Overly Optimistic, Ill-informed Estimates Hindered Cleanups

摘要

The U.S. Department of Energy needs to improve its accountability and management of major cleanup projects around the nation, including those that involve radioactive waste, according to a new oversight report.rnThe report from the Government Accountability Office indicates that DoE has been too optimistic about technical performance at the cleanups sites, while poorly informed managers have inflated cleanup costs and timelines.rn"It appears that the practice of incorporating optimistic assumptions into project baselines has not yet been eliminated" despite some improvements from DoE's Office of Environmental Management, the GAO cautioned in its report, which was commissioned by House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Peter Visclosky, D-Ind., and ranking member David Hobson, R-Ohio.