In September 2000, the United States and the Russian Federation entered into an
agreement stipulating that each country will irreversibly transform 34 metric tons of
weapons-grade plutonium into forms which could not be used for weapons purposes. To
meet the United States' commitment, the Department of Energy planned activities at its
Savannah River Site; specifically, to immobilize 8.4 metric tons of weapons-grade
plutonium and to convert 25.6 metric tons into nuclear reactor fuel. The plan called for
the design and construction of three major facilities at Savannah River: the Pit
Disassembly and Conversion Facility, the Plutonium Immobilization Plant, and the
Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. The Department's total estimated life cycle cost
for these facilities was about $6.1 billion, of which about $400 million has been
expended.
agreement stipulating that each country will irreversibly transform 34 metric tons of
weapons-grade plutonium into forms which could not be used for weapons purposes. To
meet the United States' commitment, the Department of Energy planned activities at its
Savannah River Site; specifically, to immobilize 8.4 metric tons of weapons-grade
plutonium and to convert 25.6 metric tons into nuclear reactor fuel. The plan called for
the design and construction of three major facilities at Savannah River: the Pit
Disassembly and Conversion Facility, the Plutonium Immobilization Plant, and the
Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. The Department's total estimated life cycle cost
for these facilities was about $6.1 billion, of which about $400 million has been
expended.
Soil Washing at the Ashtabula Environmental Management Project
The RMI Titanium Company's Earthline Technology Division (RMI) is the Department of
Energy's (Department) environmental restoration contractor at the Ashtabula Environmental
Management Project (AEMP) in Ashtabula, Ohio. RMI owns the Ashtabula property, formerly
known as the RMI Extrusion Plant, where the firm processed uranium for the Department and its
predecessor agencies. In March 1993, the Department awarded RMI a sole-source, costreimbursable
contract to clean the extrusion plant and adjacent grounds to a level that permits
release of the site for unrestricted use. The contract requires that RMI complete the project on or
about March 31, 2003. The Department estimated the project would cost about $237 million to
complete.
As part of the original decommissioning plan, RMI was required to excavate and ship about
40,000 tons of contaminated soil offsite for disposal. However, in January 1997, RMI began
testing a soil washing process designed to chemically extract uranium from contaminated soils.
Based on the test results, the Department expected that soil washing would reduce the volume of
soil requiring disposal by 95 percent, generate minimal amounts of radioactive wastewater, and
reduce cleanup costs by about $40 million. With the Department's approval, RMI spent over
$6 million of Department funds to design and build the soil washing complex. In May 2000,
RMI completed its first operating campaign in which it had hoped to process about 14,200 tons
of soil. Since the campaign ended, RMI has been evaporating radioactive wastewater generated
by the soil washing facility and researching alternatives to improve the performance and cost
effectiveness of the plant. No additional soil has been processed.
The objective of the audit was to determine whether the AEMP's soil washing project has met
the Department's performance and cost expectations.
Energy's (Department) environmental restoration contractor at the Ashtabula Environmental
Management Project (AEMP) in Ashtabula, Ohio. RMI owns the Ashtabula property, formerly
known as the RMI Extrusion Plant, where the firm processed uranium for the Department and its
predecessor agencies. In March 1993, the Department awarded RMI a sole-source, costreimbursable
contract to clean the extrusion plant and adjacent grounds to a level that permits
release of the site for unrestricted use. The contract requires that RMI complete the project on or
about March 31, 2003. The Department estimated the project would cost about $237 million to
complete.
As part of the original decommissioning plan, RMI was required to excavate and ship about
40,000 tons of contaminated soil offsite for disposal. However, in January 1997, RMI began
testing a soil washing process designed to chemically extract uranium from contaminated soils.
Based on the test results, the Department expected that soil washing would reduce the volume of
soil requiring disposal by 95 percent, generate minimal amounts of radioactive wastewater, and
reduce cleanup costs by about $40 million. With the Department's approval, RMI spent over
$6 million of Department funds to design and build the soil washing complex. In May 2000,
RMI completed its first operating campaign in which it had hoped to process about 14,200 tons
of soil. Since the campaign ended, RMI has been evaporating radioactive wastewater generated
by the soil washing facility and researching alternatives to improve the performance and cost
effectiveness of the plant. No additional soil has been processed.
The objective of the audit was to determine whether the AEMP's soil washing project has met
the Department's performance and cost expectations.
