Advanced search    Help

Clear all search criteria

Only 2/3! You are seeing results from the Public Collection, not the complete Full Collection. Sign in to search everything (see eligibility).

• Use of Force: ATF Policy, Training and Review Process are Comparable to DEA's and FBI's, Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government, Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, managing officers' use of force is one of the most difficult challenges facing law enforcement agencies. The ability of officers to enforce the law, protect the public, and guard their own safety is very difficult in an environment where violent crime is commonplace and firearms are frequently used for illegal purposes. Because the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is the federal agency primarily responsible for enforcing firearms laws, its agents often face this difficulty. Over the past several years, ATF has come under public criticism and congressional scrutiny, in part, due to citizen accusations that ATF agents used excessive force in carrying out their enforcement responsibilities. In August 1995, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government, House Committee on Appropriations, asked GAO [Government Accountability Office] to (1) identify and describe ATF's policies for the use of deadly force; (2) determine how ATF conveys its policies to its agents; (3) determine the reasons for and the extent to which ATF uses dynamic entry--a tactic used to gain rapid entry to premises when serving high-risk search and arrest warrants and which may include forced entry--and the equipment ATF uses to accomplish these entries; and (4) determine whether ATF has complied with its procedures for investigating shooting and alleged excessive use-of-force incidents. The Chairman also asked GAO to compare how ATF addresses these issues with the way the Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) address them. While GAO determined whether ATF complied with its procedures for investigating shooting and alleged excessive use-of-force incidents on the basis of a review of investigative file documents, it did not evaluate the quality and adequacy of ATF's investigations. Neither did GAO verify whether all incidents had been reported nor whether all incidents that had been reported were investigated."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1999-03
• Visa Issuance: Issues Concerning the Religious Worker Visa Program, Report to Congressional Requesters

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Although the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the State Department have identified some program fraud through the visa screening process and investigations, they do not have data or analysis to firmly establish the extent of fraud in the religious worker visa program. The nature of the fraud uncovered typically involved (1) applicants making false statements about their qualifications as religious workers or their exact plans in the United States or (2) conspiracy between an applicant and a sponsoring organization to misrepresent material facts about the applicant's qualifications or the nature of the position to be filled. INS and State sometimes detect fraud schemes when a sponsoring organization petitions INS for hundreds of religious workers at a time. In order to increase the availability of information necessary to allow reviewers to determine the eligibility of visa applicants and sponsors, INS, with State's support, is considering changes to the visa screening process. These changes include (1) having an applicant submit additional evidence of his or her qualifications, (2) having the sponsoring organization submit additional evidence regarding its ability to financially support the applicant, and (3) incorporating new software applications that alert reviewers to organizations filing petitions for numerous workers."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1999-03
• Information Security: Strengthened Management Needed to Protect Critical Federal Operations and Assets, Statement of Gene L. Dodaro, Assistant Comptroller General, Accounting and Information Management Division, Testimony before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "An assessment of the current state of information security in federal government. This report delineates the serious information security weaknesses placing critical operations and assets at risk and outlines actions needed to further improve security practices across government. The two agencies that are focused on are the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration and illustrate the types of risk facing individual departments and agencies as well as actions required to strengthen security management. Recent efforts by these organizations and others throughout government are encouraging because they signify increasing attention to information security concerns, but, additional measures are necessary for the federal government to develop and maintain a truly effective security management program."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1998-09-23
• Foreign Affairs Management: Major Challenges Facing the Department of State, Statement of Benjamin F. Nelson, Director, International Relations and Trade Issues, National Security and International Affairs Division, Testimony before the Task Force on International Affairs, Committee on the Budget; and the Subcommittee on International Operations, Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "'There is little disagreement that the State Department faces a number of critical management challenges: efficiently managing its extensive overseas real property; capably modernizing its information and financial management systems; efficiently relocating and supporting staff overseas; and adequately protecting overseas personnel and facilities. If these challenges are not successfully met, State's ability to function effectively in the 21st century could be seriously impaired. Addressing these challenges will necessarily require major changes in the way State does business. Key among them is heavier focus on cost-based decision-making and a greater use of the private sector to perform certain tasks."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1998-09-17
• DOD Counterdrug Activities: Reported Costs Do Not Reflect Extent of DOD'S Support, Report to Congressional Requesters

