COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Federal auditors say it will cost nearly $1.5 billion more than expected to empty and seal 22 underground liquid radioactive waste tanks at South Carolina's Savannah River Site.
The site's December 2008 contract with the U.S. Energy Department estimated costs at $3.2 billion. But the Government Accountability Office said Tuesday the initial estimates were not accurate or comprehensive.
GAO says the Energy Dept. underestimated labor costs and left out some expenses entirely. The audit also says Savannah River officials say not all tanks will be closed by the 2017 deadline.
Savannah River opened in the 1950s and once produced atomic bomb materials. Now, work is focused mostly on research and environmental cleanup.
Messages left for Energy Dept. and Savannah River officials were not immediately returned Tuesday.
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