DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY: Views on Proposed Civil Penalties, Security Oversight, and External Safety Regulation Legislation

摘要

This report provides the General Accounting Office's views on three bills designed to improve worker and nuclear facility safety and health as well as to enhance security for the Department of Energy (DOE). GAO's testimony is based on its past work on safety, health, and security issues on a wide variety of DOE programs and activities. H.R. 3383 would amend the Atomic Energy Act by eliminating the exemption that currently allows certain nonprofit contractors to avoid paying civil penalties if they violate DOE's nuclear safety rules. Last year, GAO reported and testified on a number of problems with DOE's enforcement of its nuclear safety regulations. GAO suggested that the Congress consider eliminating both the statutory and administrative exemptions from paying civil penalties for violations of nuclear safety rules. H.R. 3906 would legislatively establish an office of independent security oversight within DOE that reports directly to the Secretary. GAO believes that legislatively establishing an office, independent from line management, that oversees safeguards and security across the Department and reports to the Secretary would insulate it from organizational change and programmatic conflicts. H.R. 3907 would eliminate self-regulation of health and safety activities at DOE by authorizing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to regulate and enforce nuclear safety and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to regulate and enforce occupational health and safety for all DOE facilities.