Waste Cleanup: Status and Implications of DOE's Compliance Agreements
Abstract
The Department of Energy (DOE) spends between $6 billion and $7 billion annually to store, clean up, and monitor and hazardous waste at its sites around the country. This waste is primarily a result of more than 50 years of producing material for the nation's nuclear weapons program. It ranges from millions of gallons of high-level liquid radioactive waste in underground storage tanks to solvents, oils, and hazardous chemicals in covered pits and trenches. At many of its sites, DOE has had difficulty making significant progress on the cleanup, particularly for the most dangerous wastes. Until recently, DOE's plan for cleaning up every site was expected to cost a total of about $220 billion and take at least 70 years.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA404391
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office