In its report for fiscal year 2019, published in February, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Office of Investigations (OI) shows a total case inventory that continues its downward trend: OI reported 160 cases in FY 2019, down 18 percent from 195 in FY 2018. The number of cases in 2015, 2016, and 2017 were 235, 231, and 209, respectively.
GAO: NNSA needs to improve its waste management strategy
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s strategy for managing nuclear waste from nuclear weapons maintenance and modernization activities is not comprehensive and does not fully...
Federal watchdog says NRC needs to address more radiological risks, including “dirty bombs”
A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office finds that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has not taken the steps needed to address the potential economic and societal...
GAO: DOE should pause work on Hanford’s HLW Facility
The Government Accountability Office has recommended that the Department of Energy put a hold on construction of its High-Level Waste Facility at the Hanford Site near Richland, Wash. The GAO...
DOE-EM continues to be plagued by staffing shortages, GAO says
Despite efforts to increase hiring, the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management continues to be understaffed, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report....
GAO report looks at climate change and nuclear power
A new study by the Government Accountability Office researched potential impacts of climate change–related hazards on the U.S. nuclear fleet and found clear risks. In the report, which was...
DOE-EM lacks clear view of operating costs, GAO says
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, which is responsible for the cleanup of 15 nuclear sites across the country, lacks a clear understanding of its costs for work...
GAO: NRC needs to do more to prepare for advanced reactor licensing
A Government Accountability Office report released last week on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s preparedness to review and approve advanced reactor applications finds—to scant surprise...
WIPP utility shaft reaches station depth milestone
The Department of Energy’s Carlsbad Field Office announced that it has made a significant step toward increasing airflow to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) underground with the...
Two new reports shed light on Hanford’s tank waste challenges
A pair of recent reports by the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine highlight some of the challenges the Department of Energy...
GAO finds nuclear demo best practices could set new standard for clean energy projects
The Department of Energy’s management of its commercial-scale reactor demonstration projects has “generally been consistent with requirements to address risk,” according to a Government...