Nuclear Waste: DOE’s Plans to Complete Cleanup and Transfer of Moab Mill Site

What GAO Found Through the Moab Cleanup Project, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) has removed over 16 million tons of uranium mill tailings and other materials at the Moab Mill Site in Utah, as of 2026. Tailings are leftover waste after uranium has been removed from rock. EM has sent the tailings and contaminated material to a nearby disposal site. EM is also working to remediate contaminated groundwater, which threatens the nearby Colorado River. Moab Mill Site and Surrounding Area The Moab Cleanup Project has cost approximately $970 million through fiscal year 2025 and is expected to reach around $1.16 billion. The federal government pays 100 percent of the cleanup costs. EM is planning to finish cleanup and close the disposal site by 2029. Once cleanup is complete, DOE’s Office of Legacy Management (LM) will take over long-term federal management responsibilities for the mill and disposal sites. EM and LM are coordinating on the future transfer of responsibility for long-term federal management of the sites through formal agreements and an integrated project team. DOE will maintain ownership of the disposal site but has not made a final decision about the mill site. However, EM expects to transfer ownership of most of the Moab Mill Site to Grand County, Utah after EM finishes cleanup. If this happens, DOE would prefer that the community determine the mill site’s future use, and community stakeholders have proposed a plan that would include various recreational uses. Why GAO Did This Study EM is responsible for addressing hazardous and radioactive waste at sites contaminated from decades of nuclear weapons production and nuclear energy research. EM is cleaning up the Moab Mill Site, which was used to process uranium ore, under the oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Senate Report 118-188 includes a provision for GAO to examine EM’s efforts as the Moab Cleanup Project nears completion. GAO’s report provides information related to the status of these efforts and future plans for the site. GAO reviewed relevant laws, regulations, and agency documentation related to DOE’s Moab Cleanup Project. GAO interviewed a nongeneralizable sample of five key stakeholder groups, including the Moab city government and the Utah Department of Natural Resources, and assessed the extent to which EM has followed leading practices for engaging stakeholders. For more information, contact Nathan Anderson at AndersonN@gao.gov.

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