Report: Feds need better financial oversight at Hanford site

RICHLAND, Wash. – A report by the federal government says the Department of Energy needs better financial oversight at sites like the Hanford decommissioned nuclear production complex in Richland.

The Tri-City Herald reports a Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday says it found issues with a lack of audits covering costs charged to the federal government and conflicts of interest.

The office says most of the Department of Energy’s $30 billion budget goes to contractors, most of which spend money on subcontracts.

The report says the Department of Energy has not yet “clarified which subcontracts should be audited and what an audit should entail.”

The report concluded the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration were lax on ensuring that contractors met their requirements to audit subcontractor costs, despite the significant taxpayer dollars going to subcontractors.