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Quarterly Report to the Technology Assessment Board, January 1 - March 31, 1989

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Title:
Quarterly Report to the Technology Assessment Board, January 1 - March 31, 1989
Series Title:
Quarterly Report Office of Technology Assessment
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Office of Technology Assessment
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Office of Technology Assessment
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Language:
English
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74 pages.

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Subjects / Keywords:
Technology assessment ( LIV )
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federal government publication ( marcgt )
Spatial Coverage:
Washington, D.C.

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General Note:
This is a quarterly report detailing the budget and progress of the Office of Technology Assessment.

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Source Institution:
University of North Texas
Holding Location:
University of North Texas
Rights Management:
This item is a work of the U.S. federal government and not subject to copyright pursuant to 17 U.S.C. §105.

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IUF:
University of Florida
OTA:
Office of Technology Assessment

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Quarterly Report to the Technology Assessment Board Jan. 1-Mar. 31, 1989 IS\ \SI CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT

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Office of Technology Assessment Congressional Board of the 101st Congress EDWARD M. KENNEDY, Massachusetts, Chairman CLARENCE E. MILLER, Ohio, Vice Chairman Senate ERNEST F. HOLLINGS South Carolina CLAIBORNE PELL Rhode Island TED STEVENS Alaska ORRIN G. HATCH Utah CHARLES E. GRASSLEY Iowa JOHN H. GIBBONS (Nonvoting) Advisory Council DAVID S. POITER, Chairman MICHEL T. HALBOUTY General Motors Corp. (Ret.) Michel T. Halbouty Energy Co. CHASEN. PETERSON, Vice Chairman NEILE. HARL University of Utah Iowa State University EARL BEISTLINE JAMES C HUNT Consultant University of Tennessee CHARLES A. BOWSHER HENRY KOFFLER General Accounting Office University of Arizona Director JOHN H. GIBBONS House MORRIS K. UDALL Arizona GEORGE E. BROWN, JR. California JOHN D. DINGELL Michigan DON SUNDQUIST Tennessee AMO HOUGHTON New York JOSHUA LEDERBERG Rockefeller University WILLIAM J. PERRY H&Q Technology Partners SALLY RIDE Stanford University JOSEPH E. ROSS Congressional Research Service

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CONTENTS I. COMMUNICATION WITH CONGRESS A. Summary of FY '88 Completions, Ongoing Work in FY '89, and New Starts Through March 31., 1989 .......... B. Products Delivered During the Quarter 1. 2. 3. Formal Assessment Reports ............................ Other: Special Reports, Technical Memoranda, Background Papers, Staff Papers or Letter Memoranda, Workshop Proceedings, and Committee Prints ........... Testimony ............................................ C. Other Communication with Congress 1. 2. Formal Discussions -Topics ......................... Informal Discussions -Topics ....................... 2 3 4 7 8 9 D. List of Current OTA Assessments as of 3/31/89 .............. 13 E. Second Quarter FY 1989 Action on Bills Mentioning OTA ....... 15 II. PUBLICATION BRIEFS OF FORMAL ASSESSMENTS DELIVERED III. SELECTED NEWS CLIPS ON OTA PUBLICATIONS AND ACTIVITIES

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I. -2-COMMUNICATION WITH CONGRESS A. Summary of FY '88 Completions, Ongoing Work in FY '89, and New Starts Through March 31, 1989 New FY '88 FY Products Released Total Ql Q2 Formal Assessments 19 2 2 Other Special Reports 11 2 Report Supplements 0 Technical Memoranda 1 1 Background Papers, Case Studies, or Workshop Proceedings 6 2 3 Testimony 55 1 6 Staff Papers or Letter Memoranda 19 5 2 Administrative Documents 4 1 4 Projects Approved by TAB Assessments 21 1 0 Other (Scope Changes; Special Responses Over Director's limits) 0 Projects in Process as of March 31, 1989 1. In Press Assessments 2 Other (TM's, Background Papers, etc.) 3 2. In Progress Assessments Other 29 28 '89 Q3 Q4

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-3I. COMMUNICATION WITH CONGRESS B. 1. Products Released During the Quarter Formal Assessment Reports OIL PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES AND THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Congr~ss had been asked to decide the future development status of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), an area that combines high wilderness and wildlife values with significant prospects for the discovery of supergiant oilfields. Alternative choices for ANWR include wilderness status and opening the Refuge to full scale oil and gas exploration and development at the extremes, and a range of intermediate strategies in between. A key argument for allowing ANWR to be opened to leasing is that the successful discovery and development of petroleum in the Refuge can serve to mitigate the anticipated decline in total Alaskan oil production and maintaining oil flow through the TransAlaskan Pipeline (TAPS). This study examined recent projections of future Alaskan oil production, to the extent possible evaluates the accuracy of these estimates, and evaluated the potential for shifts in future production rates with technology development and changing economic conditions and regulatory requirements. As part of this evaluation, OTA examined the evolution of technology for Arctic onshore and offshore oil exploration, development, production, and transportation over the past 15 years and projected how the state of the art might evolve over the next several decades. Such changes might in turn change the economics and technical feasibility of oil production, altering the production potential of oilfields feeding into TAPS. Requesters Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Hon. J. Bennett Johnston, Chairman House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries Hon. Walter B. Jones, Chairman Project Director: Steve Plotkin, 228-6275 (Published 3/89) ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF U.S. GRAIN IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE --U.S. agriculture is beginning to show signs of declining international competitiveness. For U.S. grains, the major component of agricultural exports, quality is becoming a growing reason for this decline. Complaints from foreign buyers have surged in recent years and Congressional concern is growing about the poor quality of U.S. grain. Grain producers already are having difficult financial times and the loss of sales for quality reasons adds to their further problems.

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-4-In Congressional debate of the Food Security Act of 1985 legislative proposals were discussed on how best to improve U.S. grain quality. It became quite apparent that little is known about this area, so Congress amended the Food Security Act to direct the Office of Technology Assessment to conduct a study on grain-handling technologies and export quality standards. The study provided information on: 1) competitive problems the U.S. faces in international grain markets attributed to grain quality; 2) the extent to which U.S. grain-handling technologies and quality standards have contributed to declining grain sales; 3) differences in grain-handling technology and export quality standards between the U.S. and competitor countries; 4) consequences to exporters and farmers of changes in grain-handling technologies and quality standards; and 5) feasibility of utilizing new technology to better classify grains. Request or Affirmation of Interest Mandated in Food Security Act of 1985 House Committee on Agriculture Hon. Ede la Garza, Chairman Hon. Edward R. Madigan, Ranking Minority Member Hon. Berkley Bedell, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Department. Operation, Research, and Foreign Agriculture Joint Economic Committee Hon. James Abdnor, then Vice Chairman Project Director: Michael Phillips, 228-6510 (Published 3/89) I. B. 2. Other: Special Reports, Technical Memoranda, Background Papers, Workshop Proceedings, Committee Prints, and Administrative Reports ASSESSING CONTRACTOR USE IN SUPERFUND -(Background Paper) -This paper discusses the history and extent of contractor use in Superfund, and explains why the original reasons for EPA's heavy dependence on contractors may no longer be valid. Also included in the paper are some ideas for improving the environmental performance and economic efficiency of Superfund over the long term. Project Director: Joel Hirschhorn, 226-6361

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-5-BIG DUMB BOOSTERS: A LOW COST TRANSPORTATION OPTION? -(Background Paper) The controversial "Big Dumb Booster" concept for reducing the costs of launching payloads to space is the subject of this interim deliverable which is part of the ongoing assessment of space transportation technologies. In the Big Dumb Booster concept, the first stage of a launch vehicle is designed to be simple to build and operate; with the complexity confined to the lighter upper stages. Because technology has advanced considerably since the 196O's when the concept was first introduced, specific designs that might then have been the minimum-cost solution are not today's minimum-cost solution. Further engineering studies and hardware tests with current technology would be required to prove whether or not a Big Dumb Booster would save money on launch costs. The paper offers several alternative approaches for resolving the controversy surrounding the usefulness of Big Dumb Boosters. Project Director: Ray Williamson, 228-6448 SAFER SKIES WITH TCAS: TRAFFIC ALERT AND COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM -(Special Report) -This report concludes that airline resource limitations, economic inequities, and international problems complicate the present deadline requiring that most commercial passenger aircraft be equipped by December 1991 with newly-developed technologies (TCAS II) designed to prevent midair collisions. The study further finds that aviation safety will benefit most from inducing TCAS II on a substantial number of commercial aircraft as soon as possible, by requiring a phased implementation schedule, and by providing for a structured evaluation program carried out jointly by industry and the FAA to oversee the implantation phase and first year of operation. Project Director: Edith Page, 228-6939 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING -(Background Paper) The paper addresses the issue of the future supply of scientists and engineers in the broad cultural context of changing demographics, labor market adjustments, and intervention policies. This interim deliverable (part of the larger project, Educating Scientists and Engineers: Grade School to Grad School) focuses on undergraduate and graduate study, the end point of educational preparation for science and engineering careers. It analyzes the distinctive and the common characteristics of undergraduates in science, graduate education and the university, and engineering education in the United States. The progress of two decades in encouraging women and minorities to undertake science and engineering careers has slowed. New models of recruitment and retention are needed to build the college talent pool and reduce attrition at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Project Director: Daryl Chubin, 228-6933

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-6NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY: PATENTING LIFE -(Special Report) --In a series of reports, OTA addressed the ongoing revolution in biological technology -that is, biotechnology. Each among this growing cohort of technologies carries its own scientific benefits and risks, and allied social, economic, legal, and ethical issues. This special report (fifth in the series) reviews United States patent law as it relates to the patentability of micro-organisms, cells, plants, and animals; as well as specific areas of concern, including deposit requirements and international considerations. This report includes a range of options for congressional action related to the patenting of animals, intellectual property protection for plants, and enablement of patents involving biological material. The titles of the other reports for the New Developments in Biotechnology project are: Ownership of Human Tissues and Cells (Special Report) (published 3/87) (Contact Gladys White, 228-6697) Public Perceptions of Biotechnology (Background Paper) (Published 5/87) (Contact Robyn Nishimi, 228-6690) Commercial Development of Tests for Human Genetic Disorders (Staff Paper) (published 2/88) (Contact Kevin O'Connor, 228-6692) Transgenic Animals (Staff Paper) (Published 2/88) (Contact Kevin O'Connor, 228-6692) Federal Regulation and Animal Patents (Staff Paper) (Published 2/88) Contact Kevin O'Connor, 228-6692) Field-testing Engineered Organisms: Genetic and Ecological Issues (Special Report) (Published 5/88) (Contact Kevin O'Connor, 228-6692) U.S. Investment in Biotechnology (Special Report) (published 7/88) (Contact Kathi Hanna, 228-6683) Request or Affirmation of Interest: House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Hon. Don Fuqua, then Chairman House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. John D. Dingell, Chairman Senate Committee on the Budget Hon. Lawton Chiles, then Ranking Minority Member, now Chairman Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Hon. Dave Durenberger, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Toxic Substances and Environmental Oversight ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES (Administrative Report) ANNUAL REPORT (Administrative Report) OTA PUBLICATIONS LIST (Administrative Report) OTA INFORMATION REPORT (Administrative Report)

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-7-OTA Staff Papers or Letter Memorada Date 1/89 2/89 Subject OTA Review of The Columbia Health University-American Legion Vietnam Veterans Study S&T for Development: Special Response for Congressional Task on Foreign Assistance I. B. Testimony Date 2/3/89 3/8/89 3/9/89 3/9/89 3/14/89 3/22/89 Committee/Chairman Subcommittee on Federal Services, Post Office and Civil Service, Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, House Committee on Public Works and Transportation Subcommittee on Elementary, and Vocational Education, House Committee on Education and Labor Subcommittee on Regulation, Business Opportunities, and Energy, House Committee on Small Business Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Agricultural Research and General Legislation, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and Forestry Related OTA Work Ongoing work in Program Background work in the Foods and Renewable Resources Program Subject/Person Testifying OTA's Background Paper Assessing Contractor Use in Superfund (Joel Hirschhorn) Hazardous Materials Transportation (Edith Page) Performance Standards for Secondary Vocational Education (Michael Feuer) Trends in Medically Assisted Conception (Gary B. Ellis) National Energy Act of 1989 (John H. Gibbons and Peter Blair) Grain Quality (Michael Phillips)

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I. C. -8-Other Communication with Congress 1. Formal Briefings. Presentations, Workshops (With Committee Staffs) COMMITTEES OF THE SENATE Environment and Public Works o Infrastructure Technologies COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE Energy and Commerce o Patenting Life Education and Labor Elementary, Secondary and Vocational Education Subcommittee o Performance Standards for Secondary School Vocational Education Judiciary Courts, Intellectual Property and Administration of Justice Subcommittee o Patenting Life Public Works and Transportation Surface Transportation o Hazardous Materials Transportation Science, Space and Technology o Patenting Life

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-9-2. Informal Discussions --Topics In addition to briefings and presentations, informal discussions take place continually, as requested by Members and staff. OTA staff members give updates on ongoing work and provide information that Members and Committees may need relative to legislation pending or under consideration or for hearings and related testimony. Energy and Materials Program Advanced Materials Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Automobile Fuel Efficiency Biotechnology in Mining Coal Leasing Program Co generation Copper Industry Economic Data Deficiencies Electric Power Generation Electric Utility Deregulation Electric Utility Industry Energy Conservation Energy Subsidies Energy Use and the Economy Energy Vulnerability Fusion Energy Global Warming Infrastructure R&D Renewable Energy Royal Management Program Superconductors Superconductivity Surface Mine Reclamation U.S. Energy Consumption Trends Industry. Technology and Employment Program Electronics Trade Accords High Definition Television High-Temperature Superconductivity Long-Term R&D and Tax Policy Pollution Prevention Superfund Trade Policy Trade with Asia, Europe and Korea Training of the Active Workforce U.S.-Japan Technology Trade Transfer International Security and Commerce Program East-West Joint Ventures Perestroika Soviets and Global Warming Technology Transfer to U.S.S.R. U.S. Soviet Environmental Cooperation

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-10-Biological Applications Program Agriculture Biotechnology Research Funding Animal Welfare Biotechnology Industry Competition Biotech Regulation Costs and Federal Funding for Research for Heart Diseases, Cancer, Alzheimer's Disease and AIDS Federal Science Policy Coordination Forensic Uses of DNA Tests Genetic Testing in the Workplace Hearing Impairment in Older People Infertility Locating Services for People with Alzheimer's Long-Term Care Legislation Human Growth Hormone Neural Grafts Neuroscience Patenting Life Pesticide Neurotoxicity Reproductive Technology Risk Assessment Biotechnology Science Fraud and Misconduct Spinal Cord Injury Food and Renewable Resources Program African Development Projects Agrichemical Groundwater Contamination Agricultural Education Agriculture and Groundwater Protection Beach-Sand Erosion Biocontrol of Drug Crops Biodiversity Congressional Actions on Agroforestry Conservation Provisions of Farm Bill Cooperative Extension Service Debt-Conservation Swaps and World Bank Diary Policy and Nutrition Issues Environment Protection and Agriculture EPA Drinking Water Standards Forest Planning Food Aid and U.S. Drought Groundwater Legislation Islands Agriculture and Groundwater Protection Land-planning Technologies Locusts in Africa Low-input Agriculture Funding Possible Pesticide Residues in USDA Food for School Lunches Risk Assessment Science and Technology for Development Soviet Agriculture Reform and Trade

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-11-Tropical Forestry U.S. Agriculture Commercial Exports and U.S. Food AID Program U.S. Tobacco Exports W.I.C. Program Health Program AIDS-related issues Approval Process, FDA and AIDS Drugs Artificial Heart and Ventricular Assist Devices Cataract Surgery Cholesterol Screening Clinical Trials and Fraud Dental Care Under Medicaid Drug Benefit under the Catastrophic Coverage Act Effectiveness Research and Technology Assessment Hazard Information Sheets for Occupational Health "Home" Testing for Medical Conditions Nonphysician Providers in the Mental Health Field Payment for Medicare Prescription Drugs PhysPRC Commission Appointments Prevention Strategies and Medicare Preparation and Post-Operative Care for Cataract Surgery Patients Research on Health Care Effectiveness ProPAC Commission Appointments Rural Health Care Issues Urine Drug Testing VA Analysis of Hospital Mortality Communications and Information Technologies Program High Definition TV Government Information Policy Intellectual Property and Software Integrity Testing International Intellectual Property Issues Joint Economic Committee Rural Telecommunications Securities Markets Spectrum Allocation Oceans and Environment Program Agriculture and Climate Change Air Rain Air Toxics Antarctica CFCS and Halons Degradable Plastics Legislation EESI Working Group Briefing Estuary and Coastal Water Legislation Forests/Trees & Climate Change

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-12-Greenhouse Effect Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Mixed Waste Management Montreal Protocol Ozone Recycling Legislation Transportation and Climate Change Waste Reduction Legislation Science. Education and Transportation Program Changing Definitions of Literacy Community Colleges Distance Education and Rural Schools Distance Education for Math, Science and Foreign Language Instruction Distance Education for Teacher Training and Support Distance Learning and Federal Legislation Education Initiatives Educational Technology -Computer Applications for: Bilingual Education; At-Risk Populations; Math/Science Education Human Resources for the Industry/Defense Technology Base Infrastructure Technologies Minorities and College Financing NIH Peer Review and Federal R&D Allocations/Priorities Performance Standards for Secondary Vocational Education Scholarships for Future Precollege Math/Science Teachers Technology and Reduction of Illiteracy Rate Thrusts in Science Education; Especially Historically Black Colleges and Universities Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) Truck Safety

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ASSESSMENTS IN PROGRESS, Karch 31, 1989: JUPGET** UD SCHJDUU!: ENERGY, MATERIALS, AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY Energy and Materials 1121 Technological Risks and Opportunities for Future U.S. Energy Current Projected Date For Delivery To TAB Supply and Demand ......................................................................... X 1123 High-temperature Superconductors: Research, Development, Applications ..................................................... X Industry, Technology, and Employment 1213 Technology, Innovation, and U.S. Trade ............................. X 1214 Superfund Implementation ............................................................ X 1215 Training in the Workplace: Implications for U.S. Competitiveness ............................................................ (May 1990) International Security and Commerce 1312 Advanced Space Transportation Technologies .............................. X 1314 Monitoring and Preventing Accidential Radiation Release at the Nevada Test Site ........................................... X HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES Food and Renewable Resources 2114 Agricultural Approaches to Reduce Agrichemical Contamination of Groundwater in the U.S. ...................................................... X 2115 U.S. Universities and Development Assistance ................................................... X Health 2203 Monitoring of Mandated Veteran Studies .................................................................................. (indeterminate) 2219 Unconventional Cancer Treatment ..................................................... X 2222 Drug Labeling in Developing Countries .................................................... X 2223 Federal Response to AID' s: Congressional Issues ........................................................................ (indeterminate) 2224 Preventive Health Services under Medicare ......................... X 2225 Adolescent Health .......................................................................................................... (April 1990) 2226 Rural Health Care ................................................................................................ X Biological Applications 2314 Methods for Locating and Arranging Health & Long-Term Care Services For Persons with Dementia ................................ X 2315 New Developments in Neuroscience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (July 1990) 2316 Genetic Testing in the Workplace ........................................................................... X 2317 Forensic Uses of Genetic Tests ................................................................. X 2318 Biotechnology in a Global Economy ....................................................................................... (November 1990) SCIENCE, INFORMATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES 3116 3119 3121 3122 3212 3214 3215 3216 3217 Communication and Information Technologies Communications Systems for An Information Age ..................... X Copyright and home copying ........................................... .' ....... X Securities Markets and Information Technology .................................................................... X Information Technology and Research ........................................................................................ (April Oceans and Environment Program Catching our breath: Next Steps for Reducing Urban Ozone .......... X Municipal Solid Waste Management ....................................... X Managing Low-Level Radioactive Waste ............................................... X Climate Change: Ozone Depletion and the Green House Effect ............ X Potential for Mineral Resources Development in Antarctica .............. X Science, Education, and Transportation 1990) s Thousands TAB OTA % .PrQ.L. Var. 353 387 + 9.7 417 417 850 898 + 5.6 450 474 + 5.3 596 596 1,035 1,035 35 35 370 370 155.5 155.5-----88 33 -N/A-412 459 +11. 5 490 490 291 291 310 310 501 501 481 481 310 310 690 690 420 420 121 121 571 571 690 765 +10.9 335 305 9.0 686 642 6.4 564 564 545 607 +11.4 543 503 7 .4 228 249 + 9.2 285 232 +13. 3 260 235 9.6 3310 3311 3312 Infrastructure Technologies: Rebuilding the Foundations .................................................................... (June 1990) 1,085 1,055 2.8 Technologies for Learning at a Distance ............................................ X 247 237 4.1 High School Vocational Education: Measures of Program Performance.X 97 93 4.1 **TAB App. TAB approved budget estimates; OTA Proj. OTA projected budget as of 3/31/89; X Var. -Percent variance of projected cost.