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "There are significant operating and support costs for counterdrug activities that are not reflected in DODs counterdrug reported costs and funding requests. These include costs associated with military services weapon systems and costs for deployed personnel who are not assigned to specific weapon systems. The costs associated with weapon systems, if allocated to counterdrug activities, would total in excess of $2 billion for fiscal years 1994 through 1996. The number of military personnel deployed in the United States who were not assigned to specific weapon systems totaled about 14,000. These individuals were assigned for various time periods between fiscal year 1994 and 1996. Although we did not estimate the support costs for these personnel, they would be in addition to the costs reported by DOD and the $2 billion we estimated. According to DOD officials, these operating and support costs are not included in DODs counterdrug budgets because they pertain to the existing force structure that supports the national defense mission and would be incurred regardless of the type of operations conducted. This practice is consistent with the way DOD reports incremental costs for contingency operations."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1998-09
• International Affairs: Activities of Domestic Agencies, Statement of Benjamin F. Nelson, Director, International Relations and Trade Issues, National Security and International Affairs Division, Testimony before the Task Force on International Affairs, Committee on the Budget, U.S. Senate

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "The U.S. government is engaged in a wide variety of programs and activities that affect the governments, institutions, and peoples of other countries. Coming to an accurate understanding of just how much money is spent on international activities outside the international affairs, or 150, budget account is difficult, however, because there are no broadly accepted criteria for what constitutes an international affairs activity or foreign assistance. Some analysts may use a very broad definition and include the $1.9 billion in Social Security payments made annually to beneficiaries living overseas; others may use a more limited definition and count only the bilateral assistance funded in the 150 account (about $5.2 billion). Moreover, some programs cannot easily be classified as international or domestic because they serve more than one function, and it is often difficult to distinguish between national and international objectives. One example may be the law enforcement assistance we provide overseas because of the international nature of organized crime. This assistance often has the dual objectives of strengthening foreign countries law enforcement capabilities and of combating crime that affects the United States."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1998-06-04
• Information Security: Serious Weaknesses Put State Department and FAA Operations at Risk, Statement for the Record by Gene L. Dodaro, Assistant Comptroller General, Accounting and Information Management Division, Testimony for the Committee on Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "This testimony focuses on the results of recent reviews of the Department of State and the Federal Aviation administration (FAA). Significant computer security weaknesses at both these organizations threaten the integrity of their operations, numerous specific recommendations for improving State and FAAs information security posture have been made. Unfortunately, such weaknesses are typical at most federal agencies evaluated. However, good management practices and organizational discipline can do much to mitigate the risks all government agencies face from security threats. Accordingly, also highlighted are best practices identified in studying leading organizations that can be used by all agencies to protect sensitive information and computer systems."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1998-05-19
• Infectious Diseases: Soundness of World Health Organization Estimates for Eradication or Elimination, Report to the Chairman, Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Global disease eradication and elimination campaigns are initiated, primarily by WHO, to concentrate and mobilize resources from both affected and donor countries. WHO provides recommendations for disease eradication and elimination to its governing body, the World Health Assembly, based on two general criteria"scientific feasibility and the level of political support by endemic and donor countries. Formal campaigns were initiated against dracunculiasis and leprosy in 1991, and against polio and lymphatic filariasis in 1988 and 1997, respectively. Regional or subregional campaigns are also underway against measles, onchocerciasis, and Chagas disease. Disease eradication and elimination efforts are normally implemented by national governments of the affected countries. Developing countries typically receive assistance for these efforts from bilateral and multilateral donors, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. In April 1997, WHO provided the House International Relations Committee with estimated costs and target dates for eradicating or eliminating the seven diseases. Subsequently, WHO revised some of the costs and time frames based on more recent information. We also made some adjustments for consistency among the figures. Our review focuses on the estimates that WHO provided to us as of December 1997. WHO officials estimated that about $7.5 billion would be needed to eradicate or eliminate the seven targeted diseases."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1998-04
• Surface Infrastructure: Costs, Financing and Schedules for Large-Dollar Transportation Projects, Report to Chairman, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Transportation and Related Agencies, House of Representatives

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Large-dollar infrastructure projects present several major challenges to federal, state, and local transportation officials. First, they are very costly and require large commitments of public resources that may take several years to garner from federal, state, and local sources. Because of the high costs of these projects, their financial packages are complex and may include debt financing to cover construction costs. Second, the projects can be technically challenging to construct and require their sponsors to resolve a wide range of social, environmental, land-use, and economic challenges before and during construction. To keep the projects on schedule and within budget, federal and state officials must carefully oversee their development, planning, and construction. At the federal level, the Department of Transportations Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration are responsible for approving and overseeing these large-dollar infrastructure projects."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1998-02
• Human Factors: FAA's Guidance and Oversight of Pilot Crew Resource Management Training Can Be Improved, Report to Congressional Requesters

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Previous studies of aviation safety have found that pilot performance is a major contributor to airline accidents and incidents (events that affect or could affect a flight's safety). Therefore, training to improve pilots' performance has been a primary effort to improve airline safety. As part of this effort, some airlines have provided training in crew resource management (CRM) since the early 1980s, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will require all airlines to have implemented this training for pilots by March 1998. CRM is an approach to improving pilot performance that focuses on better coordination--among members of the cockpit crew as well as among the cockpit crew and flight attendants, dispatchers, and air traffic controllers--to handle certain routine and emergency situations. […] This report responds to your request that we examine the role of airline pilots' performance in accidents and FAA's efforts to address any inadequate performance. Specifically, we agreed to address the following: (1) What are the types and frequency of accidents in which an airline pilot's performance was cited as a contributing factor, including those in which failure to use CRM principles was identified, and (2) how adequate is FAA's guidance for and oversight of the airlines' implementation of pilots' training for CRM? We limited our review to the accidents and incidents experienced and training implemented by the 10 major U.S. airlines--those generating $1 billion or more in revenues annually."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1997-11-24
• Cooperative Threat Reduction: Review of DOD's June 1997 Report on Assistance Provided, Report to Congressional Committees

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Under a 1991 congressional authorization, DOD [Department of Defense] provides assistance to the newly independent states of Belarus, Kazakstan, Russia, and Ukraine to help them (1) destroy their weapons of mass destruction, (2) safely store and transport the weapons in connection with their destruction, and (3) reduce the risk of such weapons proliferation. Most CTR [cooperative threat reduction] assistance is provided in the form of goods and services, including equipment, logistics support, materials, and training. Between fiscal years 1992 and 1997, Congress has authorized over $1.8 billion to help DOD achieve CTR objectives. As of July 1997, DOD had obligated over $1.4 billion of these funds. Because DOD is responsible for reporting on the efforts made by the United States to ensure that CTR assistance is appropriately used, its report also includes some information on the science and technology centers and the nuclear material control, accounting, and physical protection (MCA&PP) projects being implemented by the Departments of State and Energy, respectively."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1997-09
• Community Policing: Issues Related to the Design, Operation, and Management of the Grant Program, Report to the Chairman, Committee on the Budget, and the Chairman, Subcommittee on Crime, Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Under the Community Policing Act, grants are generally available to any law enforcement agency that can demonstrate a public safety need; demonstrate an inability to address the need without a grant; and, in most instances, contribute a 25-percent match of the federal share of the grant. The act requires that 50 percent of the grant funds allocated go to law enforcement agencies serving populations of 150,000 or less, and that 50 percent of the grant funds go to law enforcement agencies serving populations exceeding 150,000. The act does not require the COPS Office to target grants to those law enforcement agencies that need the most assistance. In previous reports on grant design, we have suggested that targeting federal aid on the basis of measurable need and the ability to pay could help scarce federal resources go further. To achieve the goal of increasing the number of community policing officers, the law required that grants be used to supplement, not supplant, state and local funds. Grantees are also required to have plans for the assumption of a progressively larger share of the cost, looking toward the continuation of the increased hiring levels using state or local funds at the conclusion of the period of federal support."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1997-09
• Military Bases: Lessons Learned from Prior Base Closure Rounds

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Special legislative authorities were enacted in 1988 and 1990 to overcome impediments to base closures. These authorities provided the basis for four rounds of base realignments and closures (BRAC) between 1988 and 1995. Despite anticipated completion of those rounds by 2001, the Department of Defense (DOD) continues to retain significant amounts of excess, costly infrastructure. Retaining this excess capacity drains resources needed for facilities maintenance and other priorities such as weapon systems modernization. Anticipating that DOD might request Congress to authorize additional BRAC rounds, GAO initiated this review to address (1) what lessons could be learned from prior rounds as they related to savings, costs, and economic impact; (2) what legislative actions would be needed if further BRAC rounds were to be authorized; and (3) what improvements, if any, would be needed in DODs process for identifying bases for realignment and closure."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1997-07
• Border Patrol: Staffing and Enforcement Activities, Report to Congressional Committees

