Executive Summary

• At a Glance
• The Cold War Mortgage
• The Environmental Management Program
• What Does the Nation Want to Buy?
• Estimating Costs in the Face of Large Uncertainties
• Approach Used for Estimating Costs and Schedules
• Base Case Assumptions
• Results
• The Administration's Budget and the 1995 Baseline Report
• Base Case Estimate by State and Site
• Alternative Case
• Next Steps
• Contents

This is the first annual report on the activities and potential costs required to address the waste, contamination, and surplus nuclear facilities that are the responsibility of the Department of Energy's Environmental Management program. The Department's Office of Environmental Management, established in 1989, manages one of the largest environmental programs in the world -- with more than 130 sites and facilities in over 30 States and territories. The primary focus of the program is to reduce health and safety risks from radioactive waste and contamination resulting from the production, development, and testing of nuclear weapons. The program also is responsible for the environmental legacy from, and ongoing waste management for, nuclear energy research and development, and basic science research. In an attempt to better oversee this effort, Congress required the Secretary of Energy to submit a Baseline Environmental Management Report with annual updates.

The 1995 Baseline Environmental Management Report (Baseline Report) provides life-cycle cost estimates, tentative schedules, and projected activities necessary to complete the Environmental Management program. In doing so, it represents the Department's most comprehensive effort to date to develop a clearer picture of the "Cold War Mortgage."

About This Document
Posted 5/16/1995 (mw)