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I. D. -13-LIST OF CURRENT OTA ASSESSMENTS AS OF MARCH 30, 1989 For further information please call OTA's Office of Congressional Affairs at 4-9241. Project Title Energy and Materials Program: Technological Risks and Opportunities for Future U.S. Energy Supply and Demand ..................................... Electric Power Wheeling and Dealing: Technological Considerations for Increasing Competition (in press) .... High-Temperature Superconductors: Research, Development, and Applications ........................................... Industry, Technology, and Employment Program: Technology, Innovation, and U.S. Trade ....................... Superfund Implementation ..................................... Training in the Workplace: Implications for U.S. Competitiveness. International Security and Commerce Program: Advanced Space Transportation Technologies ................... Holding the Edge: Maintaining the Defense Technology Base (in press) ............................................. Monitoring and Preventing Accidental Radiation Release at the Nevada Test Site ...................................... Food and Renewable Resources Program: Agricultural Approaches to Reduce Agrichemical Contamination of Groundwater in the United States ........................ U.S. Universities and Development Assistance: Technical Support for Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environment ..... Health Program: Monitoring of Mandated Veteran Studies ........................ Unconventional Cancer Treatments .............................. Drug Labeling in Developing Countries ......................... Federal Response to AIDS: Congressional Issues ............... Preventive Health Services Under Medicare ..................... Adolescent Health ............................................. Rural Health Care ............................................. Estimated Delivery to TAB for Review Aug. 1989 Delivered June 1989 Dec. 1989 July 1989 May 1990 May 1989 Delivered May 1989 Sept. 1989 Sept. 1989 Indeterminate July 1989 Aug. 1989 Indeterminate June 1989 April 1990 Dec. 1989

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-14-Biological Applications Program: Methods for Locating and Arranging Health and Long-Term Care for Persons with Dementia ................................... New Developments in Neuroscience .... ~ ...... Genetic Testing in the Workplace .............................. Forensic Uses of Genetic Tests ................................ Biotechnology in a Global Economy: Options for U.S. Strategy .. Communications and Information Technologies Program: Communications Systems for an Information Age.(in press) ...... Copyright and Home Copying .................................... Securities Markets and Information Technology ................. Information Technology and Research ........................... Oceans and Environment Program: Catching our Breath: Next Steps for Reducing Urban Ozone ..... Municipal Solid waste Management .............................. Managing Low-level Radioactive Waste .......................... Climate Change: Ozone Depletion and the Greenhouse Effect .... Potential for Mineral Resources Development in Antarctica and the Convention of the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities ..................................... Science, Education, and Transportation Program: Infrastructure Technologies: Rebuilding the Foundations ...... Technologies for Learning at a Distance ....................... High School Vocational Education: Measures of Program Performance (in press) .................................. May 1989 July 1990 Nov. 1989 Sept. 1989 Nov. 1990 Delivered June 1989 Dec. 1989 April 1990 May 1989 May 1989 July 1989 May 1989 May 1989 June 1990 July 1989 Delivered

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-15-E. Second Quarter FY 1989 Action on Bills Mentioning OTA (as of 1/01/89) PROPOSED LEGISLATION ASSIGNING RESPONSIBILITIES TO OTA H.R. 23 Introduced January 3, 1989 Requires OTA to assist in Congress's attempt to reauthorize each government program at least every 10 years. H.R. 99 Introduced January 3, 1989 Requires the EPA Administrator to consult with OTA in designing a study of the feasibility of meeting standards in-use [vehicle emissions]. H.R. 370 Introduced January 3, 1989 Would direct the Office of Technology Assessment to conduct a study of the effects of the reclassification of anhydrous ammonia as a poisonous gas and transmit a report to Congress within 18 months of enactment. H.R. 1011 Introduced February 9, 1989 Would require OTA to provide information to a new National Commission on Natural Resources Disasters. H.R. 1078 Introduced February 22, 1989 Would require OTA, within 2 years of enactment, to report to Congress on OTA's review of forestry projects and programs in tropical countries financed by the Agency for International Development and the extent to which these projects promote agroforestry and reforestation which discourages monoculture estates and which involve local people in the design, implementation, and monitoring of projects. H.R. 1240 Introduced March 2, 1989 Would require OTA, within 3 years of enactment, to conduct an evaluation of the performance of the Agency for International Development in carrying out this Act and report the result of the evaluation to Congress. [AID is directed to facilitate equitable economic growth and participatory development, national and regional economic integration, environmental sustainability, food security, and self reliance in the Caribbean through responsive aid and development policies and programs.] H.R. 1401 Introduced March 14, 1989 Would require OTA to assist committee oversight responsibilities. H.R. 1510 Introduced March 20, 1989 Would require the agency administering the Foreign Assistance Act to consult with OTA in identifying private voluntary organizations for long-term development assistance for Sub-Saharan Africa. H.R. 1608 Introduced March 23, 1989 Would require the General Accounting Office to consult with OTA prior to evaluating the National Nutrition Monitoring system. S. 29 Introduced January 25, 1989 Would require OTA to cooperate, within existing statutory boundaries, with Committees performing their oversight roles.

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-16-CITATIONS OF OTA'S WORK H.R. 53 Introduced January 3, 1989 the Office of Technology Assessment has determined that while the Department of Transportation prescribes railroad tank car design specifications, it is not sufficiently involved in the design approval activities of the industry-based Association of American Railroads Tank Care Committee, and is not permitted to attend sessions where the designs are analyzed and evaluated." S.J.Res. 57 Introduced January 3, 1989 "'Whereas ... the Office of Technology Assessment has estimated that only 15 to 25 percent of the books currently being published in the United States are printed on [acid free. permanent] paper." Congressional Record, January 20, 1989, Hon. Dean A. Gallo (E147) ... the July 1986 report to Congress by the Office of Technology Assessment showed that the transportation of hazardous materials is largely a regional phenomenon. The average trip length for trucks hauling chemicals, for example, is 260 miles. Based on their comprehensive analysis, OTA concluded that "annual DOT summaries of aggregate regional shipments could provide useful regional and State commodity flow data."" H.R. 665 Introduced January 27, 1989 Within the bill's findings appears the following reference to OTA: "A 1985 study conducted by the Office of Technology Assessment estimated that smoking costs the people of the United States $43,000,000,000 in lost production and $22,000,000,000 for related diseases each year." Congressional Record, February 9, 1989, Mr. Shelby (S1466) "These low birthweight babies are at the greatest risk for high mortality and morbidity, according to an Office of Technology Assessment study. Neonatal intensive care for these babies is also one of the most costly of all hospital admissions. The OTA reported that the U.S. health care system saves somewhere between $14,000 and $30,000 in hospitalization and long-term care costs for every low birthweight birth avoided." S. 587 Introduced March 15, 1989 "The Congress finds that --(g) a report by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment found that the overall health of marine and coastal waters is declining or threatened ... H.J.Res. 226 Introduced March 23, 1989 "'Whereas some publishers such as the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the Library of Congress, and many university presses are already publishing on acid free permanent papers, and the Office of Technology Assessment has estimated that only 15 to 25 percent of the books currently being published in the United States are printed on such paper ....

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Publication Briefs

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OTA REPORT BRIEF February 1989 Oil Production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: The Technology and the Alaskan Oil Context The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), in the extreme northeast comer of Alaska, is the focus of a major debate among interest groups asking Congress either to approve or to block leasing, exploration, and development of the area for its suspected oil resources. Those opposing oil development fear that it would seriously damage a unique and invaluable Arctic ecosystem and wilderness area in return for a small chance to put a changes in drainage patterns, will spread out from the land directly impacted. The significance of these effects to the health of the Arctic ecosystem is a source of controversy for existing North Slope oilfield development and is a crucial issue in the debate over ANWR's future. Development in ANWR is likely to resemble recent North Slope development at the Kuparuk temporary dent in growing U.S. oil imports. Those favoring de velopment, in contrast, view the coastal plain as the United States' most promising remain ing area for finding giant oil fields, and they believe that the oil industry can explore and de velop ANWR without signifi cantly compromising its environ mental values. Location of the Coastal Plain and Endicott fields, even though at least another 10 years could pass before ANWR development could occur. Although considerable changes have oc curred in North Slope oil pro duction during the past 10 years, the future rate of change in Arctic technology and prac tices applicable to ANWR development should be more grad ual than in the past. Industry knowledge of how to operate efficiently in the onshore Arc tic environment has reached a state of considerable maturity. In addition, physical conditions This report focuses on two issues that form a part of Congress' decision about ANWR's future: 1) Oilfield technology. -..b To what extent would ANWR oil development resemble existing development on the North Slope? 2) Potential role in Alaskan oil production. How credible are recent projections of an imminent decline in North Slope oil productionwhich ANWR oil might eventually replace? ARCTIC OILFIELD DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY If oil is found, its development would involve building a network of industrial infrastructure on the coastal plain-including pipelines; roads; grav el pads supporting drilling rigs and wells, separa tion plants and other production facilities, and housing for workers; one or more airfields and docks; gravel pits; and other support facilities. The "footprint" ot this infrastructure-the land area covered-would be relatively small, less than 1 percent of the area of the coastal plain. On the other hand, the physical coverage would be spread out somewhat like a spiderweb, and some further physical effects, like infiltration of road dust and Barrow on the ANWR coastal plain, while not identical to conditions within the current North Slope development area, are similar and do not represent a new challenge to industry technology per se. There are some pressures for technological change, however. Regulatory pressures could arise from dissatisfaction with current environmental performance at Prudhoe Bay and the other developed North Slope fields, or because State and Federal authorities seek a higher standard of envi ronmental protection at ANWR because of its status as a wildlife refuge. Despite improvements over time in environmental management on the North Slope--in reduced requirements for surface usage and gravel, improved handling of oilfield service operations, and more attention to waste managementcritics continue to express concerns about several environmental issues. Their principal concerns in clude disposal of reserve pit waste and of other solid and liquid wastes, air pollution, fresh water supply, The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) is an analytical arm of the U.S. Congress. OTA's basic function is to help legislators anticipate and plan for the positive and negative impacts of technological changes. Address: OTA, U.S. Congress, Washington, DC 20510-8025. Phone 202/224-9241. John H. Gibbons, Director.

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The Coutal Plain of the Arctic National Wilcillfe Refuge Comprises 1.5 million acres of the 19-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Extreme northeast comer of Alaska; western edge 60 miles east of Prudhoe Bay, the Nation's largest oilfield I.mtg, extremely cold winters and short. cool swnmers Oil leuing must be authorized by the U.S. Congress DOI has recommended orderly oil and gas leasing of the area Considen!d by the oil industry to be the most promising unexplored area in the United States for discovering supergiant oilfields DOI estimates a 19 percent chance of finding ec:onomically recoverable oil; estimated mean of 3.23 billion barrels (annual U.S. oil consumption is about 6 billion barrels) Considen!d by environmentalists to have outstanding wilderness values and to be an espe cially important habitat for caribou, polar bears, musk oxen. and migrating birds Prime calving ground for the approximately 200,000 caribou of the Porcupine caribou herd environmental monitoring, and wildlife habitat al teration or destruction. The operators of the North Slope oilfields reject most claims of environmental deterioration. Changes will also arise from continued improve ments in production technologies, especially in directional drilling, which allows large areas of a field to be drained from a single drilling pad, and in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). ing the less. productive margins of fields, and EOR-has added several years to the date of expected production decline, and continues to be pursued with vigor. For example, prospects are good for EOR beyond that already in place or scheduled. However, the increments of recovery and production from the available EOR technologies will be small and will accrue over a long period. No readily foreseeable technologies promise to "tum around" expectations of declining production at Prudhoe Bay and other North Slope fields. Similar conclusions hold for future infill drilling and other means of increas ing production. Starting pmduction from the discovered but nonpmducing fields also is unlikely to reverse the production decline. These fields do not have large volumes of recoverable resources. One much-discussed field-the West Sak field over lying the producing Kuparuk River fieldcontains at least 15 billion barrels of in-place oil, but no technologies are available that can economically recover more than a small fraction of this very thick oil contained in a poor reservoir. ARCO, the majority interest-holder, remains optimistic about West Sak production, and has scheduled new recovery experiments for 1989. However, the potential for new advanced-recovery technologies is highly uncertain, with significant technical and cost problems remaining. Finding and developing undiscovered fields could help stem the decline, but recent explora tion on the North Slope and offshore in the Beaufort Sea has been disappointing. Although large discoveries cannot be ruled out, prospects seem to have dimmed considerably. Both the oil industry and the Department of the Interior (DOI) have represented the development of ANWR oil as the most promising option to offset the projected North Slope decline. Policymakers should NORTH SLOPE OIL PRODUCTION understand, however, that all estimates of the re source potential of ANWR are highly speculative. Today, the Alaskan North Slope provides about 2 Also, even with rapid development, ANWR oil million barrels per day of oil to the United States, could not begin flowing before the year 2000. OOI nearly a quarter of total U.S. crude oil production. has concluded that there is a 19 percent chance of North Slope production will likely begin to de-finding economically recoverable oil in ANWR, and dine around 1990-91, and fall to half of current if it is found, the estimated mean volume is 3.23 levels or below by the year 2000. However, the billion barrels. The Energy Information Administralarge uncertainties involved in forecasting future tion, in a review of OOI's assessment, has concluded production, recent strides in cutting oilfield costs, that the likelihood of finding recoverable oil is and a history of overly pessimistic forecasts of virtually a certainty rather than 19 percent. OTA Alaskan and total U.S. oil production preclude agrees that DOI's 19 percent estimate is too low, but ruling out a more gradual decline. is skeptical that the correct probability is close to 100 Additional production to slow the expected depercent. clinewouldhavetocomefromeithermoreintensive Copies of the OTA report, "Oil Production in the Arctic development of existing fields, development of National Wildlife Refuge: The Technology and the Alaskan Oil discovered but currently undeveloped fields, or Context," are available .from the Superintendent of Documents, finding and developing undiscovered resources. U.S. Gooemment Printing Office, Washington. DC 20402-None of these prospects are highly promising: 9325(202)783-3238. TheGPO~tocknumberis052-003-01131-0; the price is $6.00. Copies of th,: report for congressional use Intensified development of existing fieldsare available by calling 4-8996. Summaries of reports are including drilling wells on closer spacing, exploitavailable at no charge from the Office of Technology Assessment. ~:,, ...... ..,--&.-~~ '> --""'" "--'"--'~ ::::.:.:.::"'_'.''4'"1~-""""'""",~---.'"'-f'~~~4--fy"~-,-~;'""'.!.,"";.='"'~--_,__,. """"'--'''t.----... -~-'.-----------, ~.. ---., ..

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OTA Report Brief March 1989 In the 1970s, one-third of the world supplied grain to two-thirds of the world's people; today, the reverse is true. This newly competitive environment has made foreign buyers increasingly sensitive about the quality of grain they receive. Compared with other major grain-exporting coun tries, the U.S. grain marketing system is highly efficient, has high productivity growth in terms of yield, offers a wide range of qualities, provides relatively stable year-to-year quality through its grading and inspection system, and uses market determined premiums and discounts that better reflect true values. Notwithstanding these fundamental advantages, during the debate on the Food Security Act of 1985 many Members of Congress expressed concern about the quality of U.S. grain exports, partially in response to a sharp increase in complaints from foreign customers. The word "quality," as related to grain, has come to mean a variety of things-being free of foreign material, not cracked or spoiled, or having the proper characteristics for a particular end use. Quality is a function of the variety of grain planted, farmer practices, environment and geographic loca tion, handling practices, end-user preferences, mar keting, government policies, and the ability of grain standards to provide information on important quality characteristics. No one definition of quality as it relates to grain has been accepted. To determine the optimum quality for any given grain, the ultimate use must first be known. The varying and constantly changing requirements of different industries, especially those using wheat, highlight the need for the United States to increase its awareness of what properties are important for individual industries if the goal is to produce and deliver high-quality grain. Vital considerations from the customer's point of view can range from special handling, such as the low-temperature drying of com, to the uniformity of specific attributes within and between shipments. The starting point in an effort to improve U.S. grain quality is the seed. However, yield and important intrinsic quality characteristics are often U.S. Grain Quality inversely related in each of the major grains because of genetics. Increasing the number of intrinsic factors that improve quality means that yield usu ally declines. Economic incentives provided by present government loan and target price programs, however, are biased toward yield increases. Quality; therefore, is currently not a high priority in genetic selection. Drying, storage, handling, and transport tech nologies cannot-increase grain quality once grain is harvested. And once quality deteriorates at any step in the process, it cannot be recovered. Though each technology is self-contained, the way each is used affects the ability of others to maintain quality. Harvesting wet grain, for instance, will increase grain damage during harvesting and also means that the grain must be dried, which can result in more breakage and in nonuniform moisture content. Thus, decisions made at harvest as well as at each step thereafter have an impact on the system's ability to deliver a product of desired quality. A significant improvement in U.S. grain quality can be obtained by optimizing the dryer operating condi tions of existing crossflow dryers, by precleaning wet grain, by selecting the best grain genotypes, and by installing automatic dryer controllers. Quality Characteristics Physical quality characteristics are associated with outward visible appearance or measurement of the kernel. Included are kernel size, shape and color, moisture, damage, and density. Sanitary quality characteristics refer to the clean liness of the grain. Included are the presence of foreign material, dust, broken grain, rodent excreta, insects, residues, fungal infection, and nonmillable materials. These characteristics detract from overall grain quality. Intrinsic quality characteristics are critical to the end use of the grain. They are nonvisual and can only be determined by analytical tests. In wheat, for example, such characteristics refer to protein, ash, and gluten content. (uver) The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) is an analytical arm of the U.S. Congress. OTA's basic function is to help legislators anticipate and plan for the positive and negative impacts of technological changes. Address: OTA, U.S. Congress, Washington, OC 20510-8025. Phone 202/224-9241. John H. Gibbons, Director.

