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Open Recommendations (116 total)

Electricity Grid: Opportunities Exist for DOE to Better Support Utilities in Improving Resilience to Hurricanes

GAO-21-274
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should take steps to better leverage the National Laboratories' emerging grid resilience efforts and technologies by developing a formal mechanism to share this information with utilities. (Recommendation 2)
Open
In February 2022, DOE officials provided us with a number of examples of national laboratories collaborating with specific utilities. In order to fully implement this recommendation, DOE needs to develop a formal mechanism for sharing information with utilities. In April 2024, DOE officials told us they are supporting the development of an Energy Threat Analysis Center, which will serve as a mechanism for such information sharing. They estimated it will be complete by September 2024.

Critical Infrastructure Protection: Agencies Need to Enhance Oversight of Ransomware Practices and Assess Federal Support

GAO-24-106221
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should, in coordination with CISA and sector entities, develop and implement routine evaluation procedures that measure the effectiveness of federal support in helping reduce the risk of ransomware to the energy sector. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Financial Management: DOE and NNSA Have Opportunities to Improve Management of Carryover Balances

GAO-22-104541
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The DOE Chief Financial Officer, with input from other departmental elements, should periodically reassess the four target thresholds that DOE uses to identify and assess uncosted carryover balances in EM and NNSA programs to ensure that they reflect the current budgetary environment, including with respect to any assumptions made about the duration of continuing resolutions, and either revalidate or revise the thresholds. (Recommendation 4)
Open
DOE concurred with GAO's recommendation and established a working group tasked with providing the Office of the Chief Financial Officer options to address the recommendation. DOE estimated it would complete the department's response by March 2023. As of September 2023, actions proposed by the working group to address the recommendation are undergoing departmental review. When we confirm the final action taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Nuclear Waste Cleanup: Actions Needed to Determine Whether DOE's New Contracting Approach is Achieving Desired Results

GAO-22-105417
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The Assistant Secretary of DOE's Office of Environmental Management should develop and implement a structured process to systematically assess the ESCM, including processes for formally documenting and sharing lessons learned and identifying, analyzing, and addressing challenges to ensure that future ESCM contracts are effectively implemented. (Recommendation 2)
Open – Partially Addressed
As of February 2024, DOE is taking steps to address this recommendation. For example, DOE's Office of Environmental Management (EM) established new procedures for overseeing End State Contracting Model contracts and their associated task orders, and developed and implemented a new program for identifying and sharing lessons learned. These represent positive steps toward ensuring that EM has a process for assessing its End State Contracting Model initiative. However, a systematic assessment of this initiative must also include specific performance measures and goals for use in measuring EM's progress toward achieving them. Developing and implementing such performance measures and goals would provide EM with better assurance that the End State Contracting Model is performing as intended to improve its overall acquisition efforts.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Agencies Should Track Progress Toward Ambitious Federal Goals [Reissued with Revisions May 17, 2023]

GAO-23-105300
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should coordinate with DOT and USDA to develop and incorporate into the Grand Challenge Roadmap performance measures that enable the agencies to evaluate their actions and the effect of policy on SAF production and communicate the extent to which SAF is poised to contribute to larger aviation greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. (Recommendation 2)
Open
DOE agreed with, but has not fully addressed, this recommendation. As of February 2024, officials from DOT, DOE, and USDA reported they are in the process of developing metrics to track the progress of the Grand Challenge and address GAO's recommendations, which were made in March 2023. These officials reported these metrics will be included in the forthcoming Grand Challenge Implementation Framework, which will be issued after each department has approved the document, in late March 2024 at the earliest. According to the officials, these metrics will also be included in the Grand Challenge Progress Report, which will be issued after the Implementation Framework. To close the recommendation, performance measures need to be developed and incorporated into such reports that are associated with the roadmap. Incorporating performance measures could help enable the three departments better manage fragmentation by monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of their actions and communicate and report on the extent to which sustainable aviation fuel is poised to contribute to larger aviation greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. GAO will continue to monitor DOE's efforts regarding this recommendation.

Hanford Waste Treatment Plant: DOE Needs to Take Further Actions to Address Weaknesses in Its Quality Assurance Program

GAO-18-241
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should direct ORP to require the WTP contractor to determine the full extent to which problems exist in all WTP structures, systems, and components.
Open
DOE agreed with the recommendation. As of June 15, 2020, DOE has started to take action to implement this recommendation, but actions are not sufficient to close it yet. DOE has directed the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) construction contractor to determine the full extent to which problems exist in all WTP structures, systems, and components and plans to complete full implementation of this recommendation by February 15, 2021. However, in July 2021 DOE revised the completion date for fully implementing this recommendation to February 15, 2023, assuming future funding and project execution decisions. As of June 1, 2023, DOE has not taken sufficient action to fully implement this recommendation.

DOE Nuclear Cleanup: Clear Guidance on Categorizing Activities and an Assessment of Contract Cost Effectiveness Needed

GAO-23-106081
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should direct the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management to develop budget guidance that includes clear definitions for the categories of activities and avoids using the term "minimum safe" when referring to activities that are not progressing the cleanup mission to limit confusion regarding category definitions. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In a letter responding to our report, the Office of Environmental Management (EM) agreed with our recommendation and said that it will clarify definitions for categories of activities in the fiscal year 2026 EM budget guidance. The letter also stated that it will avoid using the term minimum safe when referring to activities that are not progressing the EM cleanup mission. EM estimates these actions will be completed by April 30, 2024.

Electricity Grid: Opportunities Exist for DOE to Better Support Utilities in Improving Resilience to Hurricanes

GAO-21-274
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1 Open Recommendations
1 Priority
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy
Priority Rec.
The Secretary of Energy should establish a plan, including timeframes as appropriate, to guide the agency's efforts to develop tools for resilience planning, such as performance measures for resilience, a framework for resilience planning, and additional information on the cost of long-term power outages. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In June 2021, DOE officials told us that its Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER) is establishing a plan of action for energy sector risk management, building on several completed and ongoing elements led by DOE program offices for resilience planning, including tools for resilience planning, frameworks for resilience planning, and information on the long-term costs of power outages. In April 2024, DOE-CESER told us it aims to complete this plan by September 30, 2024, pending availability of funds.

Nuclear Waste: Changing Conditions May Affect Future Management of Contamination Deposited Abroad During U.S. Cold War Activities

GAO-24-104082
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy, as a part of the agency's ongoing efforts to address the legacy of U.S. nuclear testing in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, should develop and document a strategy for communications on radioactive contamination that is sustained, understandable, and transparent; engages the RMI government; and builds on lessons learned. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Financial Management: DOE and NNSA Have Opportunities to Improve Management of Carryover Balances

GAO-22-104541
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The DOE Chief Financial Officer should develop guidance that clearly documents the process that DOE and NNSA staff should use when assessing excess uncosted balances and the sufficiency of their justifications, including describing how to make and document determinations about the sufficiency of the justifications. (Recommendation 6)
Open
DOE concurred with GAO's recommendation and established a working group tasked with providing the Office of the Chief Financial Officer options to address the recommendation. DOE estimated it would complete the department's response by March 2023. As of September 2023, actions proposed by the working group to address the recommendation are undergoing departmental review. When we confirm the final action taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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