Summary

In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the status of the Department of Energy's (DOE) nuclear waste program activities for the quarter ended June 30, 1987.

GAO found that DOE submitted the first amendment to its mission plan, extending the operational date for the first repository from 1998 to 2003 and requesting congressional approval for: (1) its proposal to construct and operate a monitored retrievable storage facility; (2) delay of site-specific work for a second repository; and (3) a national survey of potential second-repository sites. GAO also found that: (1) DOE was heavily involved in preparing site characterization plans for each candidate site; (2) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission intends to propose that DOE perform significant surface-based testing at each candidate site before drilling exploratory shafts; (3) the National Academy of Sciences submitted a proposal to DOE requesting approximately $1.5 million for the first three years of a technical review of site characterization; and (4) several new legislative proposals would redirect or significantly change the nuclear waste management program. In addition, GAO found that the Nuclear Waste Fund: (1) collected over $170 million in fees and investment income; (2) obligated about $31 million for program activities; and (3) balance as of June 30, 1987, was about $1.5 billion.