Remediation and Closure of the Ashtabula Environmental Management Project
The RMI Titanium Company's Earthline Technology Division (RMI) is the Department of
Energy's environmental restoration contractor at the Ashtabula Environmental Management
Project (AEMP) in Ashtabula, Ohio. RMI owns the Ashtabula property, formerly known as the
RMI Extrusion Plant, where the firm processed uranium for the Department and its predecessor
agencies. In March 1993, the Department awarded a cost-reimbursable contract to RMI to clean
the extrusion plant and adjacent grounds to a level that permits release of the site for unrestricted
use. The contract required that RMI complete the project on or about March 31, 2003. The
estimated cost to complete the project was about $237 million.
Energy's environmental restoration contractor at the Ashtabula Environmental Management
Project (AEMP) in Ashtabula, Ohio. RMI owns the Ashtabula property, formerly known as the
RMI Extrusion Plant, where the firm processed uranium for the Department and its predecessor
agencies. In March 1993, the Department awarded a cost-reimbursable contract to RMI to clean
the extrusion plant and adjacent grounds to a level that permits release of the site for unrestricted
use. The contract required that RMI complete the project on or about March 31, 2003. The
estimated cost to complete the project was about $237 million.
Grant Administration at the Oakland Operations Office
The Department of Energy (DOE) issues science and technology (S&T) grants to advance
scientific research in fields important to DOE and the nation's welfare, such as health, the
environment, fusion energy, high energy physics, scientific computing, and basic energy
science. Grantees are to document the scientific and technical information (STI) that results
from their work in technical reports—interim and final—and provide the reports to DOE. DOE's
goal is to make the STI available to the scientific community and the general public.
Three principal offices within DOE are involved in carrying out S&T grant activities.
Typically, Headquarters program offices, such as the Office of Science, have management
responsibilities, including soliciting and selecting recipients for grant awards, and evaluating
grant results. DOE field offices, such as the Oakland Operations Office (Oakland), have
administrative responsibilities, including preparing and issuing the grant document, monitoring
grantee compliance with the terms and conditions of the grant, and closing out the grant. DOE's
Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) is responsible for preserving grantee
technical reports and making the reports available to the public.
Recent Office of Inspector General (OIG) audits at the Albuquerque Operations Office
(Albuquerque) and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) disclosed
problems with collecting grantee deliverables and forwarding research results to OSTI. A
September 2001 audit report showed that Albuquerque was not receiving many of the reports
specified in the grants. The audit at EMSL disclosed that most of the results of nonproprietary
research done at the laboratory were not collected and forwarded to OSTI.
The OIG performed this audit of grants administered by Oakland to determine whether DOE
was receiving technical reports specified in its S&T grants and making the grant results
available to the public.
scientific research in fields important to DOE and the nation's welfare, such as health, the
environment, fusion energy, high energy physics, scientific computing, and basic energy
science. Grantees are to document the scientific and technical information (STI) that results
from their work in technical reports—interim and final—and provide the reports to DOE. DOE's
goal is to make the STI available to the scientific community and the general public.
Three principal offices within DOE are involved in carrying out S&T grant activities.
Typically, Headquarters program offices, such as the Office of Science, have management
responsibilities, including soliciting and selecting recipients for grant awards, and evaluating
grant results. DOE field offices, such as the Oakland Operations Office (Oakland), have
administrative responsibilities, including preparing and issuing the grant document, monitoring
grantee compliance with the terms and conditions of the grant, and closing out the grant. DOE's
Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) is responsible for preserving grantee
technical reports and making the reports available to the public.
Recent Office of Inspector General (OIG) audits at the Albuquerque Operations Office
(Albuquerque) and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) disclosed
problems with collecting grantee deliverables and forwarding research results to OSTI. A
September 2001 audit report showed that Albuquerque was not receiving many of the reports
specified in the grants. The audit at EMSL disclosed that most of the results of nonproprietary
research done at the laboratory were not collected and forwarded to OSTI.
The OIG performed this audit of grants administered by Oakland to determine whether DOE
was receiving technical reports specified in its S&T grants and making the grant results
available to the public.
Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems Program
The Department of Energy's Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems (ARPS) program
maintains the sole national capability to produce radioisotope power systems for the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense (DOD). The
Department's policy is to pay only the cost of maintaining the capability to produce the power
systems, and to recover mission-specific development and hardware costs from NASA and
DOD. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, ARPS program funding included $31.8 million from the
Department, $20 million from NASA, and
$4.7 million from DOD.
maintains the sole national capability to produce radioisotope power systems for the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense (DOD). The
Department's policy is to pay only the cost of maintaining the capability to produce the power
systems, and to recover mission-specific development and hardware costs from NASA and
DOD. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, ARPS program funding included $31.8 million from the
Department, $20 million from NASA, and
$4.7 million from DOD.
Passive Magnetic Resonance Anomaly Mapping at Environmental Management Sites