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The U.S. Grain Standards Act, CUSGSA), devel.;. oped some 70 years ago, requires that standards be developed and used when marketing grain. Today, the standards are limited in .four important ways: they aeate incentives for practices inconsistent with good management and efficiency; they fail to identify many of the characteristics related to end use; they do not reward improved drying, harvest ing, handling, and variety selection; and they include limitations on many factors that are arbitrary, sometimes not reflective of real differences in value, and in some. cases not consistent with statistical principles. To move toward an ideal. system, the standards should be changed to include: grade-determining factors that are related to sanitary quality, purity, and absence of imper fections; non-grade-detandning factom that address vari ous intrinsic characteristics or physical properties important for majorprocessing uses; and official criteria that would consist of factors requested by buyers and sellers. Improving the physical. sanitary, and intrinsic quality of grain will require much more than just tinlcering with the aiteria for standards, however. It will take a concerted effort to deal with the other two components of the overall system that influences quality-variety development and the market for quality characteristics. The interdependence of these three components must be recognized in any evalu ation of policy options. A number of non-U 5. grain exporters address quality problems as part of an integrated agricul tural policy. Some major wheat exporters, for exam ple, have more extensive controls at fust point of sale than US. exporters do, and their wheat is probably preferred to comparably priced U 5. wheats due to these mechanisms. Similarly, most other exporters clean grain at the fust point of receipt, but no economic incentive exists in the United States to do so. Blending is the other major handling practice in which the United States differs from other exporters. US. grain is blended over a wide range of qualities to create a uniform product because no minimal receival standard as yet exist. Yet this causes important differences between grain shipments that lead to foreign buyers' largest com plaint about U.S. grain. Evaluating policy options in terms of their strengths and weaknesses as well as their inter dependence is a complex task. One possible ap proach that maximizes the strengths of various options and minimizes their weaknesses is to adopt variety identification/ categorization, increase the differentials in loan policy and specify minimum grain quality to qualify for farm loans, and introduce mandatory USGSA inspection in conjunction with equipment approval by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). A variety identification scheme would improve information on intrinsic quality characteristics, thus reducing the pressure on grain standards to meas ure intrinsic performance in the market. This would increase market efficiency, resulting in incentives/ disincentives being transmitted to producers, breed ers, handlers, and end users. \miety identification alone, however, does not address physical or sanitary quality concerns, which must be tackled in other areas. :: Removing the distortion created by the current administration of premiums and discounts for loan forfeitures and applying the same rules to country and terminal elevators storing governmental grain would allow the market-which already has estab lished premiums and discounts-to function prop erly. Grain of lower value would be forced onto the market as opposed to entering government pro grams. To the extent that intrinsic quality char acteristics are included, variety development would be affected. Setting minimum quality specifications for loans places an additional constraint on entry into the loan program. These specifications could easily be ap plied to physical and sanitary quality characteristics as well as measurable intrinsic characteristics. Farmers would be required to test grain that was going into the loan program and being stored on farm, rather than self-certifying quality as is currently the case. The same minimum standards would need to be applied to grain entering export elevators to avoid forcing low quality grain into the export market. Information on grain quality is transmitted throughout the system via grain standards. Incentives and disincentives cannot be established unless accurate, consistent, and timely information is provided in the market. This can be accomplished by continued efforts to incorporate the four objectives of grain standards, by implementing mandatory inspection, and by increasing NIST involvement in approving sampling and testing equipment. Mandatory inspection of railcars and barges would ensure that consistent sampling and testing were performed. In conjunction with the minimum qual ity specifications on grain entering export elevators, this would make one government agency responsi ble for testing quality. And the increased presence of NIST would ensure that all parties testing grain quality used approved equipment and followed standard procedures. Two OTA reports are available. Copies of "Enhancing the Quality of U.S. Grain for Intmrationai Trade" (GPO stock #052-003-01139-5; price $13.00), summaries of this report are avaiiable at no charge from the Office ofTechnoiogy Assessment; and "Grain Quality in Intenuitional Trade: A Comparison of Major U.S. Competitors" (GPOstodc#052-003-01140-9; price $7 .50) are lltltliiable from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Gooemment Printing Office, 'Aashington, DC 204029325, (292) 783-3238. Copi,s of the rq,orts for congressional use are available by calling 4-8996.

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(I) OTA Report Brief April 1989 Creating and patenting living organisms is one new development in biotechnology. While many issues in biotechnology are new, the concept of patents is not. Now the two subjects have merged into an important policy issue: In protecting intellec tual property, should bioengineered life forms be patentable? First outlined in the Constitution, a patent is a grant issued by the U.S. Government giving the patent owner a temporary right to exclude all others from making, using, or selling the invention during the term of the patent. A patent does not give its owner any affirmative rights to make, use, or sell tlte invention. As with other forms of property, the right to make, use, or sell a patented invention may be regulated by Federal, State, or local law. Under U.S. patent law, inventors have long been able to obtain a patent for any new, useful, and nonobvious process, machine, manufacture, compo sition of matter, or improvement thereof. Although patents on biotechnological processes have been permitted for years, until recently patent applica tions on living organisms per se were not permitted on the grounds that such inventions constituted "products of nature" and were not statutory subject matter. In 1980 the Supreme Court, in the case of Diamond v. Chakrabarty, ruled that a living micro-organism is patentable under U.S. law as a "manufacture" or "composition of matter" (35 U.S.C. 101). This deci sion and subsequent actions by Congress and the executive branch provided economic stimulus to patenting of micro-organisms and cells, which in tum provided stimulus to the growth of the biotech nology industry in the 1980s. Subsequent to the Chakrabarty decision, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) held that plants (1985) and nonhuman animals (1987) constituted patentable subject matter. To date, plants are the sole life form for which Congress has expressly permitted intellectual prop erty protection. In 1930, Congress enacted the Plant Patent Act to extend patent protection to new and distinct asexually propagated varieties other than tuberpropagated plants. In 1970, Congress enacted Patenting Life the Plant Variety Protection Act, providing patent like protection for asexually reproduced plants. Today, these two Federal statutes, the 1985 PTO decision, and recognized trade secret law, provide a variety of protections for inventions that constitute plant life. PTO's 1987 policy statement that nonnaturally occurring nonhuman animals constituted patent able subject matter initiated broad debate and the introduction of legislation concerning the patenting of animals. In April 1988, the first U.S. patent on an animal was issued to Harvard University for trans genic nonhuman mammals genetically engineered to contain a cancer-causing gene (U.S. Patent No. 4,736,866). Currently, 44 patent applications on animals are pending at PTO. Most potentially patentable animals are likely to be transgenic animals produced via recombinant DNA techniques (see box A). It is anticipated that animals useful in research (particularly mice) will be developed first, with subsequent research focusing on cattle, swine, goats, sheep, poultry, and fish. Although federally funded research efforts could lead to patented animals, the patentability of an animal does not affect the manner in which the animal would be regulated by a Federal agency. The largest economic sectors likely to be influenced by animal patents are the different markets for agricul tural livestock and some segments of the pharmaceutical industry, although it is difficult to predict the effect of patenting across the diverse sectors of these industries. Box A-What Is a Transgenic Animal? A transgenic animal is one whose DNA, or hereditary material, has been augmented by adding DNA from a source other than parental germplasm, usually from different animals or from humans. The most common scientific technique for producing a transgenic animal is microinjection, which is accomplished by injecting purified copies of the gene of interest into a fertilized animal egg. The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) is an analytical arm of the U.S. Congress. OTA's basic function is to help legislators anticipate and plan for the positive and negative impacts of technological changes. Address: OTA, U.S. Congress, Washington, DC 20510-8025. Phone 202/224-9241. John H. Gibbons, Director.

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Ethical claims for and against the patenting of animals have l:>een raised. Many of these arguments focus on the consequences that could occur subse quent to the patenting of animals (e.g., the creation of new and useful products v. the creation of excessive burdens on the family farmer). Other arguments focus on inherent rights (e.g., rewarding innovation and entrepreneurship v. promoting a materialistic conception of life). Most arguments center on issues that existed prior to the current patenting life debate (e.g., animal rights, the effect of technology on American agriculture, the distribu tion of wealth, international competitiveness, the release of novel organisms into the environment). The patenting of living organisms presents. a unique administrative problem in that it is the only known art where patent enablement (the require ment that a patent application specify in clear, concise terms how to make and use the invention in the best mode contemplated) in some instances cannot be accomplished by words alone. This has led to the deposit of micro-organisms and plants for patent purposes. To date, no animal has been deposited, and the sole U.S. patent on an animal was supported by the deposit of reJevant genes (in cell culture) intended for transfer into an animal. Differences exist among nations regarding intellectual property protection of biotechnological in ventions, including the issue of what constitutes patentable subject matter. Although the United States is the only country to date that has issued a patent on a transgenic animal, at least nine patent applications on animals are pending with the European Patent Office (see box B). In 1989, Congress faces three policy issues relevant to the patentability of life forms: Should the patenting of animals be permitted by the Federal Guoemment? Options include enactment of a moratorium or prohibition on such patents, enactment of a statute specifically providing for such patents, amending the patent Jaw to address animal patents, or the enactment of an animal variety protection statute modeled after the existing plant variety protection statute~ Is the current statutory framework of intellectual property protection for plants appropriate? Options include directing the Seaetary of Agriculture to report on the effect of the farmer's crop/ seed exemption under the Plant Variety Protection Act of 1970 or to report on the impact that plant protection has on germ.plasm exchange. Is the current system of patent enablement adequate for biological material? Options include the enactment of a statute providing the PTO Commis sioner with authority to set conditions for the deposit of biological material. Copies of the OTA report, "New Deuelopments in Biotech nology: Patenting Life-Special Report," are amilable from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Gor,ermnent Printing Office, Nishington, DC 20402-9325 (202) 783-3238. The GPO stock number is 052-003~1137-9; the price is $8.SO. Copies of the ,q,art for cong,asionlal w,e are amilable by calling 4-8996. Box 8--Patenting of Animals: Nine Pending Applications Under U.S. law, the contents and status of a patent application are maintained in confidence by the Patent and Trademark Office (35 U.S.C. 122). Such is not the case with patent applications filed in Europe, which are published 18 months after the date first filed. Nine applications claiming animals have been filed with the European Patent Office (EPO), and each has also been filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Of the nine applications, six are from U.S. inventors, and one (from Harvard College) has received a U.S. patent. The applications generally cover methods for creating transgenic animals, methods for producing animals that express biological substances, and the final product of both methods (i.e., the animals). The nine applications have priority dates ranging from June 1984 (Harvard College) to April 1987. The titles of the nine applications and the applicants: Title: Method for Transferring Organic or Inorganic Substances to Egg Cells or Somatic Cells of Animals anti Compositions for Use Therein. Applicant: Trans gene (Bad Soden, West Germany). Title: Peptide Production. Applicant: Pharmaceutical Proteins Ltd. (Cambridge, Great Britain). Title: Transgenic Animals. Applicant: Luminus PI'Y Ltd. (Adelaide, Australia). Title: Expression of Heterologous Proteins by Transgenic Lactating Mammals. Applicant: Immunex (Seattle, WA). Title: Method for Producing Transgenic Animals. Applicant: President and Fellows of Harvard College (Cambridge, MA). Title: Transgenic Mammal Containing Heterologous Gene. Applicant: The General Hospital Corp. (Boston, MA). Title: Transgenic Animals Secreting Desired Proteins Into Milk. Applicant: Integrated Genetics, Inc. (Framingham, MA). Title: DNA Se!fuences To Target Proteins to The Mammary Gland for Efficient Secretion. Applicant: Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX). Title: Procedure for Transplanting a Donor Bovine Embryo Into a Recipient Ovocyte, anti Bovine Embryo Created by This Procedure. Applicant: N.L First, F. Barnes,.R.S. Prather, and J.M. Robl (Madison, WI). SOURCE: Office of Technology Assessment, 1989; adapted from "Patenting of Life Formst European Patent Office, 1988.

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Selected News Clips on OTA Publications and Activities The following is a representative sample (about 3%) of the clippings received during the last quarter. These clippings refer to 23 different OTA publications. Members of Congress participated in the public release of 4 of the 7 publications issued this quarter. OTA ASSESSMENT REPORTS Patenting Life Safer Skies with TCAS Oil Production in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge Enhancing the Quality of U.S. Grain for International Trade; Grain Quality in International Trade (one assessment released as 2 volumes) Informing the Nation Pesticide Residues in Food Power On! New Tools for Teaching and Learning Biology, Medicine, and the Bill of Rights Gearing Up for Safety Artificial Insemination Launch Options for the Future: A Buyer's Guide Educating Scientists and Engineers Technology and the American Economic Transition Seismic Verification of Nuclear Testing Treaties Healthy Children New Developments in Biotechnology: Ownership of Human Tissues and Cells OTA TECHNICAL MEMORANDA, BACKGROUND PAPERS, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS Big Dumb Boosters Assessing Contractor Use in Superfund Elementary and Secondary Education for Science and Engineering The Potential Biological and Electronic Effects of EMPRESS II Issues in Medical Waste Management An Evaluation of Options for Managing Greater Than-Class-C Low Level Radioactive Waste

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The Christian Science Monitor BOSTON, MASS. D.186,195 A.P R .l 1 :}8 '.1 BUR(tEU.E,S 'Hot Potato' for Congress: Patents for Engineered Animals By Robert C. Cowen Staff writer of The Christion Science Monitor =========BOSTON========= 0 N April 21, the United States Department of Agriculture plans to dedicate its new Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., as a focal point for the genetic engineering of crops. Meanwhile, Colrado State University has an. nounced a new program of researrh on genetically engineered farm animals, sponsored by Alb~arle Farms of Charlottesville, Va. These are two of the latest developments in the effort to apply genetic engineering down on the farm. But as research progresses, industrialists who will bring the new "products" to market wonder if they will have the patent protection needed to make a reasonable return on their investment. Patenting life especially animal life -is a political "hot potato" that the last Congress dropped but which the new Congress may take up in earnest. Rep. Robert Kastenmeier (D) of Wisconsin introduced two bills this month related to the issue. One would provide some patent-infringment protection for farmers who breed and sell patented animals; the other would give the USDA responsibility for regulating work on genetically engineered animals used on the farm. The congressional Office of Techn~ Assessment (OTA) has released an April-dated study on the issue. It notes that there is little controversy over plant patents. Plant breeders have had them for decades. But patent ing animals raises ethical questions about the traditional view of what is a human material invention. OTA explains that a patent grants the owner tempo rary property rights. But federal, state, and local governments can still regulate how inventions are used. Thus concerns about the safety of releasing novel or ganisms into the environment lie outside the debate over patenting itself. Also, ethical concerns about the "sanctity" of organic life transcend the strictly legal issue of patentability as the law now stands. Groups such as the Industrial Biotechnology Associ ation, seize on these points to argue that such concerns are no reason to restrict animal patents. Yet OTA study director Kevin W. O'Connor explained in an interview last November that the very language of patent law raises ethical issues when applied to animals. It defines as patentable "any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement [thereof]." The US Supreme Court has held that this definition does not include laws of nature, physical phenomena, or abstract ideas. The US Constitution would prohibit applying it to humans. The US Patent and Trademark Office noted this when it excluded humans in its 1987 ruling that permits patenting genetically engineered higher animals. Mr. O'Connor said this raises the question of whether life is more than "a composition of matter." "Have we reduced the entire animal kingdom to the status of a tennis ball or a toaster oven?" he asked. Theologians and ethicists made this point a year ago. The National Council of Churches, the Presbyterian Church, the Humane Society, the New Creation Institute (Missoula, Mont.), and other groups held a three day discussion. The panel expressed concern that pat enting animals would foster the view that they are merely "human creations, inventions, and commodities." The OTA notes that such "arguments based largely on theological, philosophical, spiritual, or metaphysical considerations are ... difficult to resolve, since they usually require the assumption of certain presupposi tions that may not be shared by other persons." i .:..' ______ __.. ..... -i i I l I r I r I t l I I I ~I

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Testing Urged For Airliner Safety Device ,2.11~ a, RICHARD WITKIN saiay or tecnruea.1 reual>lllty. At tne ings to pilots of a potential collision and The tecbnic:al research agency of same time, the tests would avert the advise on the best maneuver to prevent conaresa took an Important step yes-large economic risk of having to a crash. They provide protection terday on a prime aviation safety Issue, change the equipment after all planes against any other plane with an anticol proposing legislation to require sw~phave been outf\tted. lision device o~ simply wi~ a radar ing new In-service tests of anticolllslOII Representative Ron Packard, a Calibeacon and altltude-reporung attach devices before eqUipping the nation's tornla Republican who played a major menL Although they would not provide entire airline fleet With them. role In enacting the 1987 law, which protection against planes that do not Th ade detailed fixes the deadline at Dec. 30, 1991, said have such beacons, they would provide e p ....,...., m m a re-he would Introduce a bill next month to some protection against planes with port by the Office of Technology Asmodify that law, aild he expected it only the beacon and no altltude-report sessment, would allow a delay, prob-would be enacted in about six months. ing ability. ably one to two years, in the current Mr. Packard said he wu convinced The research agency's report was end-ot-1991 deadline for full. deploy-that airlines would face "catastrophic put together after a request last fall by ment ~f _the safety gear. But it would effects" if tight deadlines tor installing Senator Wendell H. Ford, a Kentucky speed u:i~lal broad use of the devices antlcolllslon systems forced them to Democrat who is chairman of the Avlaby ~n~g that 15 to 30 percent of the ground planes for extended perlOds. tion Subcommittee of the Senate Com-nation s a1r!lners, or 600 to 1,200 planes, lllllstlna an Early Tests merce, Science and Transportation have them ms~lled by the end of 1990. .. .. Committee. The agency's project diThe basic ~u1pment costs more than I m Willing to e~.the deadline, rector was Edith Page. $100,000 an a1rlmer the ~man 581d, ~s lo~ _we The agency's report reflected a The agency formula would provide a hold their feet fire by msistmg broad consensus that, whatever the test period to resolve unknowns about on early tests with-significant numbers reasoning that dictated the original the performance of the devices in of tuli1 equipped planes. deadline, it had been outdated. The re large-scale operations, particularly to The devices ~yze radar returns port concluded that the deadline "has spot any problems that might involve and send both VISUal and aural warnsome safety, economic, and interna1/0R.i<. TtMi:=S tional consequences not fully foreseen at the time of enactment.'' Z Safety Concerns Cited The report said the requirement for anticollision systems was "unique in the combination of technological com plexity, rapid implementation and the number of aircraft affected." "Moreover, the extensive mainte nance requirements associated With the aging of the national fleet were not anticipated when the legislation was enacted," the repon said, adding that "maintenance for aging aircra~ will place severe demands on airline per sonnet and facilities resources concur rently with those needed" for anticolli sion devices. Two primary safety concerns raised about use of anticollision systems were highlighted in the report. One was the "as-yet-unknown effect" that full-scale deployment would have on the overall air traffic control sys tem, especially on individual pilots and controllers. It was noted that the many tests to date had never involved more than two commercial aircraft equipped with the devices. The other concern was "the possibil ity of reduced safety because re sources are strained or diverted from other maintenance needs" to meet the end-of-1991 deadline. The report contended that a prompt test program with hundreds of equipped planes could indicate whether "software or hardware modifications are necessary or whetherpilot or air traffic control procedures must be modified." International Consequences I "Without such a program, a worst case scenario is that the airlines could completely outfit their fleets only to learn that a technical problem requires major modification of the equipment," the report said. "A structured evalua tion program would allow problems to be identified early." International consequences would be felt in adhering to the current deadline because the rule requires anticollision devices on 'foreign airliners flying to the United States. The report noted that foreign coun tries had complained about the rule, ar guing that treaties provided for impos ing such rules in accord with standards and practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization. That agency is expected to adopt anticollision standards by mid-1990. ...

