Uranium enrichment : extension of Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund may be needed to cover projected cleanup costs : testimony before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senate /
Cleaning up the nation's three uranium enrichment plants will cost billions of dollars and could span decades. These plants--located near Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Paducah, Ky.; and Portsmouth, Ohio--are contaminated with radioactive and hazardous materials. In 1992, the Energy Policy Act created the U...
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| Corporate Authors: | , |
| Format: | Government Document eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[Washington, D.C.] :
U.S. Govt. Accountability Office,
[2007]
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| Series: | Testimony ;
GAO-08-277 T. |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-08-277T https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/LPS88521 |
| Summary: | Cleaning up the nation's three uranium enrichment plants will cost billions of dollars and could span decades. These plants--located near Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Paducah, Ky.; and Portsmouth, Ohio--are contaminated with radioactive and hazardous materials. In 1992, the Energy Policy Act created the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund (Fund) to pay for plant cleanup. Fund revenues come from an assessment on domestic utilities and federal government appropriations. In 2004, GAO reported on the Fund's sufficiency to cover authorized activities. GAO recommended that Congress consider reauthorizing the Fund for 3 more years, to 2010, and require the Department of Energy (DOE) to reassess the Fund's sufficiency before it expired to determine if further extensions were needed. Because decisions not yet made by DOE could affect the cost of cleanup and the Fund's sufficiency, GAO also recommended that DOE develop decontamination and decommissioning plans for the Paducah and Portsmouth plants that would identify the most probable time frames and costs for completing the cleanup work. This testimony is based on GAO's 2004 report. It summarizes the extent to which the Fund may be sufficient to cover authorized activities and the status of DOE's progress in developing decontamination and decommissioning plans for the Paducah and Portsmouth plants. |
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| Item Description: | Title from title screen (viewed on Nov. 16, 2007). "For release ... November 15, 2007." Paper version available from: U.S. Govt. Accountability Office, 441 G St., NW, Rm. LM, Washington, D.C. 20548. Electronic resource. |
| Physical Description: | 10 pages : digital, PDF file. |
| Format: | Mode of access: Internet. Address as of 11/16/07: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08277t.pdf ; current access available via PURL. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |