Reporting the Condition of the Tunnels

To report on the condition of the tunnels, we reviewed various reports on the condition of the tunnels from 2000 to the present, viewed videotapes of the tunnels, hired a mechanical engineer to tour the tunnels, and interviewed tunnel workers and other AOC staff.

To assess AOC’s plans for making repairs and improvements, we reviewed the August 31, 2006, Utility Tunnel Improvement Plan that AOC submitted to Congress and various projects that AOC initiated to implement this plan; interviewed AOC officials; and attended weekly AOC meetings at CPP on the repair efforts in the tunnels.

Generally, it is our policy not to address issues in litigation. Thus, given the ongoing complaint and negotiations between OOC and AOC regarding the concerns identified in the tunnels, we did not address whether issues identified in the complaint or the actions taken by AOC complied with legal standards.

To understand the concerns that had been raised and the status of the concerns, we interviewed the tunnel workers and officials from both AOC and OOC. We also compared the plan with the concerns that had been raised. Furthermore, in accordance with our policy, we did not address concerns the tunnel workers have raised in its recent whistleblower complaint.

This report is based on information gathered through October 2006, and AOC is continuing to work on solving the problems in the utility tunnels. We did not conduct an audit: We performed our work to assist Congress in considering the future needs of the Capitol Power Plant Utility Tunnel System. We requested comments on the draft of this letter from AOC and OOC.

Courtesy of The United States Government Accountability Office

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