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Page4 COMPUTERDAD.. Y Friday, March 3, 1989 OTA RECOMMENDS EXTENSION OF TRAFFIC ALERT AND COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM The 100th Congress passed legislation requiring that most commercial passenger aircraft be equipped by December 1991 with newly-develope,i technolo gies ( called TCAS II) designed to prevent midair collisions. However, in a report released last week the Con gressional Office of Technology Assessment (OT A) concludes that airline resource limitations, economic inequities, and international problems complicate_ the present deadline, and that Congress should consider extending the installation schedule for these technolo gies. Prompt congressional consideration of any le,islative change to reaffirm or move the deadline 1s important. OT A further finds that aviation safety will benefit most fr001 introducing TCAS II on a substanlial 111D:11!Jer of commercial aircraft as soon as possible, byreqwnng a phased implementation schedule, and by providing for a structured evaluation program carried out jointly by industry and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to oversee the implementation phase and the first year of operation. Specific requirements in law may be needed to ensure that installation begins promptly after produc tionequipment is available and proceeds expeditiously over the span of any extension, says OT A. The forcing effect of legislation should ensure that safety benefits begin as early as possible and will allow airlines to make appropriate plans for investments in personnel and equipment. The consequences of the original deadline (Decem ber 1991) were not fully foreseen at the time the legislation was enacted; and during th~ sec?nd of 1988 questions arose about the safety unphcanons of the certification and implementation schedule for the new equipment. Meeting the deadline would strain the resources of virtually every participating aviation or ganization, says OT A. Adoption of TCAS, the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System is unique in the combination of technological complexity, rapid implementation, and the number of aircraft affected. Moreover, OTA notes that the extensive maintenance requirements associ ated with the aging of the national fleet we~ n~t anticipated when the legislation was enacted. This will place severe demands on airline personnel and facili ties resources concurrently with those needed for TCAS II. Evaluations to-date have indicated that TCAS II works quite well, says OTA. However, no more than two TCAS II equipped aircraft have flown at any given time. OT A concludes tllat to ensure full safety bene fits, a critical number of aircraft must be outfitted with TCAS II at an early date possibly 15 to 30 per cent (600 to 1,200 aircraft) of the commercial fleet by December 1990. Industry and FAA will need to coop erate in an evaluation that covers the spectrum of aircraft and airspace types and allocates sufficient resources for collecting, analyzing and disseminating data. Copies of the OTA Special Report "Safer Skies with TCAS; Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance Sys tem," are available from the Government Printing Office (GPO), Superintendent of Documents, Wash ington, D.C. 20402, Tel. (202) 783-3238: T?'! GPO stock number is 052-003-01149-2, the price ,s $2.50. INDUSTRIAL REPLACEMENT VALUE COST TRENDS After a substantial increase during the first half of 1988, the rate of inflation for industrial machinery and equipment costs fell slightly during the year's second half. During the same period, the inflation rate for industrial building costs continued its 12-month de cline, according to results of a Kemper National Prop erty-Casualty Insurance Companies survey released recently. Machinery and euqipment costs increased an aver age of 1.97 per cent during the last half of 1988, compared to increases of 2.16 per cent during the first half of 1988 and 1.18 per cent during the last half of 1987. Also during 1988' s second half, industrial building costs rose an average of 1.35 per cent, compared to increases of 1.54 per cent during the year's first half and 1.86 per cent during the last six months of 1987. One of the world's major insurers, Kemper devel ops these costs trends through biannual surveys of more than 300 North American manufacturers. Manufacturers in many industries anticipate the average rate of price escalation for mac~nery and equipment to increase at about 2.0 per cent m the first half of 1989. They based their estimates on high plant operating rates and the continuing effect of the weak ened U.S. dollar. Also included in the survey are industrial cost trends for Australia, Belgium, France, Japan, Sin gapore, the United Kingdom, and the Federal Republic l ,;

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RADIO CLIPS DATE TIME NETWORK PROGRAM 15 EAST NORTHFIELD ROAD I LIVINGSTON I NEW JERSEY 01039 (201) 992-66001(212) 221-5510/(800) 631-1160 March 1. 1989 5:00-9:00 AM MT National Public Radio Morning Edition Bob Edwards reporting: ACCOUNT NUMBER 10/6:?97 Y Major airlines are agreeing with a plan that will require spending as much as eight hundred million dollars to repair aging aircraft. Yesterday a task force of safety experts from government and industry recommended that some parts on older planes automatically should he replaced. But the aviation industry is less enthusiastic ahout an order that it install expensive anti-collision devices on airliners. Two months ago. the Federal Aviation Administration ordered that the computer svstems be in bv 1991. Industrv officials agree that safety devices should be put in place. btit they don't think two years is enough time. A congressional study has come to the same conclusion. Carol Levinson reports. Carol Levinson reporting: The aviation industry has been talking about some kind of warning equipment to prevent midair collisions for more than thirty years. But in 9S6 an Aero-Mexico jet and a small private plane crashed over Los Angeles. killing eighty-two people. That incident prompted legislation rc:quiring airlines to install a traffic alert and collision avoidam:e system. or TCAS. in most passenger planes. The report out today by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment recommends that the deadline for installin11: TCAS be extended one to two \'ears so the anti-collision equipment can be tull~-; testc:d. Furthc:rmore. the report suggests the airlines should install TCAS in fiftec:n to thirty percent of the U.S. tlc:et by the end of 1990. ( The report continues.) ,::;~ Words :?0 Clips

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ftauttsco
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atica1u, f)ost lnttUt1enur SEATTLE, WASH. D. 203,726 SAT. 170,813 SIIN. 500.7111 MAR 9 l 9R q BU{(/?!:.!: L\-Prudh~~ h,?-'171 EDITORIAL s Congress gears up d~cis~o':1 on_ whether to allow 011 dnllmg m Alaska's .retie ~ational Wildlife Refuge, a isturbing Environmental 'rotcction Agency draft report on amage to the environment om previous oil drilling al rudhoe Bay has come to light. Acres of tundra blackened by 1em1c~l ~pills, oil wastes seeping rm dr~lhng pa~s, overflowing aste disposal pits, stacks of aking chemical drums and a ilure to obey federal l~ws >verning handling of tzardous materials were >eumented in the report. Among the findings were at wastes injected into the ound may be turning some eas of the Prudhoe Bay field our" from high ncentrations of hydrogen lfide, a~d that diesel spills in e locat10n were seeping into a arby lake that is a source of inking _water for a nearby mmumty. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife rvice last year documented ie destruction of vegetation ...... and depletion of wildlife in the area, including one polar bear that died from eating toxic clwmicals used to mark roc1dways and airstrips. The Con ressional Office of :rechnology ssessmcn a so 1ssue_d a repo_rt last week saying that. 1f the refuge is opened lo dnl~mg, an industrial complex s11rnlar to that of Prudhoe Bay will spring up, and it noted that the Sta_le of Alaska is ill-equipped lo police the drilling. F:nvironmentalisls reacted to !he EPA's findings by saying that 11 made them "nervous" about what will happen if the refuge is opened for drilling. A spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute countered that "exploration and production waste practices meet or exceed governmental regulations and sound environmental guidance." If that's so, on the basis of the EPA report it seems lime to implement tougher governmental regulations and binding environmental "guidance." 41:S 110Ut.b I U, LR DAILY 74,043 HONOAV HAR 13 1989 {JfflREu.E'S FD N~t aum~!ffl~ of caribou WHEN THE OIL companies first sought Congressional permission to start drilling on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, they liked to point to their activities on Alaska's North Slope and at Prudhoe Bay as a model of the kind of environmen tal sensitivity that they were proposing to duplicate in the refuge. The only significant environmental concern, from the companies' point of view, was whether their operations would interfere with a caribou breeding ground and the cari bou, industry leaders love to point out, have flourished alongside the Alaskan oil pipeline so far. But there may be a lot more than a few Sybaritic reindeer involved in this debate. According to a draft Environmental Pro tection Agency study that the Department of the Interior has not yet released to the public, the oil companies have not been living up to their environmental responsi bilities on the North Slope and at Prudhoe Bay at all. The EPA report, which was obtained by the New York Times, de scribes those oil fields as an empty landscape dotted with abandoned piles of leaking industrial drums of toxic waste that have blackened hundreds of acres of the tundra and are now beginning to threaten municipal water supplies. These signs of industrial neglect assume particular importance in light of another report that was made public last week in which Congress' O~~e>.!_ Technology Assessment estimates that pumping in the Alaskan wildlife refuge would produce many of the same conditions that currently exist at Prudhoe. The oil companies, ironically, used to make the sa_me predic tions, but they meant it as a promise more than a warning. The EPA study isn't the only thing that's thrown the oil companies' claims of good intentions into question. Late last year they also ganged up with some of the Reagan administration's outgoing political appointees at the Department of the Inte rior in a scheme to give some of the most promising pumping sites that the public owns in the national refuge to the native Eskimo and Indian tribes in exchange for some worthless' larf ds elsewhere. Once these sites were in the hands of the na tives, the oil companies hoped they'd be largely exempt from Congressional review or administrative oversight. That way the companies could cut a deal with the Indi ans to proceed with pumping without re gard for environmental regulations. NEDllER 1HE irresponsibility of its ac tions on the North Slope nor the indus try's shabby attempt to use the Indians as a blind to avoid public scrutiny constitute a reason by themselves for opposing fur ther exploration to determine the extent of the oil reserves that lie beneath the coastal plain. But these incidents certainly underscore the need for Congress to im pose severe restrictions on the oil compa nies' activities in that fragile wilderness And clearly, before the government gives permission for any additional dril, ling in the wildlife refuge, it needs first to make certain that the industry will clean up the mess it's created on the North Slope.

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~aba tVor!b'-J;traJ~ D OMAHA, NEBR. -120,062 SAT. 212243 SUN. 290,243 MAR 10 1989 Bv6'!?F"4"'s INVESTOR'S DAILY LOS ANGELES, CA OAILV 40,802 FRIDAY nAR 10 1989 -3!$62 BVRREUFS FP Congressional2-S~dy Faults U.S. Grain Syst WASHINGTON Zkeuter) 7-Y The price-support programs provide a U.S. system for ensuring grain quality ccntive to produce high-quality contains ~veral shortco~ngs th~t can and instead encourage farmers to leave foreign buyers unsatisfied wtth the product they buy, according to a conmaximum yields regardless of quahty. gressional report released yesterday. The report says American programs for ensuring grain quality focus too narrowly on setting standards for classi fying grain and lack ways to keep poor quality grain out of marketing channels. "Improving quality, or even the perception of quality, will be much more complicated than tinkering with the criteria for standards," the report says. The U.S. is the world's largest ex porter of wheat, coarse grains and soybeans. Complaints by foreign buyers and reports of shoddy grain-handling practices led Congress in the 1985 farm bill to ask its Office of Technology ~m~mpile the report. The Agriculture Department had no immediate comment on the report. The report suggests that the govern ment revise price-support programs to attract high-quality grain, set minimum quality specifications for grain entering government loans or export elevators, and inspect all grain moving on inter state railways and barges. J Current Agriculture Department grading standards classify grain based on such attributes as weight, moisture levels and kernel condition. Private grain sale con tracts often specify additional factors such as pro tein levels. But the report says the official grading standards fail to ad equately identify factors pertinent to a commodity's value. And it says the U.S. falls behind other countries in making grain quality a central part of agricultural policy. The lack of minimum quality stan dards at the initial sale point causes exporters to blend grain later on to achieve a desired standard, and leads to uneven quality levels throughout the marketing channel, the report says. "Foreign and domestic buyers of U.S. grain clearly indicated that lack of uniformity between shipments is the buyers' biggest complaint," the report 1 says. The report says that government It also says that since there is mandatory government testing of gral except that sold for export, grain-tesni supervision and standards coordina!li is weak. It recommends that all grain 1 interstate barge and rail shipmenu! tested by government inspectors, a' that government regulations be est[ lished to govern testing oJ truck sl:' men ts and at country grain elevaton.

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-I 1il)( ~un 5~ tw~. ot C: a ~?''~ standards are yet at the issue of gram quality, world_s gram, ~. Allerica, -,,,,,,,,dmn: pufliDI pin 1111der the Office of Technology Asses~ share1s less than 40~ fedenl mcy also cowd be found two big differences Glic~an also 9lid 111a 111*1 adopted~ ap,11 e1evatort. tbc betw~n U.S. o~rations ~d was wntten whet;-Ullilld said. those m five competmg countnes. States had a larger lllr'pluaof..,. would uu,mi& sipWS The report concluded that com-to sell fDr improved quality tbrOuab<>llt petitors have extensive controls The report Pr:81certaia ,_. die ay11em and would reduce tac on grain quality when th~ grai~ is !)f the (!.S. gram s~ llldllid ..,._ of qualities available at first brought to market, mcludmg its efficiency and an met. apon locatioal. .. it said. rejection of poor-quality grain in pendent agency to llllpecl ad ODc of the tlaWI ia tbc France, Argentina a~d Brazil. arade grain are advan-. c:unat system is tbat ... all ,rain. "The other maJor handling The report ~as Jl!Omlled by DO mancr the quality, accepted practice in which the United Congress early m the 1980a, amid iDlO the sytUm and marketed," States differs from other exporters complaints about the quality of t.be repon c:oodudcd. '"This places is blending," the report said ... At U.S. grain and the slump in ex-enonnoua strain on the system's ex.port, grain is blended in an port sales. hand.Ima and inspcction capabili attempt to produce a uniform The i-eport said gram quality 1s ties and ii the cause of most of the quality that meets buyers' specifidetermined by a large number of blendina conuovenies. cations. factors, such as plant varieties. Glickman said the .. fact that the .. The OT A survey of foreign farming methods, treatment dur-iy~tem tolerates impurities re and domestic buyers of U.S. grain ing shipment and storage. and duccs income for everybody in clearly indicated that lack of unitesting. Any improvements must agncullurc. That means we're just formity between shipments is the take into account those vanous getting 97 percent of what we buyers' biggest complaint." factors, it said. could be aeiuna." J

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TV CLIPS DATE TIME STATION LOCATION PROGRAM March 9. 1989 5:00-5:30 PM BU(#l.EUPS 15 EAST NORTHFIELD ROAD I LIVINGSTON I NEW JERSEY 01039 (201) 992-8600 I (800) 631-1160 ACCOUNT NUMBER NIELSEN AUDIENCE KAKE-TV(ABC) Channel Ten Wichita, Kan. Live at Five Marty Ma.thews. anchor: 10/6297 Y 56,000 The rest of the world produces better quality grain than we do in the U.S. That's what a just released congressional study says anyway. The Office of Technology and Assessment found that the U.S. Grain Industry has systemwide problems achieving the quality it needs to compete effectively. Kansas Congressman Dan Glickman says past U.S. administration attacks on market regulation have been off base. Representative Dan Glickman ( Democrat/Fourth District): I just find it ironic that we should be criticizing the Canadians when a lot of the problems that we have in grain quality may have to do with the way we have implemented farm programs the last eight years. Mathews: The Office of Technology and Assessment wants to implement an incentive program for both growers and shippers. That program would be aimed at creating a better quality product. and it calls for better inspections. Rocky Mountain News DENVER, COLO. '.J. 347.77P SUN. 379.9R4 FEB 21 1989 A!l41jP.LS = ---...... .:. -:-a~ -iiii =-~:-:--:-~ ------------------t.;,;) .. ~,y,,,,. Only one-third of all K-12 teach. ers have had as much as 10 hours of computer training, and much of this training focused on learning about computers, not learning how to teach with computers. 1,111 There now are more than 10,000 stand-alone instructional computer programs, most costing less than $50, available from about 900 firms most of them with an average of 2 employees each. 1,111 About a dozen major manufactur ers specialize in expensive "inte.9rated learning systems" that span lar(Te seg ments of the elementary and secondary curriculum. They cost as much as $100,000 for a laboratory with 20 or 25 terminals. 1 for J peril,d <'f f<,ur "eek> fr<,m air dJte fwm our affiliate: _..:.:~~,;q{\ IU:S OF ..\...\1.1:.KICA. INC \212)7.~6-2lllll

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-------------------. ... __ -------------. ... ___ -..I..~ '11~~ -sr: vovlX>AZ 3 fQ-$.'l u.iGTain~ity Must Be Enhanced, : .. Federal Study Say~ ByBaucslNGIISOLL Stofllteporr.r o/TaaWALLSTasa:T;JoWASHINGTON-Tb&-congressional Of,. nee of Teclmolou Assessment. m a Ioneawaited report., recommended,-several moves to enhance.tbe.qua,llty of U.S. grapi and 'tllus boost exports. The OTA. the, reseateh amt.of Con gress. cauttoned that the--U.S. risks losing export markets, to b1gl1er quality grain from eanac1a... Australia and other COUiltries. unless it produces cleaner grain tllat meets the increasingly specific needs of.so phisticated flour mills and food-processing plantsoverseas. "All projections Indicate the world Is going to be awash In grain as more coun tries become self-sufficient and begin exporting their surplus." said Michael Phil Ups. director of the two-year study. which was. mandated by the 1985 farm law. "It',s going to be a buyer's, market. If we don t improve our quality,. we'll relegate selves. to the role of residual supplier. The leading complaint from overseas about U.S. grain Is tbattt lackt uniform quality Mr. Phllllps said. at a Capitol Hill news. c~nterence .. Processors "can't count on the quality. being the same from one shipmenttotbe nexL ... That plays havoc With-tbeir.'. processing technology. The agency. among other things. sucgested broadening u .s. grain standards to measure "intrinsic qualities," such as soy' bean-oil content and wheat-protein levels, and developing new quality-testing technol i ogy. The current standards focus on limit I ing impurities, fall to identify many attri butes valued by processors and don't en l courage grain producers and elevator op t erators to improve their harvesting, drying i and: h~dlin& teclmic_lJ1es. the OTA ~--_ .... ~--., .......... _______ "'~-.-.. ____ ...,"""'"''":gi,""'-...,_..._. __ ------~---------------. --------------. "TIit OlA aiso tawtee the governmenu larmtncome. supportpn>gram for dfscour-1 ag1nal Pl'Oductton ot IUcb-quality-&TaiJr, It 1 safcl current quality Premiums.aren't adequate to give farmers Who default 011 t1Jeir commodity loans. and thus forfett tlletr ft crops to the government. an incenuve to Produce clean &Tain.l .. ..t. ::,_ ,. "This is a SY5temJc probJem;satd Rep. D~ GllcJanan .. "Enhancinr gram quallty doesn't be&tn Wifn.s1J>bomb ;:-off tile dust. chaff 811d forelcrt1natrer1 tore 1t. tbe sldp,,ft beams wttii t11e c1a,, 7 sigrr,ofcommodftyP?OlhrtJs. l'elearcf1' by ; 0 ~~on ~e.r-~ vm:tetf~ and the~,~. Gf, .. .testtnr. '~ nique&,l' -",' !t_ tt-:: ,;p~, ,: :.,,, At. thenews Mrdwestem lawmakers Shied~from enclorstq,t!Je,.re-port and they Predtcted,ft WOUid baeontro: vers1at-ID u gra1n, industry, "'1tcb llas : -seen little change in rrading ror so 70 years. Later, CarJ Schwensen, executtve : vice J)reSident of the National Associattbn 111> of ~eat Growers, crittcized the study for : ignonng the industry's improvements in ,. quality during the past two years. : But Sen. Keat. Conrad, (D 1';D. r said that complaints about poor quality, though down since 1985. are sun comtng In. He -n said he recently asJc:ed the Agriculture Dest P&rtm~nt's Federal Grain Inspection Serv-1 ice,-to mvesttgate a complaint t'fom Hong ::,. Kon, millers about U.S. grain beinJ0aduI-" terated"With cement chips." c~ 21 At the same time, Sen. Charles Grassley _
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.1-..!t!f tiHRCH 1989 I I t .... ,-

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~--. ~TIIBBOSTONHERALD --BOSTON, MASS. ---D.356,494 SAT.277~7 SUN. 285.548 JAN -30 1989 F G' H T B C. K Good: & bad news._about pesticides J:1f..f~ -58 chem...,. no.dehlfehed .traces of compounds that were not C tolerance Jevela. and cl u.., approved fer U88 Oil thoae partlcu-ll'JRST, the bad DeWIL mown byploducta of-agricultural 1ar food& Only SB of the 936 food vey ~a~= .chemlcals OD the EPA'a Ila.. aamplea the FDA anaJy,.ed coatute..., Americana are more con-The: arA report alao .bmd talnad_my trace ol. pesticide reetcernecf atiout pesHddel than we that the FDA' teat procedmw dues at all. and nearly all ol. thoae are about cbemlca1 addlllvea. ult. have no&~ been updated to lreep were well below eatabUahed aatety pace with. the lntroductlm al new 1eveJa. Egp. milk and other dairy or other compomn& at our peatlcldes and the uae. al cstain producta were found to 1-. virtual.. tbod. But while guvwnment agen-o1. -clde readdu-. FDA c1e9 maJ' aet lflnlts en how much PJbaancea m lml*'ted toocr Jll'O-Iy me _..,.,....._ ofwlddl cbemlcala can be ..son ductll wblcb are prohlbi iD.tbia CommJMkmer Frank Young calla our fooct.' mtordng Umita fa. -theidea that we are being pol anoUwr matter; aoned by huge doeea of agrlcul-Not that the FDA. the USDA' We are more tura1 chemicals a myth. Food Safety Jnapection Service, I realu.e the FDA's report and and Agrlc:u)tura1 11arketlng concerned about = ~o:!!,.~w.= Service don't care about pestl-~cides than over peat1cide reslduea. or change cidell. Eacbol. tbeae agenclea con-~w: the mlnda of thOll8 who believe dueta-extemdve food telltlng pro-We are about (and I generally agree) that there gram&. But a report prepared by ls no such thing as a safe level Qf the AmlVl'!MdmeJ Office of Tech; additi_ypQ salt, Or exposure to a carcinogen. no1ggy t:r:,:mmt says the teats -.., these agencies use to detect pestiother components cide contamination can identify of our fi~,...,;a, only about one-half the pesticidea uuu. registered for use on crops in this COWltry. The reason ls partly economic. Testing food samples foe each of the 318 active Ingredients in pesti cides uaed Jegall)' in tbia country would be Impossibly-~ve -and tlme-consumJDlf So the gov ernment uaea, what' calleci~ultl-resldua analjBW" to test for a mnni-, ol different compound& at once. The. plOblem ls that of thoae m. COlllP.Jl,IDU,. the multi residue tea Uled by the FDA can ldeDtlty only 161. The, same test. 1-.Dll&lllldl.CIUI cWed onl7_.21i out. of. country. The report did note. however, that many pesticides are re latively harmle88 and do not require ooostant tnODitoring. Are you ready for the good news? The FDA says we Ameri cans actually consume very little pesticide residue bi our food. A year-long study by the FDA during 1987 showed that fewer than one percent of the fresh foods test ed. contained pesticide residues higher than allowed by the EPA. Anothec .three .~t c;o!l~ed I Japanese Offer Real Estate Charge C.ard THE LATEST thing in Japanese credit cards Is one offered by a department store which allows customers to charge real estate in either Califomia or Hawaii. Customers can view various proper ties on videotape, pick the houses I they like and say, "Put it on my card!" Not everyone, of course, can qualify for the real estate card which carries an Initial credit line of $500,000. The card Is offered by the Tokyo Nlhonbashl department store in conjunctlon with a Tokyo subsidiary of Citicorp and the San Francisco firm of Grbb and El 11& --..... 1 I \ : '.1 ~ ..

