GAO report urges DOE-EM to learn from other countries

[Marlin]

GAO report urges DOE-EM to learn from other countries

https://www.ans.org/news/2026-08-03/article-8264/gao-report-urges-doeem-to-learn-from-other-countries/

[Core Content]

The Government Accountability Office recommends that the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management adopt a more strategic approach to international collaboration. The report suggests that learning from waste management practices in countries like Canada, France, and the United Kingdom could help the agency reduce cleanup risks and project costs.

The Office of Environmental Management manages 15 legacy nuclear sites with estimated cleanup costs reaching $840 billion through the year 2100. By shifting from a teaching role to a collaborative, risk-informed framework, the agency could identify technological efficiencies and policy strategies that have already yielded significant savings and schedule accelerations in other nations.

Several countries, including Canada, France, and the United Kingdom, recently have taken steps to accelerate the cleanup of nuclear waste. In a new report, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said that these actions should serve as lessons for the United States.

According to the GAO, the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management should "strategically engage with other countries to identify and evaluate alternatives that could help reduce risks and costs or accelerate its cleanup activities." The report noted that DOE-EM agreed with the recommendation.

As directed by a provision passed by the U.S. Senate, the GAO performed a study of waste management in six countries—Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom—to inform DOE-EM, the office responsible for the cleanup of 15 legacy nuclear sites across the country. DOE-EM "has estimated that its cleanup mission could cost between $641 billion and $840 billion and take until 2100," according to the GAO report.

Read the full article at ans.org:
https://www.ans.org/news/2026-08-03/article-8264/gao-report-urges-doeem-to-learn-from-other-countries/