With nuclear cleanup in the United States expected to take decades and cost over $640 billion, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says the Department of Energy should study international friends more to see how things might be done better.
That is the gist of a GAO report made public this week. “We looked at how several other countries have saved money, reduced risks, and accelerated cleanup efforts,” GAO said.
The congressional watchdog agency said the United Kingdom focused on the environmental and health risks posed by nuclear waste and managed to save the equivalent of $2.6 billion. In the UK, “opportunities to safely reuse or recycle materials are always considered before disposal,” according to GAO’s full report.
Meanwhile in North America, “Canada prioritized cleanup activities at key waste sites, which will expedite completion at one site by 30 years,” GAO said. France leans upon test facilities to help it study technical problems and train workers, according to the report.
While DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) takes part in international groups it typically does not distribute the lessons learned from other countries to DOE bosses, according to GAO.
For its part, DOE Environmental Management said in the report it agreed with GAO’s recommendation that it should improve collaboration with foreign partners and do a better job of passing on the tips learned.
“Finally, EM stated that to share information on international practices, EM will establish an internal website for EM site managers and decision-makers to disseminate insights and practices gained from international engagement activities,” GAO said.
That should occur by the end of June 2027, EM head Tim Walsh said in a June 30 letter included in the July 29 GAO report.
“EM site officials told GAO they want more opportunities to engage with other countries, but EM headquarters officials stated that they typically teach other countries, rather than learn from them,” GAO said in the report.
“Until EM more strategically engages with other countries to identify and evaluate alternative nuclear cleanup approaches, EM will continue to miss opportunities to employ new approaches that its decision-makers could use to reduce risks and costs across the EM complex,” GAO added.
The government watchdog cites EM’s own figures that indicate completing its cleanup mission in the United States could conceivably last until 2100 and the tab could run anywhere from $641 billion to $840 billion.