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___ .._ ..... -.. ., .,. -INTERNATIONAL Uil.DllFE UIENNA, YA BI-NONTtl.Y 400,000 .j. .\ I NATION'S HEALTH WASHIHSTOH, DC 10-TIHES/VEAR 31,000 JANUARY 1989 8U(M'4U"S -4692 NN .... Recent Publlcatfons i,,:i.97'-/ arA: Problem with Pesdeide Testms Among a number of t.echnical prob. lama with the yiwygovemment.. I : --food is. the-fact tb-.-th.-m~ Dlt*hoda.caa det.ect more:than half of. current 1 pesticides.a recent report ft-om the.Qf:.... tice ofTechnolOgY Assessment says. Bec:ommending several ways for improving re.search and development on analytical methods, the'OTA as-~-serta, "In general, the barrier to ex panding the detection of pesticide residue in food seems to stem less. from the scientific arena than the policy one.-.Based on low-violation rate, the Federal agencies responsible for regulating foods do not consider pesticide residues in food as the most important food safety issue. The agencies consider other sources. of food contamination such as microbiological and animal drug residues aa having higher current priorities." The 232-page report, Pesticide Residues. in Food: Technologies for Detection, is available ti-om the Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 20402, for $10.00. The GPO Stock number is 052-003-01132-8. i l '1 i "~" Q ;

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An Editor's View of The OTA Repc.,rt by SYLVIA CHARP, Editor-in-Chief T.H.E. Journal, Irvine, Calif. G.).c:-i7r The Office of Technology Assessment (OT ~s to be congratulated for its recently published report (September 1988) "Power On! New Tools for Teaching and Learning." As an analytical ann of the U.S. Congress, OTA's basic function is to provide background materials to legislators planning for technological changes. The many sites visited and the workshops and surveys conducted by the OT A staff and their contractors produced some very interesting infor mation and a number of recommendations, which include (though not verbatim): School communities desire to use various technologies in their educational programs. The use of computers in teaching/learning does not result in re placing teachers, who must be trained to use the computer as an effective teaching tool. Providing teacher training support is an important key to the efficient use of technology. Although educational software is becoming increasingly avail able, its quality needs to be much improved. Federal, state and local governments must play greater roles in the development of educational software. The federal government could provide incentives to the states to subsidize software developers' front-end costs and to identify su perior software designs for instructional use. The 1980s have brought about a tremendous increase in the use of the computer and other technologies in schools. However, more substantial efforts are required by the federal, state and local governments. The federal government will need to provide more intensive and stronger leadership and initiate activities in areas such as: Long-term funding. Many projects that had one-to two-year funding cycles were not continued when federal funding was stopped. These programs should be carefully reevaluated periodi cally on an ongoing basis. Cost-effectiveness studies to justify large expenditures. More attention must be paid to establishing a variety of models in order to evaluate different ways of using technology. Increasing the current national level of about one computer for 30 children to one computer for six children is not itself sufficient to ensure effec tiveness in education. Additional support for preservice and inservice teachers in all subject areas. Several doubtful generalizations are found in the report, such as: "most teachers want to use technology," "half of the nation's teachers have used computers in instruction," or "the /continued on page 74) T.H.E JOURM.: TECHNOLOGICAL HORIZONS IN EDUCATION SANTA MM, CA 10-TIMES/VEAR 77,000 DECEIIBER 1988 BURRD,Lff -6544 OTA is to be congratulated. The federal government must take an active role. T.H.E. JOURNAL 73 /\ I

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Several doubtful generalizations are found in the report. The recommendations will be carefully examined. 74 DEC./JAN. 1988~~,, -----/ OTA Report(conti-d) very opportunities opened by the computer can create more work for the teacher, making the job harder initially." Implementation in the classroom is still a problem and requires initial and ongoing support. A national endeavor in teacher training is required to in crease the number of teachers who can successfully use computers in their teaching. Development of innovative software. The report does not rec ommend software development activities at the national level or increased direct funding for basic research in educational soft ware. It is proposed that federal incentives should be provided to states "to subsidize software developers' front-end costs and to identify superior software designs for instructional use." Dis agreements exist in this area. Many educators argue that only national efforts in software development will result in school re form. Increased federal support for research and development in educational technology. Although much money has been spent, the efforts have been uncoordinated and not well organized across agencies and between projects. Low priority has been given to educational research, and limited funds have been allotted (half of one percent of the Department of Education budget goes to re search). Means must also be provided to distribute the results of R&D as soon as possible. Mechanisms for sharing research data must be speeded up. The report does not discuss existing research efforts in any detail. That data is probably not even available. Amplify international cooperation. Many countries have begun or are planning substantial national efforts on the use of interac tive technologies for teaching/learning. It will be beneficial to all concerned to share ideas, experiences and results. The OT A report has received very positive response from educators and business leaders. It contains a wealth of information to assist com pa nies looking for marketing information on the use of computer equip ment and software in the education market. However, greater attention could have been paid to the ongoing and proposed roles of business and industry in their support of local schools. The recommendations in the report will be carefully examined. Not everyone will agree with all of them. For example, the International Communication Industry Association vigorously opposes the proposal that "would give state governments a license to copy software for all schools in the state." It is hoped that greater attention will be paid to proposed versions of schools of the future. The report provides only a glimpse of what educa tion could be in the event each student uses technology to meet his or her needs and to prepare for a changing society. The planners of the schools of tomorrow need to examine how technology supports a variety of instructional practices and activities of students and teachers. Policy makers at all levels of government need to understand the role of tech nology in education, provide equal access to all students and work to gether for a better educational system. As the report states, "experience has indicated the proper use of technology can bring about major im provement in education." [JJ 1 1

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'l nM!M!' ~.. :""l. .... .... ..,. ~.~&.~ :' ~h'{~pog;;55c~_: head. f oif:collsiori. J;1~t,~,-~ we are pidedJ1~ our Constitution, a document that embodie9 the con-. -cept that man. ia a rational beinl who poaeues free will and a moral sense. We believe we al'e' : endowed with inalienable rights and inescapable re---... ; s~bilities that make us accountable to our fellow citizens through the implicit contract of democratic government. We also believeJn pro_gress and our ability to. seek knowled1e to address ills, whether political, cial, physical or economic. It is iJt the latter part of the 20th century that .Kltta MacPhenon Science we find the belief in fundamental rights and the push for progress headed toward a crash. New genetic and medical technologies are rail, -. ing questions about the meaning and scope of constitutional principles by forcing people to make deci sions about situations that in the ~t were beyond human control-life and death declsions about theml' selves, other people and future generations. .. A number of pivotal questions are arlsin1, in, eluding: Would state rellllation of these decisions i& pinge on an individual liberty. that is '11aranteed by the Bill of Rights? And if so, is the individual's interest in esemsiq that right outweighed by the contrary interest. of the state and its SCM:alled public interest? "A question that reeeatly has arisen for a policy maier ii whether the, ~t can or should. regulate biotechnology:' noted Rep. Robert Kasten meier (D-Wls.). chairman of the subcommittee on courts, civil liberties and the administration of jus tice of tlle House Judiciary Committee. "This is not an abstract question. It involves matters of birth and death, hered!ty and new life forms, disease and aging." A repoi:t, "Biology, Medicine and the ~ill of Rights recently released by Congress' Offu:e of Techn~logv tr=rneot (OTA), concludes the balance 6etween state interest and Individual rights is influenced by two kinds of social change. New tecllJ1o.. logies are givina us more-power to manipulate our environment and our expectations about self-de-termination are growina. Some traditional public health practices that are constitlliioDally l.cm&""9tabli.,,..,. Ullder state police poWll'I an alall certaill ta be dlallenled anew beca..-of lnldlf iutltiietlllaa rl indlvid---... ual $ I I J.-' '. \ .. I STAR-LEDGER NEIMRK, N:J DAILY 461,080 NONDAY FEB 6 1989 c--.-/LH.JlEU.PS ,.,.. yr. rn. II seen lit some of tlle cmtroversial that ; ~. haYe enJDted since thl begbminp of the AIDS epi demle-llb taialel of mandatory reoortinL tact tracing, mandatory testing, occupatlonat or ecfu.; catlonal restrictlona and quarantine; ~~~about~ teacbin&1>f evolulon or creatioa-saence m pllblJc schools have not re, ,~aved. the. possibility_ of' further_ effortsto restrict either the teaching or application of new biological knowledge on religious ground& Thereare strong, indications tbn a major area of constitutional debate in the future will concern conflicts between biologica! research initiatives and oa the one band, and religious or ethical values, on the other,
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5an 1i-au~
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. IAD/0 :LIPS DATE TIME STATION LOCATION PROGRAM 75 EAST NORTHFIELD AVENUE I LIVINGSTON I NEW JERSEY 07039 (201) 992-6600 I (212) 227-5570 I (800) 631-1160 Dt!cemht!r 17. 1 lJ88 lll:30-11 :00 AM KYW 1060AM PhilaJdphia KYW News Radio Ltrn Litwin. anchor: .l\CCOUNT NUMBER And now the KYW Busin6s Rc"p11rt. from the Fir1:t11,i.tl '.\c"\\S '.',;c'[\\ork herc"s CL)!Tc-spL'lh.lent J.ty Hc"rn1,:ri. DNA is the' genetic ba,is ot life:. It determines c-\ erythin~ :1h11 ut it perst)n from sex to h,tir colllr. DNA is abo the basis of ,1 nt.'\\ industr\'--DNA printing. At presc:nt it has bc:e!1 L1st.'d almost c:xdusi\ c'l~ tor id1.:~1tity testing. in rape and violent crime cases. bur in the long run identity tc:>sting may be the most limited market for the tcdrnolo!:!V. Thc: hi!! nwnc",. i-. five w ten yc"ars in the future: when DNA printing \\-ill be: Llsc"d-tL' diag1wsc" anJ trc:at a host ot diseases, cspc:ciaUy cancc'r. But DNA printing. could prc'sent a hL1rnc:t"s nc"st ,)f -..l11.i:,l and l)L)liri-.:al iY,Uc's. lnsurancc: companic:s. for c'.\amplc:. could 1.kny L'll' c'Llt-t.' tu mure ,.111d morc pc:L1pk as thc:ir mc-Ji-.:al risks bc:comc: prc:cisdy dc:tc:rmined. :rnd crnplu~ c:rs -.:uuld scrc:c::n out high-risk job applicants. Protc:ssor Don,thy '.\cb,,n ,,t '.\c\\ York Cni,er-..ity s.tys that DNA printi1~g 1.uld 1.TC:ak a biL)h1gi1.,d undc-r,:l:i-.., ,,t unc:rnpk1~ able. uninsurable peoplc:. If this s,)unds like too much :-.cience t'icrinn. the l.S Olti~e ,,t Tc:chn,1l,,:;S A-...,es-.mcnt reL'C:ntl\' did :t stud, \\hi,:h L'u111:1udcd th.it 11.:.trh c'\crn1nc \\l1ukl h:t\e their DNA print on the: l:\.'.l'Ord by the yc::tr 2uu,1. ln \L",\ \\1rk. thi:.-. i-. J.l\ Herman on thc: Financial '.\e\\s '.\c:t,\ork. 2 L~ \\.urds IK Clips

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----JOURNAL Of COHKERCE NEW VORK, MV OAILV 23,000 tlOMOAV JAN 30 1989 ., [ Tr,x~ct. ~ponses ... A TANKER'tRUCK LOADED~ mable chemical careened down an mt ramp ma BOQltoD highway in July 11811\ smubed into a guardrail and: caught. '. fire The burning methyl metbacrylata destroyecl part of. the highway and flaming debris fell onto tbe street below. The driver was killed. a specially "trained huardomr materials team prevented any further loss of life. Incidents like this are forcing Congress to find a better way to regulate the nearly 2 billion tons of. hazardous materials that move by air, sea, rail and,' mostly, truck each year. Committees. in both the House and Senate are expected. to conduct hearings this spring to rewrite the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, the law tbat rep. lates the movement of mast of the nation's hazardous goods. The most controversial issue in the upcoming debate is the lack of trained emergency teams, like the one in Houston, to identify and contain toxic spill& After years of fits and starts. it is time for theCongress to determine th& best way to properly fund emergency response teams: The problem, according to the Office of Tecbmloa Asseslimen!, is widespread. The congressional' researcfl'agency says as many aa 75% of the nation's 2 millloD emergeney workers lack basic training. In an era of record federal deficits, fundin1 for. emergency respome training is unlikely to come from general revenues. As an alternative, the American Trucking Asllociationa last weet endorsed a privately financed hazarc:lou materials trust fund to pay for training, an idea supported by other groups. The program would be modeled on the federal Hlgbi way Trust Fund, which holds fuel tax revenues until they : are distributed to the states for road construction. The hazardous materials fund would be financed by fees from transportation companies that haul dangeroim goods and : the manufacturers that produce them. Money would be channeled back to local and state governments to pay for ;. emergency response training. In-es:change for the trust fund payments, communities would be barred from imposing their own fees, permits and taxes on truckers and railroad& Currently, at least 30 cities and towns apply such fees and the number is growing. A trust fund supportedby user fees sounds appealing. but it is infeasible politically and practically. Its propo nents want federal pre-emption of city and state authority to tax hazardous load& They are unlikely to get it. The National Governors Association already is preparing for a fight. Identifying all hazardous materials haulers would b& extremely difficult, and allocating fees could be a night mare. Would a trucker hauling deadly poisons like hydrocy anic acid pay more than a company tramporting gasoline? Would the fees vary according to quantity and frequency of cargoes hauled? How would federal officials determine which of the nation's 39,000 state and local governments should receive proceeds from the trust fund? And how much should each town receive? Allowing every hamlet in the country to set its own fees is not the answer either, especially since some towns already are using these taxes to fund unrelated needjs, such as local schools. A better approach might be a thprougb study to locate the busiest hazardous materials corrillors -the Gulf Coast is one and develop reaional response teams to handle emergencies in those areas. Reaistration and user fees would still be necessary, but they mipt be easier to administer and distribute on a reaional baaia. During past debates about hazardoua materwa. tram-. portation, Congress has managed to avoid the quesiioa of paying for emergency response. UnW it shows the political will to address this issue; lives will remain at risk. j

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l -~--.. __:__ : nIBCINCINNATIENQUIRER J =--I CINCINNATI, OHIO 0.191.645 SUN.323.390 I I JAN 25 1989 ~-. ---~-i r raffle safety 1:DiTC~l,W Huge toll from truck accidents suggests need for new measures fot, lfTV TheOhio toll from traffic accidentsDeath Hill. But truck-related crashes 1volving trucks is awesome. Hence in continue to imperil Tristate roadways. 987, the 123,000 accidents involving Such accidents, especially when big ~des of every description resulted in rigs are involved, often congest trat~ 07 deaths and 24,451 persons infie~. In a report of its own, the ll"ed. That's up dramatically from _gressional Office of Technology A!r 7,021, with 163 d~d and 17,509 sessment (OTA) cit:es the danger from 1jured, in 1982. the increasing sire of trucks and buses. It's even upsignificantly from as automobiles become smaller and 986, when114;999 accidents inlighter. "The. volume of automobile olved trucks, resulting in 155 deaths traffic, combined with large numbers nd 21,733 injured. Totals for 1988 of heavy trucks, has made accidents re not yet available, but if the trend more likely simply by increasing the ;olds, they'll be higher. Clearly it's a opportunities for accidents and exposrend that must be reversed. ing drivers to stressful driving condiTo say that a growing number of tions," OTA said. Lighway accidents involve trucks is OTA wants better-designed roads 1ot to say that trucks or truckers are and ramps and stricter enforcement of the cause. Other motorists frequently rules on excessive speed. It is conact rashly out of annoyance with cerned about drug and alcohol abuse trucks. Just as often motorists maneuin truck operators and about driver ver around trucks without an aware-fatigue. These are concerns the truckness of the typical truck's lack of ing industry will continue to address naneuverability. because the industry is as interested Whatever other factors are inas anyone else in reducing the acci-1olved, accidents involving trucks are dent toll. That includes checking 1 national phenomenon. So alarmed is truckers frequently in an effort to he Washington-based Insurance Instidetermine if they're complying with .ute of Highway Safety that it has federal rules that limit them to 10 mblished a special report on tlie probhours' driving after eight hours off em. "From Atlanta to Seattle," the duty. Repeat-offense speeders should eport says, "transportation officials lose their operators' licenses. 1gree, truck crashes are a major conTrucking is a vitally important U.S. :ributor to traffic congestion, and they industry whose ramifications touch ire looking for new ways to solve the almost every industry and business in rrban impasse." the country. Accidents will never be The Kentucky ban on truck use of eliminated altogether, but with [nterstate 75 northbound beyond Ienough effort by all concerned, truck/ 275 was imposed in 1986 after a accidents can be sharply reduced. The nine-vehicle accident on Covington's toll in Ohio alone says they must. ... PURCHASING NEWTON, MA SEHI-HONTHLV 97,000 HOU 24 1988 -5644 BVRREu.E'S cu ... ... ,.., J-'{ l --1 watch foi-U"UClt safety iaauea to heat up in. Con.gnu n.ezt year. The federal ,Office of Technology Assessment has already completed a study of truck safety which it has sent Congress with a number of options designed to make the road safer for both truckers and automobile passengers. r r-t \

