31 



GAO 



United States 



General Accounting Office 



Washington. D.C. 20548 



Resources, Communitj', and 

 Economic Development Division 



B-254151 



September 20, 1993 



The Honorable Paul S. Sarbax\es 



Vice Chairman, Joint Economic Committee 



Congress of the United States 



Dear Mr. Vice Chairmjm: 



Citing the importance of federal research and development (rad) to 

 economic growth and national well-being, you expressed concern that 

 federal research agencies may be underinvesting in maintaining, repairing, 

 and upgrading theur laboratories. Accordingly, you requested that we 

 assess the (1) condition of federal laboratory facilities, (2) effect of 

 inadequate laboratory facilities on agencies' scientific productivity and 

 research capabilities, and (3) funding needed to repair or upgrade these 

 facilities. 



As agreed with your office, the information in this report is based 

 primarily on data provided by eight federal agencies for 220 

 government-owned laboratories that spent about $18.1 billion of the 

 estimated $24.9 billion obligated for bad at federal laboratories in fiscal 

 year 1992. These agencies are the Departments of Commerce, Defense 

 (dod), and Energy (doe); the Environmental Protection Agency (epa); the 

 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (nasa); the Agncultural 

 Research Service {ass), within the Department of Agriculture (usda); the 

 National Institutes of Health (.nih), within the Department of Health and 

 Human Services; and the Geological Survey (uses), within the Department 

 of the Interior. We also interviewed facilities managers for each agency 

 and laboratory management, researchers, and facilities managers at the 

 eight federal laboratories we \Tsited. 



RpSlllts in Rripf Overall, 54 percent of the floor space of the eight federal agencies' 



laboratories was more than 30 years old. Typical problem'! among the 

 agencies' laboratories mcluded leaking roofs and inadequate ventilatmg 

 systems that do not meet industry standards for curculatmg air through 

 laboratories, according to agencies' facilities managers. In addition, many 

 older laboratories were not designed to meet today's advEinced rad needs 

 and health and safety code requirements. In recent years, doe, epa. and 

 .NASA have reported detenorating laboratory facilities and inadequate 