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "At the end of fiscal year 1994, according to INS data, the Border Patrol had assigned 3,911 of its 4,260 Border Patrol agents to its 145 Border Patrol stations. As of September 13, 1995, according to INS data, it had hired and finished training 530 Border Patrol agents and had an additional 369 agents in training. These new agents are estimated to represent 22 percent of INS expected overall increase. These 899 new hires were not included in our analysis because they were not deployed at the end of fiscal year 1994. Of the 3,911 agents at Border Patrol stations at the end of fiscal year 1994, 3,088 (79 percent) were located at 85 stations that were within 25 miles of the nations border, including 2,543 agents who were located at the 32 Southwest Border stations. Of the 3,911 agents, 701 agents (18 percent) were located at 41 stations that were between 26 and 100 miles from the border, and 122 agents (3 percent) were located at 19 stations that were over 100 miles from the border."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1996-03
• Money Laundering: U.S. Efforts to Combat Money Laundering Overseas, Statement of JayEtta Z. Hecker, Associate Director, International Relations and Trade Issues, Testimony before the Committee on Banking and Financial Services, House of Representatives

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Money laundering is a global problem requiring collective international efforts to combat. GAOs testimony describes U.S. efforts to deter this activity, including: (1) U.S. and seven European countries regulation of financial institutions in regard to money laundering, (2) U.S. bank regulators oversight of money-laundering controls at overseas branches of U.S. banks, (3) U.S. law enforcement agencies efforts to coordinate their overseas anti-money-laundering activities with host countries law enforcement agencies, and (4) U.S. participation in international anti-money-laundering arrangements. U.S. banking regulators previous domestic anti-money-laundering efforts relied mainly on reporting regulations that require financial institutions to report currency transactions above certain thresholds. Current approaches include an increased reliance upon reporting suspicious transactions. Also, most U.S. banks have adopted know your customer policies to help identify suspicious transactions, according to the American Bankers Association. European countries GAO visited have relied on suspicious transaction reports as well as on know your customer policies to combat money laundering through financial institutions."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1996-02-28
• Counterfeit U.S. Currency Abroad: Observations on Counterfeiting and U.S. Deterrance Efforts, Statement of JayEtta Z. Hecker, Associate Director, International Relations and Trade Issues, Testimony before the Subcommittee on General Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Banking and Financial Services, House of Representatives

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "U.S. currency has become a vulnerable target for international counterfeiting because it is widely used abroad and currently lacks updated security features. GAOs testimony focuses on the diverse nature and the unknown extent of counterfeiting abroad, as well as the recent U.S. efforts to deter this activity. U.S. law enforcement officials say that counterfeiters range from office workers to organized crime and terrorist groups and that the equipment used for counterfeiting U.S. currency includes both simple photocopiers and sophisticated offset presses. Moreover, counterfeit currency varies significantly in quality. Of increasing concern is a very high-quality family of counterfeits commonly known as the 'Superdollar.' According to reports by the House Republican Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare, the Superdollar is printed in the Middle East on 'high-tech state-owned presses with paper only acquired by governments.' However, the Secret Service says that the task force has provided little evidence to support its allegations. Counterfeiting is a criminal activity. Thus, it is impossible to determine the actual extent of this activity abroad. Both Treasury and Secret Service officials agreed that counterfeiting of U.S. currency is a threat to be taken seriously but said that it is not now at a level that poses an economic threat to the U.S. monetary system."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1996-02-27
• Flexibility in the Safe Drinking Water Act