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DIESEL EQUIPHENT SUPERINTENDENT EAST NORWALK, CT ltONTHLV 23,000 DECEHBER 1988 -2092 BUffREU.Ps r' '\ I .-------A !though most would argue that facts and figures are essential to understanding the many issues re lating to motor carrier safety, a report issued re cently by th~_Qffice of Technology Assessment (OTA) of the U.S. Congress sheds a somewhat different light on the subject. Although based on an exten sive list of research sources, Gearing Up For Safety: Motor Carrier Safety in a Compelitive Environment, contains much more. Punctuated with notable conclusions and recommen dations, the report is nothing short of a comprehensive re view of existing federal safety policies and programs, issues critical to DOT and state governments, the economic frame work and status of the trucking industry, safety data, and research and development needs for safety technologies that would benefit both industry and government. The overriding conclusion of the report is that addressing motor carrier safety issues successfully requires a compre hensive and strategic approach. Congress, the report notes, is free to enact laws mandating such approaches, institute more aggressive congressional oversight practices or leave the problem-solving to the Executive branch. "Considerable public and private effort will be necessary to make any new standards and programs effective," the report states. "The committment of carrier management to safety and to imple menting new standards will play pivotal roles. The OTA report defines three key areas. ''Increased at tention is needed," the report states, "to human perform ance factors, including training guidelines for drivers and maintenance personnel, driver hours of service and fatigue, and management practices such as hiring, scheduling and drug and alcohol testing. Concentrated efforts," the report also notes. "are needed to integrate government activities across all jurisdictional levels. to increase national uniform ity for regulations and enforcement. and to improve regula tory compliance for all motor carriers.'' The many details and suggestions included in the OTA report are far too numerous to list-or do justice to-in the space allowed here. The report's third section, however, covering vehicles and roadways. does warrant closer scru tiny. "While highway system design issues and truck vehi cle safety technologies are inextricably linked." the report states, "they are treated as two separate issues by govern ments. carriers and vehicle manufacturing industries. OTA finds that a systems approach to commercial vehicle high way safety is a priority for federal action. DOT agencies must work more closely with each other and with industry to address driver, vehicle and road safety issues systemati cally. A reexamnation of highway design standards with an awareness of the size of today's heavy trucks." the report states, could lead to relatively low-cost safety improvements." Among the suggestions made by OTA are revised signs to help drivers determine approriate operating speeds, revi sions to ramps and intersections and a reevaluation of the 65-MPH speed limit. But the heart of the report focuses on new vehicle technologies. "Since many safety improvements ---do not translate directly into higher productivity." OTA says, "industry acceptance of new technologies is slow. Fed eral education and information programs are essential if requirements for new technologies are to be implemented quickly." OTA lists a number of safety-related technologies and costs in its report. For tractors, items include three-point seat belts, ABS brakes, brake adjustment indicators. auto slacks. spray-suppression devices and reflective materials. Many of the same items are listed for trailers, as well as side and rear underride guards. "The federal government could play a more active role in determining standards for safety tech nologies either as performance criteria or as design standards," the report states. "Industry-government efforts w i 11 be especially useful in developing and implementing edu,a tional and training programs for mechanics to ensure that systems are maintained properly. A comprehensive program to improve carrier safety must address issues related to dn v ers of both heavy vehicles and automobiles. to the heav: 1 vehicles themselves, and to road design and management While a national program to improve motor carrier safety may well bring somewhat higher direct transportat1un costs. the report concludes. 'these could be babnced h, a reduction in the societal costs of highway accident,. "h1ch. it was recently estimated. will reach S65 billion bv I '-NO That conclusion. however, should hardly be news to tleets that have consistently struggled to provide efficient. reliC1hle service with safe, well-maintained equipment. What is ne" worthy is the report's open call for cooperationone tleec might be wise to take up. Copies of the OTA report are available through the Superintendent of Documents. Government Printing Otfice. Washington. D.C. 20402-9325. (GPO Stock number 0~2003-01127-l) As stated over and over in the OTA report. the truck ing industry plays a key role in defining ,'-!kt, problems and in determining and implementing solutions to them. At the same time. ho\\e,cr. much effort is necessarily devoted to Ji,pcl I, ti,! rumors and misconceptions that unduly affect the indu,trv image and productivity. One example of this is our report on fleet safety records of single and double trailer combina tions (see page 44). The information provided is Jemed solely from carrier operating data. In addition to the po'1t1 ,e picture it paints, however, in our estimation its value ahn lies in being an example of a concerned industry, effort to set its safety record straight. It's been suggested. in fact. that the best way to end this argument, and perhaps m .. m~ others, is for fleets to compile their own statistics and let them prove the truth once and for all. For our part. we ap plaud this idea and offer our resources. If you have informa tion about the safety performance of your operation you d like to share, please send it in. We'd be happy to compile such statistics and make them available to the industry at large. .., ; ..... .,. ..

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TV CLIPS DATE TIME NETWORK PROGRAM 8U!f11.EUPS 75 EAST NORTHFIELD ROAD I LIVINGSTON I NEW JERSEY 07039 (201) 992-6600/(800) 631-1160 March 10. 1989 7:007:30 AM Cahle News Network Headline News Service CNN Headline News Don Harrison. anchor: ACCOUNT NUMBER NIELSEN AUDIENCE 10/0297 Y N/A Previously infertile couples are finding ways tu improve their chances of hecoming parents. But a congressional study warns the husiness of fertility treatment is not closely regulated and may he tainted with fraud. Carol Cooke reports. Carol Cooke reporting: ( Cooke reports on what is being done to help the infertility problem.) Cooke: According to the Congressional Office of Tt!chnolo~ Assessment. nearly four million hahies will he horn in the United States this vear. And almost two hundred thousand will be the result of so-called assist-ed reproductive technolo1rv. A..lthou!Z.h there is a1rrt!t!IDt!nt that the overall success rate for such procedures has improved o~er the last thret! years. the definition of success ,aries. 125 \\ords 10 Clips \ Ilk" ,;,--,,, .,r, '""ii,,lik 111 .,m l<1r111;11 l<1r ., p,r1"d "' 1 .. ur ",,!,., lr"m ,11r d:11, lr"m 11ur ;ill11i.11,. \"IDEO \ll):-..;[TUR{:-..;li Sl:R\KI.~ ur A\U:RllA .. 1:-..;c (2!2)":.1.t,-2l)l(l

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, Few Contro :s on Donated Sperm .: r-:n j WASHINGTON, D.C.-Cou-ples who make their babies the old-fashioned way get no guarantees-against catching a sex ually transmined disease or passing on a generic disorder. People who use arrificial in-HIPPOCRATES SAUSALITO, CA SI-HOMtHLV 4oo,OOO HAR-APR 1989 BV(11~ -AX31 seminarion, though, assume that sperm donors have been checked for such problems. According to a recent federal reporr, that assumption may be wrong. \, KS For the study, the Office of 11 Technology Assessm~siir-" p, Ve')Ced l5 spermoaiilcsand 367 do~ors wno perform at least four artificial inseminations a year. There were some unexpected-and shocking-responses from the doctors: Fewer than 30 percent test semen for syphilis, gonorrhea, hepatitis, or chlamydia-and only 44 percent test for infec tion with the AIDS virus. These numbers may be explained in parr by the fact that some doc tors don't test sperm donated by a woman's own husband. Still, says Gary Ellis, an analyst on the research team, "There is no excuse for anything less than a hundred percent." The Cenrers for Di,ease Control are investigating a case in which donor semen may have infected a woman with the AIDS virus. Sixteen percent don't always check the semen of anonymous donors for fertility. Nearly half of the doctors said they'd reJect a donor who is healthy but has a family his tory of hemophilia. That be trays a misunderstanding of basic genetics: Because any male who carries the gene for hemophilia has the disease, a healthy donor can't be carry ing the gene. More disturbingly, 37 per cent of the doctors would accept a donor with a family history of Huntington's dis ease. That degenerative nerve disorder, which is hereditary, often doesn't become obvious f until late in life-so a seemingly healthy donor could pass on the devastating condition. In one way, the report is reassuring: The bad habits appear to belong primarily to doctors who do inseminations only rarely. Roughly 20 per cent of those surveyed had done at least 50 inseminations in the previous year; most of these doctors followed guide lines set up organizations such as the American Fertility Society. So did the sperm banks that were surveyed. According to a spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration, the agency is consid ering standards for artificial insemination-requiring teslt ing for AIDS and other infec tious diseases. t r I f

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..J I FUTURIST BETHESDA, HD BI-HONTHLV 30,000 JAH-FEB 1989 CI ---Space A "Buyer's Guide" For Space Vehicles bo<.C/7 Choosing the wro~;jlaunch vehicles for the U.S. spJe programs could waste billions of dollars, reducing the number of launches possible annually. To help Con gress choose the best space-trans portation system, the Office of Technology Assessment has de veloped a "Buyer's Guide" that compares the capabilities and costs of various systems. The "best" system depends on just what the United States wants to do in space -and on what the country can afford, according to OT A. Therefore, different objec tives would call for different space transportation systems. For a space program that continued at approximately the preChallenger level of launch activity, the "best buy" would be to improve existing launch vehicles such as the space shuttle and Titan rocket. The technical risk of such an approach would be low, and the investment would be comparatively small. However, great improvements in reliability or lowering of individual launch costs would likely not be made. For a steady increase in the an nual launch rate (about 5% a year for several decades), the "best buy" would be one of several options, including greatly increasing the capabilities of existing launch vehi cles or developing new launch ve hicles from the best existing tech nology. To greatly expand the space program, the "best buy" would be to invest in emerging technologies that could greatly re---duce cost, increase performance, r-and provide more flexibility. Such expansions would be expensive and technically challenging, though, according to the OTA report. "To determine which of these alternatives is most appropriate and most cost-effective, Congress must first make some broad decisions about the future of the United States in space," OTA concludes. "A commitment tokey space programs will entail a similar commitment to one or more launch vehicle systems." Source: Launch Options for the Future Special Report: Buyer's Guide, Office of Technology Assessment. 1988. 100 pages. $5. Available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Washing ton, D.C. 20402. GPO stock number: 052-003-01117-4. / r tt I I f ~ .,, ... ..

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~. JOURNAL OF COLLEGE SCIENCE TEACHING IIMHIN8TON, DC 6-TIHES/VEM IECEIIBER 1988 l<-"-~ y \c.:. I / j Prepared college students, with the help o J the proven incentives o J fellowships and R&D supported jobs, could be attracted to science and engineering 3 NATIONAL & IEGISIATIYEYIE.W Educating Scientists and Engineers: Grade School to Grad School Last June, the U.S. Qffic_e__o[T_~c_hno/ogy Assessment released an important report dealing with the way in which the nation is preparing scientists and engineers to meet the needs of industry and society. Its summary section is reprinted here as a service to ]CST readers. Persons who wish to obtain the complete report may order it from the U.S. Government Print ing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325. The full report contains sections treating elementary and secondary education, higher education, and policy issues and options American schools, colleges, and universities have the capacity to provide enough scientists and engineers to meet the nation's needs. Historically, students and inscicucions have satisfied chang ing market needs, as evidenced by the response of engineering enrollments co the semiconductor industry boom of the lace 1970s. However, many re searchers, employers, and policy makers are concerned chat future supply will be inadequate. In the early 1990s, the nation will experience a decline in the number of college-age students, al though some increase can be expected before the turn of the century. More important, fewer students, particularly "U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assess ment, Educuting Scientists und Engineers: Grude S,.:hool to Grud School. OTA-SET-3777 (Wash ington, DC: U.S. Government Priming Office, June l988). chose white males who have been the mainstay of science, seem to be inter ested in science and engineering cJreers. Women's interest in science "ind engi neering, after rising for a long ume, seems to have plateaued. Non-AsiJn minorities, traditionally poorly repre sented in science and engineering, will form a steadily increasing proportion of American schoolchildren Despite these changes, the Office uf Technology Assessment concludes thJt shortages of scientists and engineers are not inevitable; the labor mJrket will continue to adjust, albeit with transitory and perhaps costly shorugts and surpluses. The federal govemcrn.:nt may need to play a more Jctive role. Rather than trying to direct m;trket responses, policy can aim to prep;tre J cadre of versatile scientists Jnd engi neers for research and teaching cJreers, invest in an educational system rhar creates a reservoir of flexible tJlem for .. fl I \ 156 ]CST Decembe~;t988/January 1989 \ / --

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- IHC. ~-_'!*, M "'" fEtllaa i -IIQ ..,,,,,~-~ -:, .--<. ~--~--,-/' lif.__ ________ R_E_Q_U_IR_E_D--_R_EA_D_IN_G _____ -____ 1...Jo FUTURE SHOCKS Why tomorrow's marketplace may be murder on small companies 0 I A {;..}-11V It's euy to get carried a.,,J with the entrepreneurial revolution of the past decade. More and more start-ups. More and more new jobs-and new productscreated by youn1, growing businesses like those on the INC. 500. Meanwhile, the Fon.a 500 continue to thrash about, fending off raiders with one hand and scaling down operations with the other. The marketplace of the future, so it seems, belongs to small companies. Before you get lost in such a rev erie, however, I recommend consideration of Technolo,r and the American Economic Tranai tion, a report issued earlier this year by the U.S. Congress's Office ot Iecbuoloa.,, Assessment (OTA). Nowrm not recommending that you actually buy and read this turgid tome. The only people who will get through it are those (like me) who fipre the chore is part of their job description. But I do urge that you ponder its analysia of where the American economy is headiniUnlike a lot of government agencies, the OTA has a reputation for solid scholarship. And the trends it has spotted-particularly the ad vent of information systems that give their owners dramatic competitive advan tages-have life-or-death implications for small companies. The report focuses on the networks of companies and markets that produce giv en "amenities" -food, housing, and so on-and scrutinizes the structural changes taking place in each one. An ex ample of structural change? Take the mov ie business. Years ago, the big Hollywood studios were textbook examples of "standardized industrial mass marketing." They had the stars under contract; they owned the production facilities where ~he movies were made and the theaters where they were shown. Today the studios have become financien and facilitators, assem bling ad hoc teams to produce products marketed through outlets ranging from theater chains to cable TV operators. "Almost in spite of itself," says the OT A, "the motion picture industry has come to BYJOHNCASE be a model of 'flexible specialization.' In general, the changes chronicled by the OTA fall into three categories. Market~ven whole industries-are fraa menting !aster than ever. Foreign competiton, far from resting on their lau rels, are sweeping into sectors of the economy that once seemed safe. Most important, the business world is undergoins a new kind of have and have-not split. The dividing line: whether a company can gain access to complex new information networks that provide up-to-the-minute data on customen, supplien, and operations. F~ Like the movie studios, big manufacturen are giving up on vertical integration; they're farming out every thing from parts production to janitorial : services. Health-care organizations are deliver-ins fewer services in the hospital and more in the freestanding clinic, the storefront office, even the patient's home. For yean, small companies have profited from this fragmentation of markets. But big companies downsized partly to protect themselves from recession; what will hapBOOK OF THE MONTH I )()('s J.1p.1u',-, strength Ill' 111 1h Im~, omp.1rllL'" --or 1h ,-,rn.111 ones? If the U.S; is to win the economic competiticm with Japan, how should our economy be orpnized? Japan's strength. say such pundits as MIT's Charles H. Ferguson and former U.S. trade negotiator Clyde V. Prestowiu, lies in its giant industrial combines, which can manufacture and market on a global scale. The implication: we too sboald encourage the growth of large and powedul companies. Bae the Japanese economy we've hem hearing about may not be the one moat responaibJe for that country's rise as an ecollOIDic power. According to David Friedman's 7'M Mlaad.,., toad Mlnde ( ComeJl Univenity Presa, 1988), Japan's success in world markets stems not from its big con glomerates but from the proliferation of small. flexible manufacturing companies. Friedman. a lawyer specializing in Pacific Basin business matten, begins with some striking statistics. Between 1954 and 1977, a period wben Japan's economy was rising to a preeminent position, the number of manufacturin1 establishments exploded, from 429,000 to 720,000. By 1977 Japanese industrial firms with fewer than 300 employees accounted for roughly 70'1, of the in dustrial work force (as compared with 40'1, in the United States). The reason for this tilt toward small companies, says Friedman, is that the giants were forced into becomin& a, semblen and marketers rather thm vertically integrated manufacturen in the United States. N'ISUD, for exam1 ple, originally set out to "mimic the factory practices of General Motors as closely as possible," emphasizing long production runs and low costs. But its cars were shoddily made and didn't sell. As the company tinkered with pro duction techniques, it came to rely more on subcontracton, wbo them selves learned to turn out hip-quality, sophisticated parts. Nissan also began pursuing a strategy of constant product innovation, including annual design changes "much more thorough" than Detroit's. Its production network therefore had to be kept as flexible as possible. Nor was N"tssan alone, observes Friedman. "The large assembly firms-Nissan or Toyota in autos, for instance. or Matsushita in electronics, Mitsubishi in machinery-increasingly relied on small specialist producer11 .... Overall. the portion of value added by large companies declined from 51 'I, in 1954 to nearly 40'1,in 1977. Tersely written in academic style, TM M~ Mirac/6 is unlikely to make the best-seller charts. But it un derscores thf'! signifi1"1Dee of the fact that small U.S. companies have been increasing their share of employment in nearly every induaaial category. This revival of smalHcale manufactur ing may be the best hope for restorinl our own beJeapered iDdultrial base. O 1

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- .... witha:slm of pq,cr from Me'dd. Vk ba9equality grades that get }UUl' message noticed and your pointaaoss. So make the right careetlllOYC Reach for Mead c:>~ fix A Better~. -"'"~~ot.."'63 Cllae-172on-SenloeC-. S-olOWnefwllop, M-', llldCirculaOOII (_,_, t,y 39 u.s.c. 3685) 1 A. Inc. B. PIJOhca-No 01628968 2. SeQ(efflt)er 30. 1988 3. Montr>ty; A T8. $25.00 US inc Pubhll'llng Corp., 38 Commercial Wl"lart, Bot!on. MA 02110 5. 8u11nesa Office. 38 Commerc,at Wl"larf. Bonan. MA 02110 I 6. The namn and aad, ..... of P\JOhsner. I Wilson Harrett, 488 Madison Avenue, 6tt'I Floor, N-Yori<. NY 10022. Ed11or. George Gendron. 38 Comme:111 Wharf. 8os10n. MA 02110; ManaQlng Editor. Sara P Noale. J8 Commercw Wharf, 8ool0t1, MA 02110. The OWfW IS Inc. P\JbfiontnQ COrp. and Bamatll A. Goidlltr91l, 38 Commercw W!Wf, Sonan,MA02110. 8. The knawn ~~-and ottw ,_,,.., __ or holding 1 percen1 or more ot me.,,...,,,.,..,, ot bondl. ~ or ottw MCUn1* are: None. 9. NA -.... --Cl,.,.._: Eea,t .. l:Mw'I _., 10. ~12Monb F<;nQ Coto ATOlll&No.CooaPl'tnllll (N91;P,,..A.#\l 873 893 839.152 iaP.iCira.tillllll 1S...1'1t0uQrtONllrll I and~.--~tnaors. ana 00ut'W ... )7204 l1 000 i 2M-~ 599 414 508601 c;oa'*"on:wat10r1 636 619 5-10 601 D Fr~ '812Y '39969 E TOllll~(Sumol Cana OJ 317B87 ~o 510 r: not cmlnlMIO lOfflcluN.teiftO'IW, ----1.,ia '2 197 2~fl'OfflnlWI --46 569 46 985 G. TOCll(~ofEltlOF-1 ::::-..::.,,.1 873,a9J Hi l"JZ 11 c.llfy SW.__..,. made Of' me &00Y9 ue corect &r
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FEB 131989 -5049 BVRR~ -fri .. I CK BY BARTON CROCKETT Networks and the national economy. The landscape of American industry is undergoing a fundamental change. Corporations are fragmenting, spinning off operations and giving third parties work they once handled themselves. As this trend continues, information nets become more vital -serving as the tool that lets firms coordinate supply schedules, lower prices and respond quickly to changing markets. So concludes a recent report called ''Technology and the American Economic Transition" by the U.S. Congress Office of T~hnology Assessment. The report synthesizes work by more than I OU tesearellers, corporate executives and academics. The report gives examples of the fragmentation of American industry. More manufacturers, for instance, are having suppliers provide preassembled components that can be put together. Another example is the movie industry. In years past, major movie studios owned nearly every part of their production and supply chain, from theaters to rights to actors. Now the studios assemble teams of actors and producers and sell films to independent theaters and video distributors. The upshot of fragmentation is that businesses in many industries are becoming more reliant on networks to link independent companies, the report says. In some industries, these nets are dramatically increasing efficiencies. Orie example, according to the report, is the grocery industry. Industrywide electronic data interchange systems let grocers track sales and order goods more quickly and efficiently. These networks and other information systems, the report says, "have the potential to revolutionize the structure and performance of the national economy.'' D ... I TECHNOLOGY TEACHER RESTON, VA 8-TINES/VEAR 8,500 JANUARY 1989 BulflfEU.rS -6618 -HV _; : -1 r-1 ... Quote of the Month I "The talents needed are not clever hands or a strong back but rather the ability to understand instructions and poorly written manuals, ask quest10ns. assimilate unfamiliar information, and work with unfamiliar teams .... The trans formation taking place today seems to require an entirely different kind of pub lic involvement. An educated popula tion is the most critical infrastructure of the emerging economy." "Technology and the American Transition" Qffic;e _of Technology Assessment I \ J \ t 1 -.,

