GAO RELEASES REPORT: DOE NEEDS TO IMPROVE CONTRACTOR OVERSIGHT AT WIPP

Earlier today (June 24), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report assessing the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the nation’s only geologic repository for disposing of certain nuclear waste from defense-related activities, such as contaminated soil. Although the The Department of Energy (DOE) expects the site to operate until the 2080s, GAO details in its report how much of the site's infrastructure is in degraded condition, increasing the risks of failure for WIPP’s waste disposal mission.

GAO's Key Takeaways

GAO reviewed a Department of Energy (DOE) commissioned survey from 2016 that identified over $37 million in deferred maintenance costs for WIPP’s site infrastructure—including buildings, electrical substations, hoists, and other assets. Some infrastructure has been refurbished or replaced since then. However, GAO's analysis shows that 29 of 56 assets that are essential to WIPP's mission were in substandard or inadequate condition in 2023. 

GAO noted that WIPP’s contractor handles daily maintenance, refurbishment, and replacement of infrastructure. The contractor also maintains data about the condition and deficiencies of site infrastructure. DOE uses the data to make decisions about assets. DOE has repeatedly identified issues with the data, including unreliable values, but, according to GAO, DOE has not ensured that the contractor develops timelines to correct those issues.

DOE evaluates the contractor’s performance annually and approves long-term plans for infrastructure management. However, GAO found that DOE has not consistently incentivized the contractor to develop and execute long-term plans. Accurate data and clear long-term management plans would help DOE plan, prioritize, and fund critical maintenance for WIPP’s infrastructure and reduce costly emergency refurbishment of assets critical to nuclear waste disposal.

GAO made three recommendations to DOE to improve data collection, ensure that the site contractor is meeting long-term site infrastructure planning requirements, and review the use of oversight tools. DOE concurred with all three of the GAO's recommendations.

To read the full GAO report, click here.