The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) nuclear waste cleanup efforts are projected to cost over $640 billion and span decades. A report by the U.S. GAO highlights that the DOE is missing opportunities to learn from other countries' successful approaches that could reduce risks and costs.

For instance, the United Kingdom (UK) saved approximately $2.6 billion by adopting a risk-informed cleanup strategy. Canada is set to complete cleanup at a key site nearly 30 years ahead of schedule by prioritizing specific activities. France and the UK have also benefited from using test facilities to resolve technical issues and train personnel, saving money and minimizing disruptions.

While the DOE's Office of Environmental Management (EM) engages internationally, this collaboration is limited and not strategic enough to identify alternative methods for its 15 U.S. cleanup sites. EM headquarters officials tend to focus on teaching other nations rather than learning from them. The GAO recommends that EM strategically engage with other countries to identify, evaluate, and disseminate these valuable lessons learned to improve U.S. cleanup efforts and potentially lower costs and risks.