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "The Safe Drinking Water Act and EPA's implementing regulations provide the flexibility for water systems to reduce their costs to comply with the requirements of the drinking water program. EPA's regulations offer a number of options under which the water systems can reduce the frequency of required testing or the costs of laboratory analyses. For example, monitoring requirements for certain contaminants may be waived for a water system if (1) the contaminants were not used, stored, manufactured, or disposed of within a defined area around the water source or (2) the source is not otherwise vulnerable to contamination. Water systems can also avoid or defer the costs of treating water under certain conditions. For example, under the act, water systems can be exempted from meeting a quality standard when the systems cannot afford to install needed equipment or when there are other compelling reasons, as long as the exemption will not result in an unreasonable risk to health."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1995-11-21
• Federal Law Enforcement: Information on Certain Agencies' Criminal Investigative Personnel and Salary Costs, Summary of Statement of Norman J. Rabkin, Director, Administration of Justice Issues, Testimony before the Subcommittee on Crime, Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "The federal criminal justice system typically deals with criminal activity occurring in more than one state or criminal activity affecting matters of paramount federal interest, such as federal taxation, civil rights, international trade, securities, narcotics, national defense, federal grant programs, federal contracting, and federally insured financial institutions. Federal criminal law prosecution authority is vested in the Attorney General and is exercised through the prosecutors of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the 94 U.S. Attorneys Offices. An early stage in any criminal law enforcement system is the detection and investigation of a possible crime. Agencies that report to the Attorney General and whose investigative efforts support the prosecutors include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). In addition, many other agencies outside DOJ, such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Customs Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) also provide major investigative efforts in the federal criminal law enforcement process."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1995-11-15
• Illegal Immigration: INS Overstay Estimation Methods Need Improvement, Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Immigration, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "The task of estimating overstays presents a difficult challenge. Although INS has a data system for tracking the dates when individual foreign visitors arrive in and depart from the United States, the agency cannot assume that all persons whom the system does not record as having left have, in fact, overstayed their lawful periods of entry. Most foreign visitors tracked by the INS data system travel to the United States by air.2 The INS data system works as follows: Airline personnel distribute arrival/departure forms (I-94s) to foreign visitors.3 An INS inspector collects the arrival portion of the form as each visitor enters the United States; at that time, the inspector staples the departure form in the visitors passport. The airlines are responsible for collecting the departure forms when visitors leave and for sending those forms to INS. But for some visitors who may have actually left the United States, INS apparently has no record of the departures. It is thus not clear, in any particular instance, whether an unrecorded departure form represents a person who overstayed or whose actual departure went uncounted."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1995-09
• Federal Judiciary: Observations on Selected Issues, Briefing Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "The federal judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, 12 regional circuit courts of appeals, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 94 district courts, 91 bankruptcy courts, the Court of International Trade, and the Court of Federal Claims. The Judicial Conference of the United States, a body of 27 judges over which the Chief Justice of the United States presides, is the judiciarys principal policymaking body and does most of its work through about 25 committees. The AOUSC, operating under the direction and supervision of the Conference, provides a wide range of administrative, legal, and program support to the courts, including budgeting, space and facilities, automation, statistical analysis and reports, financial audit, and management evaluation. FJC, the judiciarys research and education agency, operates under the direction of its own eight-member board, which has two permanent members, the Director of the AOUSC and the Chief Justice, who chairs the board. By statute, AOUSC and FJC have some similar responsibilities in supporting and evaluating court operations and supporting implementation and evaluation of the Civil Justice Reform Act of 1990.1 Regionally, each of the 12 circuits has a circuit judicial conference, chaired by the chief judge of the circuit, whose purpose is to provide a forum for judges and members of the bar to exchange ideas and discuss the administration of the courts in the circuit. Each circuit also has a judicial council of the circuit, also chaired by the chief judge of the circuit, which is charged with making all necessary and appropriate orders for the effective and expeditious administration of justice within the circuit."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1995-09
• Drug War: Observations on U.S. International Drug Control Efforts, Statement of Joseph E. Kelley, Director-in-Charge, International Affairs Issues, National Security and International Affairs Division, Testimony before the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "In November 1993, the U.S. Policy on International Counternarcotics in the Western Hemisphere established a strategy for combatting the production and trafficking of cocaine. Among other things, the policy called for a gradual shift of resources from the transit zone of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean to the source countries of cocaine--primarily Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. According to the Department of Defense, the amount of resources applied to the transit zone has been significantly reduced. However, to date, we have not seen a shift in resources to the source countries. For example, the Drug Enforcement Administration is reducing its presence in Colombia, the U.S. Southern Command is now flying fewer sorties per month in support of source-country interdiction than it did in 1993, and counternarcotics assistance to each of the three primary source countries is expected to be less in 1995 than in 1991 or 1992. Some agencies' programs and assets are better suited to interdiction in the transit zone than to the current source country strategy. However, shifting resources between and within agencies has been problematic."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1995-08-01
• Department of Energy: Poor Management of Nuclear Materials Tracking System Makes Success Unlikely, Report to the Ranking Minority Member, Committee on Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "DOE has not implemented any of the recommendations contained in our prior report and has no plans to do so. In December 1994, we reported that DOE had not adequately planned the replacement NMMSS and recommended that the Department determine users requirements, investigate alternatives, and conduct cost-benefit analyses before proceeding further with the replacement system. However, DOE continued with the system development without performing these steps because it believed that its planning was sufficient and that it would not be cost-effective to delay the replacement system. Due to its lack of sound planning, DOE does not know if the system will fulfill the needs of its major users or be cost-effective. These planning risks are magnified by additional system development risks that DOE is not adequately addressing. For example, the subcontractor building the replacement NMMSS has not documented its system development process. Because little system documentation exists, and the contract does not require any interim deliverables describing development progress before complete system delivery, DOE cannot determine the status of the development effort."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1995-08
• Money Laundering: Stakeholders View Recordkeeping Requirements for Cashier's Checks As Sufficient, Report to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate, and the Committee on Banking and Financial Services, House of Representatives

