GAO finds DOE land-use plans non-binding for nuclear cleanup sites

The Government Accountability Office report released in October 2026 concludes that the Department of Energy's initial future land-use plans, first created in 1992, are advisory and do not bind the assumptions DOE and regulators use when selecting a cleanup remedy. The finding applies to DOE, its federal and state regulators, and any future industrial, residential or conservation users of the land.

At Oak Ridge, Paducah, Portsmouth and Savannah River, cleanup levels were set to match DOE's industrial-use plans. By contrast, for nearly a third of the Hanford site and most of the contaminated areas of the Idaho site, DOE and regulators imposed more stringent standards than required for the anticipated conservation, preservation or industrial uses. In some cases, residential cleanup standards were applied even though future residential use is unlikely.

DOE has transferred or leased a small amount of land for industrial use at five of the six sites and has recently announced initiatives for energy development, integrated hubs for nuclear-fuel-cycle activities, and co-located data centers to support artificial-intelligence infrastructure. Community stakeholders generally support industrial reuse for its economic benefits, while also noting concerns about potential recontamination, resource diversion from cleanup, and DOE liabilities.

GAO recommends that Congress clarify the roles and decision-making authority of DOE and its regulators in future land-use determinations and that DOE evaluate cleanup costs and schedules based on multiple potential future uses. Implementing these recommendations would link land-use assumptions more transparently to cleanup decisions.

DOE estimates that cleaning up the remaining 15 sites will cost between $641 billion and $840 billion and be completed by 2100. The GAO review fulfills a provision in Senate Report 118-188 and references related GAO work (GAO-27-107791).