Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency (NNEPA). Agencies Met the Targets in Six Objectives Primarily Because of Additional Federal Resources or Because Targets Continued Previously- Established Efforts

We found that a key reason why agencies met the targets for five  objectives in the 2008 5-year plan was because additional resources,  mostly federal but also private, were dedicated to their efforts. For example, from fiscal years 2008 through 2012, EPA  reported that it expended $22 million on efforts to identify and address  contaminated houses and other structures, compared with the  $1.5 million it expended on similar efforts in the preceding 5 years. Further, EPA officials said that funds from the bankruptcy  settlement were instrumental in providing the initial funding for the  agency’s efforts to pursue potentially responsible parties at other  abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo reservation. Agencies Did Not Meet the Targets in Two Objectives for a Variety of Reasons, Including Optimistic Schedules and Decisions to Perform Additional Work That Extended Time Frames

Federal agencies did not meet the targets for two of the eight objectives  in the 2008 5-year plan—cleanup of the Northeast Church Rock mine and  the Tuba City Dump—for a variety of reasons, including that the  schedules were optimistic and ambitious, and EPA decided to increase  outreach work at the Northeast Church Rock mine and assessment work  at the Tuba City Dump before identifying final cleanup actions for the  sites. For example, the  estimate did not completely define the program, an important aspect of a  comprehensive schedule. Agencies Have Not Estimated the Full Scope of Work, Time Frames, or Costs Needed to Address Uranium Contamination but Recognize That Significant Work Remains

The agencies that implemented the 2008 5-year plan have not identified  the full scope of remaining work, time frames, or costs of fully addressing  uranium contamination on or near the Navajo reservation, especially at  abandoned uranium mines, but have recognized that significant work  remains for addressing such contamination beyond the targets in the  plan. As a result, decision makers and stakeholders do not have sufficient  information about the overall remaining work, time frames, and costs to  assess the overall pace of the cleanup efforts. Even when significant uncertainties regarding the scope of work and  available funding remain, however, we have reported that agencies can  create high-level estimates of costs and time frames that can be useful for  decision makers and stakeholders. Without an estimate of the remaining scope of  work, time frames, and costs to fully address uranium contamination,  especially at the abandoned mines, decision makers and stakeholders  neither have the information they need to assess the overall pace of the  cleanup efforts, nor do they have a basis to put the agencies’  accomplishments under the 2008 5-year plan into perspective. Agencies Face Challenges Meeting Funding Needs and Engaging Affected Communities, Though Opportunities Exist for Improving Relationships with the Navajo and Hopi People

Federal agencies face a variety of challenges in continuing to address  uranium contamination on and near the Navajo reservation, including  securing adequate funding and effectively engaging tribal communities. According to both federal and tribal agency officials, federal agencies  could also enhance their collaboration with Navajo agencies by including  additional tribal agencies in future efforts. However, absent a statutory requirement to develop such a  comprehensive estimate, it appears unlikely that the agencies will  undertake such an effort. In doing so, however, BIA  has experienced a number of challenges, some concerning contract  management. Matter for Congressional Consideration

To develop an estimate of the scope of work remaining to address  uranium contamination on or near the Navajo reservation, Congress  should consider requiring that the Environmental Protection Agency take  the lead and work with the other federal agencies to develop an overall  estimate of the remaining scope of the work, time frames, and costs. In agreeing with our recommendation that the federal agencies  incorporate key practices for enhancing and sustaining interagency  collaborative efforts into their coordinated outreach strategy, EPA, DOE,  and the Department of Health and Human Services provided additional  details about the contents of the draft outreach strategy that they intend to  include in their 2014 5-year plan. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

In this report, we examined: (1) the extent to which federal agencies,  including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of  Energy (DOE), the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs  (BIA), the Department of Health and Human Services’ Indian Health  Service (IHS), and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) achieved  the targets identified in the 2008 5-year plan, and the reasons why or why  not; (2) what is known about the scope of work, time frames, and  estimated costs of fully addressing uranium contamination on the Navajo  reservation; and (3) the key challenges, if any, faced by federal agencies  in completing this work and the opportunities, if any, which may be  present to help overcome these challenges.
Why GAO Did This Study