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Criminal enterprises generate enormous amounts of cash. To make them easier to conceal and transport, some criminal enterprises convert illicit cash proceeds into monetary instruments, such as travelers checks, money orders, or cashiers checks. To combat this practice, Treasury, in implementing the requirements of BSA, requires financial institutions to report and maintain records of certain financial transactions. These reporting and recordkeeping requirements, which vary by the amount of the financial transaction, are intended to (1) assist law enforcement officials in criminal, tax, or regulatory investigations and proceedings and (2) help law enforcement officials identify suspicious and unusual financial transactions. To further assist law enforcement officials in their efforts to combat money laundering, financial institutions are urged by Treasury and federal financial industry regulators to develop an effective know-your-customer program. Know-your-customer programs are designed to encourage employees of financial institutions to become familiar with the banking practices of their customers so that they can recognize transactions that are outside the normal course of a customers business practices and report them as suspicious to the appropriate federal oversight agencies."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1995-07
• Radioactive Waste: Status of Commercial Low-Level Waste Facilities, Report to Congressional Requesters

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Through its Environmental Management program, DOE is responsible for environmental restoration, waste management, and facility transition and management at 15 major contaminated facilities and more than 100 smaller facilities in 34 states and territories. These facilities encompass a wide range of environmental problems, including more than 7,000 locations where radioactive or hazardous materials were released into the environment, almost 200 tanks containing high-level radioactive waste from nuclear weapons production, some of which have leaked or could explode, and 7,000 production facilities that are now idled and in need of deactivation, decontamination, and decommissioning."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1995-05
• Nuclear Regulation: Slow Progress In Identifying and Cleaning Up NRC's Licensees' Contaminated Sites, Report to the Ranking Minority Member, Committee on Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "NRC has not yet completed its ongoing review to identify sites requiring additional cleanup. Through December 1994, an NRC contractor had reviewed about 29,000 (about 75 percent) of an estimated 38,500 terminated licenses. Thus far, NRC has identified 22 sites that exceed its guidelines for radioactive contamination and therefore require further cleanup. Documentation for another 895 terminated licenses was inadequate to determine whether the sites meet NRCs guidelines. Consequently, as of March 15, 1995, NRC was in the process of obtaining additional information about the nature and extent of the contamination resulting from these licenses. The total number of sites that could require additional cleanup will not be known until NRC obtains this information and completes its review of the remaining 9,500 terminated licenses. NRC expects that the contractors review will be completed in 1996. However, according to NRC, it will take several additional years to review the contractors work and conduct inspections that may be needed to assess the contamination at the sites."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1995-04
• Nuclear Weapons Complex: Establishing a National Risk-Based Strategy for Cleanup, Statement of Bernice Steinhardt, Associate Director, Energy and Science Issues, Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division, Testimony before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senate

