It supports the development of these technologies through its Office of Science and Technology (OST), within the Office of Environmental Management (EM). Specifically, we were asked to determine (1) to what extent innovative technologies developed by OST have been deployed (used) at DOE sites and how this rate of deployment compares with the rates of other government organizations that develop environmental technologies; (2) what obstacles exist to deploying innovative technologies at DOE sites; and (3) what EM is doing to overcome obstacles to deploying innovative technologies. We contacted the eight government programs whose research and development work was most comparable to OST’s in mission and scope, and two of these programs—EPA’s Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program and the Department of Defense’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program—were able to provide deployment data for comparison with OST’s data. EM Has Deployed Less Than 20 Percent of OST’s Projects

While OST has initiated 713 technology development projects, we estimate that EM has deployed between 88 and 130 of these projects, for an overall deployment rate of 12 to 18 percent. In contrast, OST has reported that 152 projects have been deployed one or more times, for an overall deployment rate of 21 percent. Specifically, OST compiled deployment data quickly, in response to a congressional request that came 7 years after the program’s inception, because it had not previously maintained comprehensive data. Deployment Rate for OST Technologies Falls Between the Rates of Two Other Environmental Technology Programs

We compared the deployment rate for OST’s technologies with the deployment rates for technologies sponsored by EPA’s SITE program and the Department of Defense’s ESTCP. Deployment Rate Comparisons Between OST and Other Environmental Technology Developers May Have Limited Usefulness

Comparisons of OST’s deployment rate with the rates of other organizations must be viewed with caution when assessing how well EM is doing in deploying OST-developed technologies. OST Has Developed Innovative Technologies Without Sufficient User Involvement

Despite the progress that has been made, some obstacles internal to EM and OST operations continue to slow the deployment of innovative technologies. However, EM’s efforts only partially address the internal obstacles limiting deployment. In addition, EM has not yet improved developer-user cooperation for individual projects. Furthermore, EM has yet to determine how it will provide deployment assistance to cleanup sites to (1) more routinely provide technical assistance in selecting and implementing innovative technologies and (2) make modifications to completed technologies to better meet sites’ needs when it is cost-effective to do so. Recommendations

To increase the deployment of existing technologies and ensure that technologies developed in the future are used, we recommend that the Secretary of Energy direct the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management to direct the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Science and Technology to establish centers of expertise for innovative technologies by using existing focus areas or another approach if needed and require that a representative from one of these centers participate in the technology selection process on each cleanup project; direct the cleanup programs and OST to (1) use existing data to identify OST-developed technologies that can be cost-effectively modified to meet sites’ needs and (2) identify funds to modify these technologies if needed; direct that the gates system be used rigorously and consistently as a decision-making tool for managing technology development projects and as a vehicle for increasing developer-user cooperation; use their annual performance expectations to hold EM headquarters managers responsible for increasing the deployment of innovative technology; and implement a system to verify the accuracy of future deployment data and label any existing data that have not been verified as an estimate.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management's (EM) efforts to deploy innovative cleanup technologies, focusing on: (1) the extent to which innovative technologies developed by the Office of Science and Technology (OST) have been deployed at DOE sites and how this rate of deployment compares with the rates of other government organizations that develop environmental technologies; (2) what progress EM has made in overcoming obstacles to deploying innovative technologies at DOE cleanup sites; and (3) what EM is doing to increase the deployment of innovative technologies.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) OST has initiated 713 technology development projects and has reported that 152 projects have been deployed one or more times, for an overall deployment rate of 21 percent; (2) GAO found many errors in the office's deployment data and estimates that EM has deployed between 88 and 130 of these projects, for an overall deployment rate of 12 to 18 percent; (3) OST overstated its deployment information because it had not previously maintained comprehensive deployment data; compiled the data rapidly in response to congressional requests; and lacked procedures for compiling the data; (4) in comparison with the deployment rates of other programs that demonstrate environmental technologies--the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program and the Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology Certification Program--OST's deployment rate for projects at comparable stages of development falls between the rates of these two programs; (5) however, comparisons of OST's deployment rate with the rates of other organizations' programs must be viewed with caution because no organization is fully comparable with OST, and the deployment rate is not the only possible measure of success for research and development programs; (6) as DOE's Environmental Management program has matured, its waste cleanup sites have made progress in overcoming some obstacles to implementing innovative technologies; (7) other obstacles that are internal to the operations of EM and its OST continue to slow the use of innovative technologies, including the lack of: (a) involvement by technology users in the development of cleanup technologies by OST; and (b) technical assistance by OST to help sites select and implement technologies; (8) after congressional hearings in May 1997, EM initiated changes in its organization and processes to increase the deployment of innovative technologies; (9) some of these initiatives address the internal obstacles limiting deployment; (10) however, the office has not yet improved developer-user cooperation in individual technology development projects; (11) OST does not consistently and rigorously use its existing decisionmaking process for managing the development of innovative technologies; and (12) EM has yet to determine how it will: (a) provide technical assistance to sites in selecting and implementing innovative technologies; and (b) make modifications to completed technologies to meet sites' specific needs and conditions.