many contaminants–and “pump-and-treat.” 120
Nathan Anderson @atomicauditor.bsky.social · 21/11/2024When you (you being DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM)) expect to spend $10 billion and 50 years* on a project, you need the best info you can get to guide your decisions *for just 4 of 13 sites where EM is responsible for cleaning groundwater! www.gao.gov/products/gao... 120