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.. ., --I Test Ban Talks Reach Impasse U.S. and Soviet negotiators have failed to reach agrccmcnt on a method for ensuring compliance with a 1974 treaty that limits underground nuclear explosions to a maximum of 150 kilotons. Talks between the two countries ended on 15 December at an impasse over a U.S. demand that an intrusive on-site technique known as CORRTEX be used to measure blasts above SO kilotons. The Reagan Administration has long argued that seismometers cannot measure the si7.C of explosions accurately enough to guard against Soviet cheating, and it has repeatedly charged that some past Soviet tcStS constitute "a likdy violation" of the 1974 treaty, fonnally known as the Threshold Test Ban Treaty. The treaty has never been ratified by the U nitcd States, and the Administration has insisted that a protoc0l permitting CORRTEX monitoring be added before the Senate approves the measure. It has also said that it would not consider any further testing restrictions until the threshold treaty is ratified. In the meantime, however, both sides have pledged to keep their testing programs within the 150-kiloton limit. The Soviet government has argued that seismic methods arc adequate to monitor compliance with the treaty, and until recently it has resisted the notion of using CORRTEX, which involves placing an electronic cable in a borehole very close to the shaft containing the nuclear explosive. Last year, however, both sides agreed to undertake a remarkable experiment in which the two techniques would be compared. Blasts were set off" at the U.S. test site in Nevada in August and at the Soviet test site in Kuakhstan in September, and both Soviet and U.S. scientists conducted on-site measurements with CORRTEX for each explosion. It was the first time that officials &om either country had wimcsscd a blast on the other's home turf. In addition, both sides exchanged data on the geology of their test sites and the yields of ten previous tc:StS. The results of the experiment arc classified, but they apparently did not demon strate the superiority of the CORRTEX method, as the Administration had hoped. According to a report in the Washington Post, which has been confirmed by Administration officials, the CORRTEX method put the blast at the U.S. test site above the 150-kiloton threshold, while seismic methods measured it at dose to the prcdiacd yield of 145 kilotons. Both methods-were well within the 30% margin of error claimed for CORRTEX. The experiment evidently changed neither side's mind. In negotiations in Geneva, U.S. representatives continued to argue for the right to monitor any blast above 50 kilotons with the CORR TEX method. The Soviets, according to an Administration official, insisted that CORRTEX be used only for a limited number of shots in order to calibrate each test site. Because of differences in the geology of the two test sites, explosions of the same magnitude at each site will give diff"erent seismic signals at remote locations. The Soviets apparently argued that by setting off" a few blasts measured both by CORRTEX and seismic techniques, the so-called "bias faetor" resulting from the different geology could be calculated. After that, seismic techniques should be used for all tests, the Soviets said. Both sides were sticking to their positions when the talks ended last week. They arc not scheduled to resume until after the Reagan Administration leaves office. Many U.S. seismologists have argued that seismic techniques arc adequate for treaty verification. Last year, an influential study by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) concluded that, with adequate calibration of the test sites, seismic monitoring would be just as accurate as CORRTEX. Moreover, some weapons scientists have expressed nervousness at the prospca of having Soviet officials in almost constant residence at the Nevada Test Site. Milo Nordyke of the Lawrence Livennore National Laboratory testified in Oaober before the House Committee on Foreign AJfairs that sensitive information on U.S. weapons tests could be revealed if the Soviets monitored U.S. tests with CORRTEX. As for the charge that some Soviet tests constitute a likely violation of the threshold treaty, the OTA study concluded that the evidence docs not support it. A team of experts at the Livermore laboratory and many independent seismologists have reached a similar conclusion. The Administration, however, repeated the charge in a report earlier this month. COLIN No:aMAN ... ...

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1 ne Houston Post HOUSTON, TEXAS 0. & SAT. 314,581 SUN. 365,946 FEB 2 1989 Alt#-~ Lelan~ bill targ~t~ infant mortality~ .... among the. poor ASSOCIATED PRESS Gk 9 ;t WASHINGTON Rep. Mickey Leland in troduced legislation Wednesday to expand government health coverage for low-income pregnant women and infants in an~ effort to reduce the nation's "disturbing" infant mortal ity rate. The package of refonns would require the states to phase-in Medicaid coverage by 1993 to pregnant women and infants living at 185 percent of the poverty level. The refonns also would gradually expand Medicaid coverage to children. up to age IS in families. below I 00 percent of the poverty lev el, now set at $9,700 for a family of three. "While infant mortality rates have declined significantly since 1970, this trend has clearly stagnated," said Leland, a Houston Democrat. "In some areas, both rural and urban, infant deaths have actually increased. In 1986, 39,000 babies died in the United States." Sen. Bill Bradley. a New Jersey Democrat and the legislation's sponsor in the Senate, said he fears the nation will not meet the Surgeon General's goal of reducing the infant mortality rate from its current level of I 0.4 deaths per 1,000 live births to nine deaths per 1,000 live births by 1990. Bradley said quality prenatal care can reduce the incidence of low birth weight, a major con tributor to infant mortality. "It is also extremely cost-effective; for every S 1 spent on prenatal care, $3 is saved during just the first year of the infant's life," Bradley said. The Office of Technology Assessment re cently reported that every low 61rtfiwe1ght 6trth avoided by prenatal care saves the U.S. health care system between $14,000 and $30,000 in initial hospitalization and long-term costs, Bradley said. States are now required to phase in Medicaid coverage to infants and pregnant women up to I 00 percent of the poverty level by July I, 1990. A Leland aide said the cost of expanding Medicaid coverage to 185 percent of the poverty rate is estimated to cost $255 million in 1993. The legislation also calls on eliminating the assets test for pregnant women such as figuring in the value of a car or other essential assets before determining Medicaid eligibility. Only 16 states have such an assets test, howev er. Leland's proposal also requires deducting the costs of essential child care from gross income. Also included are provisions to cut red tape for pregant women applying for Medicaid, guaranteeing Medicaid coverage to a women through 60 days after delivery, and continuous coverage for an infant's first 12 months of life. r-,;. ... ..,.._ ..

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1-----. ----i l j I I i -----------BIOITECHNOLOG't' (INTERNATIONAL> NEW YORK, NV HONTHLV 15,000 NOUEHBER 1988 BuRREU.E'S -827 NB .t,, WHO OWNS THE RIGHTS TO HUMAN TISSUES? New Development, in Biotechnology: 1. <>umaship of Human Tissue, and Cell,. By the Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress. Pp. 168. OTA-BA-337. $7.50. (U.S. Govern ment Printing Office, Washington, D.C.: 1987). /vJ..i7 y Since 1980, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Diamond v. Chakrabarty that new life forms created by DNA recombinations could be patented, the number of applications for patents on human biological ma terials has proliferated. This has also resulted in a rapid increase in the number of court cases over owner ship. The legal, ethical, and economic issues of rights to human tissues and cells that predominated in early 198 7, when this Office of Technology As sessment (OT A) report first ap peared, still remain. Congress, and federal and state regulatory agencies, continue to wrestle with whether and under what conditions rights to hu man cell lines are enforceable. At tempts continue at isolating, charac terizing, and quantifying the relative contributions to the ultimate economic value of a commercially useful line made by the donors, physicians, re searchers, and others )Vho take the work a step farther. That New Developments in Biotechnol ogy: Ownership of Human Tissues and Cells was cited as an Historic Docu ment of 1987 by the Congressional Quarterly (Washington, DC) is easily unde~tood. OT A is doing what it does best-to assess, not to suggest or to speculate. The study emphasizes the role of biotechnology research as science first; fitting the social, legal, and moral implications into that con text. Thus, it only explores those non scientific areas that have already been brought to light through other means-for example by the filing of a lawsuit or by a direct request from Congress. (The only frustration may be that, having done such an out standing job in laying the ground work in an even-handed manner, the reader may be tempted to ask "Okay, so what do you suggest we do?") The systematic approach taken in each section continues to provide guidance to physicians, researchers, and attorneys charged with assessing the effects of these potential bottle necks to research and commercial uses for biotechnology. From an in troductory overview of policy issues and options for Congressional action, moving on through chapters on the technologies, the parties involved, the legal considerations (with an ex tremely useful chapter on the param eters for informed consent and dis closure), and finally the economic and ethical considerations, Ownership of Human Tissues and Cells particular izes each issue and the options pres ently under discussion. The possible shape the eventual solutions to these issues might take-be it in the state or federal courts, the legislatures, or by regulatory action-are outlined one by-one, fleshed out with informative historical and analytical dicta. Without taking a viewpoint-moral, economic, legal or scientific-it makes clear that these issues must be addressed, and soon. Mark Ratner is a senior editor of Bio/Technology. I l \. I ... 1 I ..

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-137 AEROSPACE DAILY WASHINGTON, DC DAILY TUESDAY FEB 14 1989 l1tnwu.n ---~.---_ ... ... .... ____ ----t:.. ----.... ..::. ......... ----.. ND +: I I .,~. REP. WALKER CONSIDERS RENEWED PUSH POR 'BIG DUIIB BOOSTERS' to:J-11 y A low-technology, easy-to-operate first stage booster could be used to carry Strategic Defense Initiative payloads and would off er a low-cost alternative to existing and future booster programs, the ranking Republican on the House space committee said. "This is very much a live option," Rep. Robert Walker (R-Pa.) said at a press conference on the release of an Office of Technology Assessement report on low cost boosters capable of carrying large payloads to low Earth orbit. "This is more aimed at the mid to late 1990s or the early 21st Century." Low-technology, pressure-fed engines developing up to 250,000 pounds of thrust were tested under Air Force contracts in the late 1960s, but the program was cancelled before life cycle cost studies could be completed, according to the OT A report, "Big. Dumb Boosters: A Low-Cost Space Transportation Option?" Most of the designs were shel~ed when President Nixon opted to develop the Space Shuttle. "Existing U.S. expendable launch vehicles are derived from 1960s ICBM designs that used high performance engines and lightweight structures ... to minimize launch vehicle weight and maximize payload and range," the report said. "Low cost operations was not a major consideration." The Soviet Proton is an example of a low-technology booster, Walker said, although the Energia heavy lift launch vehicle uses advanced features similar to those used in U.S. systems. The idea behind a Big Dumb Booster would be development of a simple heavy-lift first stage booster, relegating more complex functions to the upper stages or the payload. One potential user of low-cost boosters would be the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, which would require "a lift a week" for at least a year to place sensors and weapons in space, Walker said. NASA could include Big Dumb Booster design concepts as part of its Liquid Rocket Booster study, Walker said, which would require an additional $2 million to $5 million for a detailed concept study on top of the $14 million already committed to the LRB program. Validating low cost engine technology would cost even more, the OTA r~port said. A second alternative would be to incorporate Big Dumb Booster concepts into Air Force and NASA studies on an Advanced Launch System, Walker said. Some ALS contractors have included features of Big Dumb Booster designs, he said. A third option would direct NASA to study low-cost boosters through other programs, like the Civil Space Technology Initiative Booster Technology program, which is reviewing performance, stability-,..heat transfer, cooling and combustor fabrication techniques, the OT A report said. ,., ::'l. A Big Dumb"' Sooster would not conflict with studies being done on a Shuttle-C, an unmanned, expendable cargo variant of the Space Shuttle, Walker said, because NASA is considering Shuttle-C for a Mars mission. NASA, however, did not include funding for continuing Shuttle-C studies in its fiscal year 1990 request. Hardware testing would require anywhere from $5 million to $10 million, said Ray Williamson, OTA project director for the study. "$10 million doesn't buy you very much," he said. "It is enough to (conduct) hardware testing to prove out what your paper studies tell you." Depending on the design, Williamson said, a Big Dumb Booster would be capable of carrying payloads ranging from 60,000 pounds to 200,000 pounds to low Earth orbit. "--1_ COPYRIGHT Cl ,. Mc:GIIAW-HIU. INC. --_"":11! < ... I ,.,.-.. ..

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DEFENSE DAILY ,, ... ; l WASHIN8TON. DC DAILY r: FEB Uy1989 I -2021 .6!t..1,.~ l ____.MD _____ WALKER SEES OPENING FOR INDUSTRY TO PRODUCE CHEAP BOOSTERS '7-J-11 y The ranking minority member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology said Friday that he sees an opportunity for industry to manufacture ''big dumb" space boosters. Rep. Robert S. Walker (R-Pa.), who released an Qffice of Technology Assessment (OTA) study on big dumb boosters, said that "If the government could guarantee industry 50 launches a year, or a launch a week, industry would have great incentive to produce a big dumb booster, which in reality would be a big cheap booster .. .if this country decides to go with SD I, we will need a minimum of 50 heavy launches annually." Walker, a major proponent of commercializing space, added that eliminating government regulations on launch providers would also provide incentives for industry to produce low-cost vehicles. Walker noted that the big dumb booster concept, which was studied briefly in the late 1960s, deserves to be looked at again either by government, industry or both since "we do not have any boosters now" to lift heavy payloads. "Maybe the big dumb booster concept is the way to go," he said. The concept calls for the producer to design low-cost launchers using heavy, less efficient, off-the-shelf technology for engines and propellant tanks in the booster stage. [Some manufacturers, including Aerojet General, are working on low-cost and less complex booster components as part of its work in the Advanced Launch System (ALS) technology demonstration program --Defense Daily, January 4.] Relatively cheap pressure-fed engines would probably be used in the design. The concept assumes that the heavier vehicle weight and less efficient designs would be more than offset by cost savings accrued from the use of simpler. less expensive technologies. More Study Called For The OTA report, which resulted from a panel of industry and government experts. concluded that further study should be conducted to determine whether reducing booster costs would substantially bring down the price of lifting payloads into space. The technologies explored for the big dumb booster in the 1960s "are not today's minimum-cost designs," and called for $10 million for new studies. It also concluded that the big dumb booster's primary design uncertainty is whether cheap pressure-fed engines can be made extremely large. The largest pressure-fed engine ever tested produced 250,000 pounds of thrust. A big dumb booster might need six times that amount of thrust, the report said. The booster is expected to lift between 60,000 and 200,000 pounds to low Earth orbit. Another point made by the report is that "satellite owners and payload managers have little enthusiasm for the big dumb booster" because it will not provide services, like air conditioning, power and fueling, for the payload. Opponents of the big dumb booster argue that booster costs are only a small fraction of the overall launch budget. Analysts should look at developing big dumb satellites, one panel member said. Others on the panel said that, despite low cost technologies, government ,procurement regulations are the major obstacles to low cost launches. Other critics of big dumb boosters say that while reducing the size of tanks and using off-the-shelf technology would reduce booster cost it means higher costs in terms of the larger launch pads needed to accomodate the bigger boosters. Walker said that should the big dumb booster concept prove itself worthy after more study, he would introduce legislation calling for the idea to be investigated by NASA or as part of the joint NASA/DOD ALS program. The Navy, which has expressed a need for space launches, mi_ght also be a prime place for big dumb booster hardware tests, Walker stated. He also said that a competition between private industry proponents of big dumb booster launches i is also an option ......--.____ -, ... 1 I

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Star Tribune ~ MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. D. 382,832 SUN. 625,504 Report assails high costs fas-outside contractorsi~:~perfulid' program Assocuatell Pren Congress shares the blame. notina. Wuhinlton. D.C. The lagging "supcrfund" program for the cleanup of toxic wastes is too reliant on outside contractors, many of _whom arc making hefty profits, while government supervisors re main underpaid. understaffed and underquaJificct. according to a con gressional study. ~bat "the dependence on contracting 1s an outcome of both congressional and EPA decisions in the early 1980s. "Originally, there was general agree ment that superfund bad to be imple-. mented quickly and would be only a short-term program and that the nec essary technical expertise existed in th: private sector. Therefore, heavy. rebance on contractors seemed to make economic and environmental sense," it said. "But. we now know that superfund will be needed for many decades." Since the program was begun eight years ago, contractors have received $4 billion, or 80 to 90 percent of the superfund money each year, said the report by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). The interim OTA n_"Ort, part of a supcrfund study to be completed lat-The congrewonal agency noted_ that er this year, said some cleanup comfunds for the s!8ff' of the Environpanics have shown income growth of me~tal Protection Agency (EPA), 300 percent annually, "with net in which o".ersees the program, recome often rising at a much higher mamed v1_rtually flat while the outrate." side spendmg escalated. The report was released Sunday by Rca..1~i>inlal, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Com mittee and a persistent critic of the EPA. "It's clear that the superfund program is still falling far short of its promise," he said. Dingell called that a failure of the 1 EPA, but the OTA report itself said Meanwhile, according to the report, "Low funding for EPA staff in gener al has resulted in low salaries for key superfund people," the OTA report said. Some project managers make less than $20.000 annually, even though they may be responsible for several sites, involving multimillion d!>llar contractor studies and. clean ups, the report said. I .; ... t.C 00 u::> 1tbt :ttttOit fffl 1ttS:J DETROIT, MICH. D. 639,720 SUN. 724,342 SAT. 575,093 JAN 30 1989 BvmEU.FS I.. Supervisors at EPA aren't keeping eye on cleanups, study says lf J. 'f 1--/ BY DAVID BISS much we have to spend oo this," Fne Pna w.......,.. Slalf Longest said. "That decision is made WASHINGTON The overwcrked by the administration and, to an extent, and underpaid managers of the governby Gonaress. We get what we can and ment's tOD: waste cleanup program try to work within the limits Ii that have become ao reliant ,on privateamount." contractors that they have DO way fl lcmgest took issue with the reknowingwbetber the Superfund ctea. part's contention that pri9ate cantracupa are wmkinl or whether tupayera toss haft, in effect, gained control OYU are their money's worth; Sui-fund policy, "That's simply not carding to a repcirt br the O{liie. ci ,a;." I.ooaest said. Technolon Asaessment. "It's fair amcism that 'ft have too Iri some instanses, pri9ate bqe a turnover in ourfrontline project ton appear to have charaed the Fmi-mamgen, but we do have continuity of 1omnental Protectian Agerw;y fnm manaaerial staff at higher levels and twotofivetimesmorethantheamoant we're definitely in charge." corporations pay for similar cleanup Since b inceptian in 1982, the joba, therepart estimated. Superlund halt spettt $4.9 billioo to Perlormanc:e by the. contractors, clean up scores of hazardous waste the study concluded, has been spotty sites around the nation. This year, the and appears to be undercutting the program is expected to spend another envimunental aims of the multlbillion-$1.4 billion. Nearly 90 percent of the dollar Superfund program. Superfund's money spent by Superfund goes to managers virtually have ceded control private contractors hired by the EPA of the massive cleanup effort to private to conduct the cleanups. contractors. The report emphamed the Super-The EPA "has simply failed to fund program could not be nm without supervise properly the spending of the expertise and manpower of private contractors and has not developed the contractors. in-house expertise it needs" to ensure But the quality and efficiency of the cleanup efforts are conducted effec;. contractors' efforts cannot be ensured, lively, saicHiep:Jalmf)ingl!lr, D-Mich., without competent oversight by the chairman of the House &ergy and EPA, the report read. And the EPA, Commerce Committee, which ordered according to Dingell, "does not have the study. the resources it needs, and the reHenry Longest II, director ci the sources it does have are not spent Superfund office of emergency and wisely." remedial response, said that his agency Moremw, the report stated, the is stretched thin and must work with "contractor system is largely hidden limited resources. from public scrutiny and accountabil"lt's not our decision as to how' ity."