Four million tons of uranium ore were extracted from mines on the Navajo reservation primarily for developing the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. For over 30 years, the Navajo people have lived with the environmental and health effects of uranium contamination from this mining. In 2008, five federal agencies adopted a 5-year plan that identified targets for addressing contaminated abandoned mines, structures, water sources, former processing sites, and other sites. Federal agencies also provide funding to Navajo Nation agencies to assist with the cleanup work.
GAO was asked to examine the agencies' cleanup efforts. This report examines (1) the extent to which the agencies achieved the targets set in the 5-year plan and reasons why or why not; (2) what is known about the future scope of work, time frames, and costs; and (3) any key challenges faced by the agencies in completing this work and any opportunities to overcome them. GAO examined agency documents; interviewed agency officials, tribal leaders, and stakeholders; and visited sites on the Navajo and Hopi reservations.

What GAO Found

Federal agencies implementing the 2008 5-year plan, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Energy, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the Indian Health Service, met the targets in six of the plan's eight objectives, working in cooperation with tribal agencies, including the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency. Reasons agencies met the targets were primarily because additional federal and other resources were dedicated to these efforts compared with prior years. For example, from 2008 through 2012, EPA spent $22 million to test and replace contaminated houses, compared with $1.5 million spent in the preceding 5 years. In contrast, targets for two objectives—cleanup of the Northeast Church Rock mine and Tuba City Dump—were not met primarily because EPA's and BIA's estimated schedules were optimistic, and EPA added additional work that extended the time frames. BIA experienced project and contract management challenges in conducting work at Tuba City Dump and did not always follow best practices when estimating the schedule for assessment work at the site. These challenges, if not addressed, could affect BIA's ability to meet future targets for cleanup at the site and successfully plan for project resources.
Federal agencies have not identified the full scope of remaining work, time frames, or costs to fully address uranium contamination on or near the Navajo reservation, although they recognize that significant work remains. In 2008, congressional decision makers requested the agencies provide an overall estimate of the full scope of work needed to address the contamination. The 5year plan the agencies developed in response to this request does not provide a comprehensive estimate; instead, it focuses on the highest priorities over 5 years. EPA officials said that they typically do not provide cost or schedule estimates until a specific cleanup action is selected and that a number of current uncertainties make developing such an estimate difficult. Even with significant uncertainties, GAO has reported that agencies can create high-level estimates of costs and time frames that can be useful for decision makers and stakeholders. The agencies have collected important information that could provide a starting point for such an estimate. However, absent a statutory requirement to develop such a comprehensive estimate, it appears unlikely that the agencies will undertake such an effort. As a result, decision makers and stakeholders will not have the information they need to assess the overall pace of the cleanup efforts or make resource allocation decisions.
Federal agencies face a variety of challenges in continuing to address uranium contamination on or near the Navajo reservation. For example, according to EPA officials, funding for EPA's efforts at the Navajo abandoned uranium mines is expected to decrease from funding levels available during the 2008 5-year plan because of overall declining federal resources for cleanup. Further, agencies face challenges in effectively engaging tribal communities, in part, because agencies have not always collaborated on their outreach efforts. These agencies identified opportunities to enhance their collaboration by creating a coordinated outreach strategy for the next 5-year plan. Creating such a strategy is consistent with one of the several key practices that GAO has reported can enhance and sustain interagency collaboration and help ensure that agencies make efficient use of limited resources.

What GAO Recommends

Congress should consider requiring federal agencies to develop an overall estimate of the remaining scope of work, time frames, and costs to fully address uranium contamination. GAO also recommends that BIA address its project management challenges, and agencies incorporate key practices into their coordinated outreach strategy. In commenting on a draft of this report, the agencies generally agreed with GAO's recommendations.