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Through its Environmental Management program, DOE is responsible for environmental restoration, waste management, and facility transition and management at 15 major contaminated facilities and more than 100 smaller facilities in 34 states and territories. These facilities encompass a wide range of environmental problems, including more than 7,000 locations where radioactive or hazardous materials were released into the environment, almost 200 tanks containing high-level radioactive waste from nuclear weapons production, some of which have leaked or could explode, and 7,000 production facilities that are now idled and in need of deactivation, decontamination, and decommissioning."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1995-03-06
• Department of Energy: Need to Reevaluate Its Role and Missions, Statement of Victor S. Rezendes, Director, Energy and Science Issues, Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division, Testimony before the Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Energy and Water, U.S. House of Representatives

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Created to deal predominantly with the 'energy crisis' of the 1970s, DOE's mission and budget priorities have changed dramatically. By the early 1980s, its nuclear weapons productions activities expanded dramatically, stretching DOE to its physical and managerial limits. Following revelations about environmental mismanagement in the mid to late 19805, DOE's environmental budget began to grow and now overshadows all other activities. With the Cold War's end, DOE's missions have expanded to include major new activities in science and technology transfer. With each new phase in its evolution has come leadership with vastly different agendas for what they believe DOE really should be and how it should be managed."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1995-01-18
• Nuclear Nonproliferation: U.S. International Nuclear Materials Tracking Capabilities Are Limited: Report to Congressional Requesters

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Hundreds of tons of plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU) have accumulated worldwide, and inventories of plutonium are expected to continue to grow in years to come as a result of reprocessing1 or recovering activities. Tracking and accounting for these and other nuclear materials are important in order to (1) ensure that nuclear materials are used only for peaceful purposes; (2) help protect nuclear materials from loss, theft, or other diversion; (3) comply with international treaty obligations; and (4) provide data to policymakers and other government officials. The United States relies primarily on the NMMSS to track the nuclear materials exported to foreign countries. However, this system does not have all the information needed to track the specific current location (facility) and status of all nuclear materials of U.S. origin that are supplied to foreign countries. For example, the system does not track exported U.S. nuclear materials that are moved from facility to facility within countries, nor does it show the current status of the nuclear materials (e.g., irradiated, unirradiated, fabricated, burned up, or reprocessed). Thus, the NMMSS may not contain correct data on where (at which facility) these materials are located within foreign countries or on their current status. The system does not contain this information primarily because the amounts, types, and reliability of data contained in the NMMSS depend largely on the data required to be reported under international agreements for peaceful nuclear cooperation, as well as on foreign countries and U.S. and foreign facilities willingness to report complete and accurate data."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1994-12
• Nuclear Safety: International Assistance Efforts to Make Soviet-Designed Reactors Safer, Report to Congressional Requesters

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "As of May 1994, about $785 million had been pledged to implement the G7 assistance plan, primarily for improving the safety of the Soviet-designed civil nuclear power reactors located in the former Soviet Union and in central and eastern Europe. A longer-term goal of the assistance program is to shut down the most dangerous nuclear power reactors and replace them with alternative energy sources. The plan also calls for improving nuclear regulatory agencies in those countries operating Soviet-designed reactors. As of May 1994, only about 7 percent of the projects, worth about $57 million, had been completed."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1994-09
• Chemical Weapons Storage: Communities Are Not Prepared to Respond to Emergencies, Statement of David R. Warren, Associate Director, Defense Management and NASA Issues, National Security and International Affairs Division, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources, Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "State and local officials, in accordance with state law, have the primary responsibility for protecting the health and safety of the local communities in the event of an emergency involving chemical agents. Emergency management in any situation is made up of three phases: planning and preparation, response, and recovery. During the planning and preparatory phase, hazards are identified and mitigated and the resources needed to respond to an emergency are identified and obtained. In the response phase, resources are used to respond to an emergency situation. This phase may include such actions as alerting the community to the emergency and evacuating some portion of the population from the threatened area. Lastly, during the recovery phase, damage is assessed and repaired and people return to the area affected by the emergency. In an emergency associated with chemical weapons, the substances released have the potential for great harm, and quick reaction is exceedingly critical. Chemical agents can move with the ambient air and, at some sites, can travel off the installation boundaries in minutes. For this reason the alert and notification systems, protective actions, protective gear, and automation appropriate to such an emergency may differ from those required to cope with other potential local emergencies."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  1993-07-16