A critical review of cooperative agreements as a mechanism for state, tribal, and local government participation in DOE transportation programs

This paper discusses the transportation program-related cooperative agreements held by the Department of Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) Transportation Branch, OCRWM headquarters, the Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) Transportation Management Program (TMP), and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The paper explores the reasons for instituting cooperative agreements, the roles of DOE staff and State, Tribal, and local government organization staff in establishing scopes of work and budget levels, participants' roles in executing the agreements, and the impact of the agreements on the policy-making process. Lessons learned about the factors that have contributed to the success of many agreements and difficulties in finalizing and carrying out other agreements are also reviewed