GAO’s Priority Open Recommendations for the Department of Energy
Each year, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) makes more than 1,000 recommendations to help the federal government save money, address issues on the High Risk List, and significantly improve government operations.
In November 2022, GAO reported that, on a government-wide basis, 77 percent of our recommendations made four years ago were implemented. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) recommendation implementation rate was 59 percent. As of April 2023, DOE had 216 open recommendations. Fully implementing these open recommendations could significantly improve agency operations.
In June 2022, GAO identified 26 priority recommendations for DOE. Since then, the Department has implemented six of those recommendations by, among other things, completing its analysis of options for handling excess space at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. GAO de-prioritized one recommendation, and it remains open.
In May 2023, GAO identified nine additional priority recommendations for DOE, bringing the total number to 30. These recommendations involve the following seven areas:
Improving project, program, and portfolio management. Historically, DOE has struggled with managing programs and projects, including mitigating the risks of uncontrolled changes to scope, cost, and schedule; failure to meet goals; and increasing environmental liabilities. Implementing GAO’s six priority recommendations in this area, such as following best practices in its analysis for waste pretreatment at the Hanford site and establishing an enterprise-wide portfolio management framework, would improve DOE’s management of its major projects and programs.
Improving contract management. Contract management is one of the highest risks that the government faces. Aspects of DOE’s contract management and administration are on GAO’s High-Risk List. By implementing the three priority recommendations—including that it assess and document inherent fraud risks and identify gaps and strategies related to its acquisition workforce—DOE will better oversee and manage its contractors.
Enhancing energy reliability, security, and resilience. U.S. energy infrastructure, including the electricity grid, faces risks from climate change that can affect the nation’s economic and national security. By implementing the four priority recommendations, including establishing a plan to guide the agency’s efforts to develop tools for resilience planning and developing and implementing strategy to enhance the resilience of the electricity grid to climate risks, DOE could enhance the nation’s energy reliability, security, and resilience.
Addressing nuclear modernization challenges. NNSA is undergoing an ambitious, decades-long, and costly effort to modernize the nation’s nuclear security enterprise. Implementing GAO’s three priority recommendations, such as developing an integrated master schedule for plutonium pit production that meets best practices would help NNSA address challenges to this effort.
Addressing DOE’s environmental and disposal liability. The federal government’s environmental liability—another area on GAO’s High Risk List—has been growing for the past 20 years and is likely to continue to increase. DOE is responsible for $520 billion of the $626 billion in liability reported for fiscal year 2022. By implementing the three priority recommendations, including continuing its efforts to engage the public and finalize its draft consent-based siting process to identify sites to store or permanently dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, DOE could reduce the cleanup costs that contribute to its environmental liability.
Addressing insider threats and cybersecurity. Recent high-profile disclosures of classified information and cyberattacks targeting public and private components of the nation’s critical infrastructure highlight the urgent need to address insider threats in federal agencies cybersecurity weaknesses in the energy sector. Implementing two priority recommendations for insider threats, such as better integrating and centrally managing insider threat responsibilities, would improve DOE’s ability to identify insider risks before an incident occurs. Additionally, implementing seven priority recommendations, such as consulting with sector partners to develop a cybersecurity framework and developing a cybersecurity risk management strategy, would improve DOE’s efforts to manage cybersecurity risks. Because DOE is the sector risk management agency for the energy sector, GAO urges the Department to implement the priority recommendation related to coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security and other relevant stakeholders to develop a plan for implementing the federal cybersecurity strategy for the electric grid.
Addressing worker protections. Under federal laws, regulations, and DOE policies, contractors generally must maintain an open environment for raising safety or other concerns without fear of reprisal. DOE has repeatedly recognized that the contractor employees who carry out the bulk of its mission-related work are an important source of information about potential quality and safety issues at DOE sites. Implementing the two priority recommendations, such as revising policy and guidance and addressing program deficiencies, would improve DOE’s ability to protect DOE and contract workers from unlawful retaliation and sexual harassment.
DOE's continued attention to these issues could lead to significant improvements in government operations.