A report released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office identified more than $1.5 billion in needed repairs for nuclear waste facilities operated by the Energy Department’s Office of Environmental Management.
Two sites accounted for nearly two-thirds of the work needed to be done by DOE as of June 2025: the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina, and Hanford Site in Richland, Washington.
“EM has reported significant repair needs and deferred maintenance, which increase safety, cost, and mission risks,” GAO said in the report published Tuesday. EM sites reported that these costs will further increase over the next five years.
According to the EM office, direct-funded maintenance and repair spending have climbed since fiscal 2020, when it spent $521 million. The office is seeking $950 million for fiscal 2026 — an 82 percent increase from fiscal 2020.