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, ., ---: 1 Dallas Times Herald DALLAS, TEXAS D. 246,370 SAT. 338,963 AUSTIN AttERICAN-STATESHAN .. .;

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r;---j RADIO CLIPS -'~ :i :l DATE TIME STATION LOCATION PROGRAM DATE TIME NETWORK PROGRAM 75 EAST NORTHFIELD ROAD I LIVINGSTON I NEW JERSEY 07039 (201) 992-6600/(212) 227-5570/(800) 631-1160 January 30, 1989 1:00-1:20 PM KFWB 980AM Los Angeles News John Brooks reporting: ACCOUNT NUMBER A congressional study says the government's losing key workers in its toxic 10/6297 Y waste cleanup because of low pay. The Office of TechnoloID' Assessment reports the brain drain from the Environmental Protection Agency is hampering the superfund program. Reid Price reporting: Charges the Environmental Protection Agency is too reliant on contractors to manage its toxic waste cleanup program troubled Congressman John Dingell. who says the government may be losing more than money. John Dingell: It does appear that EPA is not retaining an institutional memory of what is being done in general or in specific cases or why. Price: The Michigan Democrat says because of low salaries. superfund. as the program is called. is losing many of its best people to the ranks of contrac tors. Dingell. who has released a congressional study on the subject. says paying EPA employees more and giving them more responsibility would not only improve the cleanup. but could save the government money. Reid Price, Washington. January 30. 1989 5:00-5:05 AM MT CBS ~ews Judy '.\1uller reporting: The government's superfund for toxic waste cleanup is apparently is allowing private contractors to dean up at the bank. A study by the Office of Technolo~ Assessment found that too much of the fund's policy and cleanup oversight responsibility was being givl::'n to outside companies. The OTA said some firms were pcsti:1g annual im:mm.' gwwth of t!1ree: hu:1dn.:d percent.

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RADIO CLIPS DATE TIME NETWORK PROGRAM DATE TIME STATION LOCATION PROGRAM 75 EAST NORTHFIELD ROAD I LIVINGSTON I NEW JERSEY 07039 (201) 992-6600/(212) 227-5570/(800) 631-1160 January 30. 1989 5:05-5:35 PM MT American Public Radio Monitor Radio Clint Jones reporting: ACCOUNT NUMBER The Environmental Protection Agency. which supervises a eight-billion-dollar toxic-waste cleanup program. is being criticized for relying too heavily on outside consultants and contractors. A Congressional study charges that private contractors are making big profits from the Superfund program. The :)tudy also notes that while funding for additional EPA ~taff hasn't ~ome through. spending for outside consultants and contractors has soared. Ken Barkus reports from Washington. Ken Barkus reporting: 10/6297 Y Authorized by Congress in 1980, the Superfund program is designated to coordinate clean-up efforts at what could be thousands of sites across the country. The report by the Office of Technology Assessment, or OTA. is the latest in a series of reports critical of a program that is high on the Bush administration's environmental agenda. The study says that outside contractors have received four billion dollars from Superfund so far. about eighty to ninety percent of the money available. While Congress always planned a strong role for private contractors in toxic waste cleanup. the report says EPA's relationship with some contractors has. in essence. become too cozy. Sierra Club Superfund specialist Mike Early agrees and blames the problem on chronic EPA staff shortages. Mike Early: There is an excessive reliance on contractors. Contractors are doing things in the planning and policy area that I think was anticipated to be done by staff. January 30, 1989 6:307:00 AM WLBT-TV(NBC) Channel Three Jackson, Miss. WLBT Six-thirty AM Report Jack Hobbs, anchor: NIELSEN AUDIENCE 43,000 A congressional study says private contractors are cleaning up in more way than one [sic] under the government superfund program. The Offjce of Tech nolo"y Assessment says outside contractors have received four billion dollars for removing toxic waste from sites around the country. Now, that's eighty to ninety percent of the money ~pent during lhe program's eighl years in oper ation. One congressional critic says the reports shows the Environmental Protection Agency is mishandling the superfund.

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" ; PORTLAND PRESS HERALD PORTLAND, HE DAILV 62,1B3 .,,_ .,.. ~~.IL, WEDNESDAY FEB 81989 BURRELLPS 43 --_!L 1 IS U nerfund / ~ereaHJr~1~,1f1 (.Qaq~, r7 [ It's been eight years since Congress fOUDcl of criUcism. established a $1.6 billion ccsuperfund" to :, The OT4 cbarges that private contrac start cleaning up the hundreds of toxic torshavevirtuallytakenovertheprogr~. w~ste dump sites a.-ound the nation. extracting 80 to 90 percent of the Super. It's been more than two years since tun4's annual budget for work that is often Congress committed another $8.5 billion eloppf and sometimes non-existent. ~d to the project. with that much of a drain on Superfund But while a lot of private contractors money, the program is left with inade have been cleaning up in terms of getting quate money to pay govefllment experts w money from the Superfund, they are mak~versee tlle cc;,ntractors. ing little headway in cleaning up the The ~erican people have never been hazardous wastes. So far, only abollt ,tingy about cominitting the neceesary three dozen of the 1,800 dump site, on the ~esources to clean up a polluted environEnvironmental Protection Agency's priorment. Bui they have a right to ~t a ity list have been dealt with. fOtum on their investment. The non-partis~ congressional Office ;' The gov~ment must regitin control of Technology Assessment, which issued a over the Sup~rfund and fast before it report last summer calling the Superfund turns into a snultibillion-doll~J:' waste program .. largely ineffective and inefficleanup in which the biggest waste ot all cient.'' has now come out with a fresh J':'"19 out to !->J the Pe4?ple's mon_e_y_. ___ aa I -:,,.,~ ,.~, ,' _, --} i1g>hi H Hl ii ~U U it :.:a,nr iU !t t!11U113!;111:i._ HU!1 .~ ~l_, .. a:~~ ( 'II "' G o. !l, o s n -- If .. -m n !Ii~ 11-c:: 'J: a S .. f 1::1 """ s-!. .... C'S D. s-d --i a 8 ;-[~I i; I') 0 s: II g .... e-g I r:J' t O 'Sil llll 9 ":;&' !;il :l,.... ... = illl~it:;'8f ij[!2~~g.~j!~;-f. :i_jin~i [Eii~1 ~Ii. {li8 c,r __ .,., ieJ~,!~ 112.~f!.;j/r~_ ::i. ls: o,o 8. d ... a: I ,II "1 Cl if= (D '1' ,... II i:j O '7 0 r := I '0 ,... !'jj ,. !3 !;1 C:, == a.'i ::r i:::,.. Cl. '7 I II 0'.._\,//1-1 I 5' I (IQ p. < :il Cl. ~-5 C: e: ,... 0 '< ti" I> tr n ,... al "1 if o -0 r:;a 111 l(l -::r II al -j!!. :Z > ~j g':(m S~/t[.g ergijl 8 ;:i~ i-. r:;: la~~[~ pj[ ~m._ffl a '11;11:; g.a:e;a -~'Sl S[cif I ,a t:= 5 "' al i: '8 ;; :1 s-al a 17 .g ; Q. i' [ fi rt a. (D a II> 11, i; i !!. 2 '1" ,!!. ~Jil r; a ~-CII ,, I .,, ti> :f = i i[~g .. r:i. 3 8' ... i ~a1a11S.~'<~'8 0jr"'O ... :r "'~ r'jij a~tl n3~-11 C1!,\'aa1l;-:3, .... ,_, r.l} \ i"1,ii!.5 g ~-! a s;~-,~8ii ~h [>'it ~n~= jb,il~ ~a h $ iii i = ~ r;t' :9 a('") ::., 'a ~-2'. 3 i 3 !! ::T:,, o :l, 0, i f6" "' ;;l : e!. 5 :i II>: ct l cl G CII S, 5 a :l, ;' !!jl 9 ;'~ n = o o A>-si,t:::C C A>lA> c, ... 'gsi, ... c, ... ,... -, ;J ., C ::.,_C111o Cl I! .. t::: ::I Cl Ill O ... "" n r::r n a-Cl < ... r::r O a. 0 n c:r ... ::; P-(1) I') (1) 0 ag Cl "' 1: i:t n s; 0 0 ::I I .... cs "' = GQ .,, "' ... P-...... (D '< ::r (D tr I 111 P-111 ... -(1) (D .... I ti) P-1:1' P-.... 9 'I' .,. "f ,, (D ii -Q. -'11 .... T .... T ...... ----t I t 1 ---, (.. C C !s :I> C HZ ,,., :z - ::Ill .., 0 ,o; .... n I\) C c.o wz :I: CD -< :I: 0 ,,, c.o 0 ;,c C n ,,,

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_, I .. .... 1tf)I! J;wtstlUlt 11:ttnti\' HUNTSVILLE, ALA. 0. 57,926 SAT. 52,304 SUN. 73,723 JAN 31 1989 ,, f .. I -~ ,,,:.-~:~;J-'..:~---~-~ .. :~~-~i._-.~ ~-'" ---~.-: UperfimdL ~uriet: scandal -:::,r>i6':-.;. IJ;Jl.~1-~~?'fOR!Nl- --licQnii11l,. 011 i the,. environmentaf envisioned a strontt role fot private con-~of.the Bus~ ad~nistration are the tractors, who. 'ere thought to have the o~concerDS'of'aiF; land, water expertise to remeve toxic wastes effectively Jl\1C.le1U";.'pollutio11._/wherein strict new without. the need,_ for a newly created -n&.legislation. may:_ ber the nation's fmreacratj,todoit~ cion., :3 ,__ .-~, .. But these contractors, OTA now con-.ii the administraciowsown, agencies.'. tends~ aie going too far, and.the EPA has ~gagedwhen it. comes to the en.t allowed Jt. Private firms have been reaping Jhei'e is. littlechance of cleaning some 8'1,,to 90 percent of Superfund's an. __ hin1;,Jll'. itts almost ann_ual-criticism--nual--_b,.and federally s1;1pp_li~d budget, he: E~vironmentat Protection Agency, anci thet;ilfflls', respons1b1ht1es have even Ofr~ of Tecl)nnlog A ssessment:c moved into the policx-making arena. e__ .: flli.1i.. week: that the-EPA -vjr-. ;i_. ~~emtfu1.t EPA has relinsurrendercd. control of.. the Superfund".. quished4.-:its respoDSJbtbtf' t& a so-called :~=-___ \;.~up: crr~_;:~o ~vatef ~rr~/i_'. n_e:_ Ji~~-'. o~taido. c?nsultants and .. -~ These r~ & .ar& said'._:: pi ft alamung flut'lt's only one parf 'V~'cJcanup.> pr.oj~ -or tht::!, 611 .t&e:_ roblem.. Thea firms, with theit :~ ~~~---andt employmt, sloppy ... -. considiriblc-influence: in Superfund activ.-. ~:-D;lCthoda: while, reaping, hefty itia, arcircumventihg. the official controls .. ; 0!t''f.:,-~ .->-: -, :,;,__ and public.-scrutin)l!'that the government _,oftlcials. contend the: agency is-vuy provides-in-(he besti.nterests of its citizens.
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., ,. ... ......... -----7--__ ::::.._ NEWARK, NJ DAILY 461,080 ltONDAY DEC ZB 1988 169 XC Officials strive _:: ', to widen pool l for scientists ~::! are tbe forees that J.1ermme whether a chlld will grow up to be a scientist?_ Policymakers are beginning to examine the ingredients that lead to a career choice in science so that they may begin to subUy alter the steps and, in doing that, enlarge the pool Traditionally, _the path that produced scientists is known to consultants as the "pipeline model" Students enter the pipeline as early as the third grade, where they begin to be channeled through a sequence of preparatory science math classes. .. This "cllannellng'' pervadea the: undergraduate and graduate studies that prepare them as profes-s~ Many students drop out along the way. There are few who are added to the pool. In fact, it is generally thought that very few enter the pipleline after junior high. The irony: of the situation is that while the die for professions:11 cast by the seventh grade, students' Kitta MacPherson Science interests remain volatile until well past high school. How many people do we know who are what they are because of desires Conned in early childhood? Proba-. bly p:-ecioas few. Those who try to enter a science or engineering career in their sophomore year of college, however, are relatively ill-prepared and may drop out en route to their baccalaureate. As a result, a group of students with the intellectual resources to be scientists never get that far. They fall through the cracks of the current system. A technical memorandum prepared by the Con gressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that examines recruitment and retention of students in science and engineeripg fields, JCl'Utinizes the current system of science education and searchesfor ways to enlarge the pool of scientific talent Enti.Ued "Elementary and Secondary Education for Science and Engineering," the memorandum notes the process of choosing a career includes formal in struction in math -and science, opportunities for in,, formal. edac:ation in museums, science centen and. recreational J>IOll'IIDS, and the influence of family, tea~and the media. .. Herl are-some. of the demopphlc trends pro,,, -~ jected over the nert.20 ~rs that will control the.,:j naturenlf"-.. seiebtifie pool: L .,__.,. .... --1, --A contrnued drop -in tJae number minority hip iebool graduates who enter college, due to the increased attractivenessof the Armed-Forces and disillusionment witb tile value of a college degree in job market The memo notes that, overall. col, legeattendance is holding level, owing to the in creasing number of older students-enrollinf and a small increase in. the number of high schoo gradu,.. ates. .. A.continuing increase in the size of the black ~ddle class, whose children. enroll in higher education at about the same rate as do the children of white middle-class familie& -, Continuing high dropout rates for Hispanics, only about 40 percent of whom complete bigh school. Rising concentrations. of' Hispanics in the I Southwest and California. Enrollment m California's ._ P.Uhlic schools is what the report notes as a "minority majority." : ....... Slgniflcant increases in the number o(bip school-graduates in the West and Florida during tlie next 20 years-, along with declines of as much as 10 to 20 percent in New England, the Midwest, and the Mountain States. -What is so compelling about the OT A memo is its rejection of the notion that a shortage of scien. tists and engineers is inevitable, due to what has been discussed as the eventual decline in the traditional science pool of white males. "Rather than accept demographic determinism OTA has chosen to investigate the formation of th~ science and engineering pool in high school and assess how the structure of schooling identifies, reinforces and perhaps stifles aspirations to careers in scien~ and engineering," the memo notes. In short, there 1s hope because a subsequent analysis may yield some factor in the system that is limiting the career goals of would-be scientists. It is clear there is a renewed federal interest. in science education. There is a notion that the nation needs to train a better qualified workforce. A seco~d perception is that the nation must ensure that educational opportunity must be equal for all Americana. _The heigh~ned importance of these issues will reqwre change m several areas, including organizational arrangements in schools and school districts the upgrading of the educational workforce and ul~ timately, a higher level of spending. '.l'he~ is a vital need to improve course offer ings m sc1ence_and math, to introduce more experimental work in classrooms, to extend informal learning opportunities, and fuel enrichment pro grams both in and out of school. Most important, there is an obvious realization the system that produced the scientists of today is flawed an_d is missing a treasure trove of people who are pursumg other careers. There is hope whenever an .organization has what some of us refer to as a "BGO" -a blinding glimpse of the obvious. I ..

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Report Outlines Career-Choice Factors OTA: Schools Could Lead More Toward Engineering Chance, as rrmch a learning environment and interest, 1s a major factor in determining whether a student will pursue a career as an engineer or scientist. Nevertheless, according to a new ana!vsis on education from the Offifr..oLTech nology Assessment (OTA), the odds that a student will grow up to become a scientist or engineer can be improved. "Students make manv choices over a long period, and choose a career through a complicated process," notes OTA Director John Gibbons. "The process includes formal instruc tion in mathematics and science. and the opportunitv for informal education m museums. science centers, and recreation programs. The influence of familv, teachers, peers. and the electronic media can make an enormous difference." In its analvsis of factors during the education process that cause students to choose careers. OTA points to a number of barriers present in C.S. schools that prevent manv prospective students from entering the science and engmeermg pipelines. Killing Interest "Poor teaching, inadequate course offerings, and overrigid or biased abilitv grouping or tracking ... can kill interest and waste talent," reports OTA in "Elementarv and Secondarv Education for Science and Engineering," a technical memorandum that supplements a June I 988 report. "Taking full advantage of the na t1ons talent ... depends on having schools act in large measure as talent scouts." Instead, the report claims. ,chools ha\'e often acted as "curricular traffic cops. encouraging the ohnoush talented students. while "culling our those" ho do nor displav the convenuonal ,igns of abilitv and drive at an earh dl(e. To meet forure needs. savs OT:\. ,chools "di need to casr their nets ._'Ider m 1dent1fnng potential scien rms and engineers .;omg hevond the standard model of ralent. Two groups of students whose ralents-largelv absent from science and rechnologv. at present-must he better uulized .ire "omen and m1nonues. OT.\ calls pasr interest and pertormance ot female and mmorin students in ,crence <1nd engmeering helds <1 renuous basts for conclud ing that the, will ne,er Hock to the technical professions and that a shortal(e of ,uenmrs and engmeers is 1nenr.1hle Re11;:irdmg ",Jmen. rn p<1rucular. rhe technical memorandum notes. \l.im researchers belie,e that the differences are primard\' ,ir rotalh 1 caused bv rhe differential treatment bovs and girls recei,e from birth. There is no endence that the rate of leart11nl( of mathemaucs b, males and females is different. If there are differences Ill rhe preparation for. orientauon to. or talents of males ,rnd females m suence. rhev can he remedied ... Schools should. for example. encourage females ro rake ad,anced marhemaucs courses ,rnd parUCipate full, 1n hands-on suenufic expenments. OTA recommends. Minority Shortfalls \[inoritv students. especiallv black children. are also often discouraged from pursuing studies and careers in math and science, hut in a manner different from that experienced bv females. OT.\ explains. "Develop ment of interest and talent in science and engineering bv blacks is stulti fied bv their relativelv lower socioeco nomic status and more limited access to courses that prepare them for science and engineering careers. For some. sadlv, success in academic studv is scorned bv their minoritv peer's as acting white. .. To offset that negative peer pressure. the report suggests that "schools need to develop better guidance counseling, and inculcate higher expectations for minorities among counselors. teachers, and students." In addition. OTA recommends that states and school districts ensure that schools with high minoritv populations receive a fair share of financial. teaching. and equipment resources, since such schools are often in poor areas. Accordi~ to the report. data from the, National As-_ sessment of Educauonal Progress show that students in disadvantaged urban areas score an average of 20
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---. __ ,.._.,,,__~_ ------------~ ------~-------_______ ,_. -------~---. -~ --------------.-:.___ __ ......._ ,,r OTA on EMPRESS II: Mo;e ~Ml Testing Is Needed .)rl 1V The U.S. Navy's electromagnetic pulse (EMP) simulator EMPRESS Il, presents "no significant health effects" threa~ to_ h~ans and wil~ife on land fMCJE HEIJS NW YORK, HY 8I-HOHTHLY JAH-FEB 1989 -4330 .6'ffl!trug or

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l i: ----~--~---~ C4 THE NEW YORK TIMES THE ENVIRO,.,.,~NT f_Jzf/Y-1 TC'ESD.~ .Citing Decline in Coastal Waters, House Report Urges New Policy Congressional panels propose steps to reverse the damage. By PHILIP SHABECOFF 'if'l('t 1.11 q 1 hc->,;rw 'rork f:mcs WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -A Congressional report released today warned : that the nation's coastal waters are in serious decline and c;alled for several changes in Federal )ohcy to help reverse the damage. : The report, prepared by two sub commmees of the House Committee .on Merchant \farine and Fishenes, '.said that coastal waters are under ''assault" from many directions. "From the contaminated sediment '. -qf New Bedford Harbor to the closed 'beaches of Long Island, from the de- 'c;Jining shellfish harvests of Chesa. )eake Bay to the rapidly disappear. ,ing wetlands of Louisiana, from the ,heavily polluted waters of San Fran- .cisco Bay to the Superfund sites m -Puget Sound. the signs of damage and -loss are pervasive," the report said. Representative Gerry E. Studds, l)emocrat of \fassachusetts, who heads the Fisheries and Wildlife subcommlltee, said in a telephone 1nterv1ew that he intends to introduce legislation this spring to strengthen efforts to saicguard coastal waters. He s31d there ,s broad support for such a program in Congress. Horrendous Problem' ''.Ve have .111 :ibsolutelv horrendous problem on our hands,'' \'Ir. Studds said. It will be expensive to reverse this problem but ,ooner o.later we will have to do .something. The longer we wait, the more E'xpens1ve 11 will be." Based on evidence g3thered in recent heanngs by the F1shenes and Wlidhfe subcommittee and the Ocea nogr3phv subcommmee. the report f0und 1hat nmt1nu1ng damage to beaches. estuaries. bavs J.nd other ~reas from polluuon. development .rnd natural forces may be causing -tlntenaole stresses. "If .H' :ail to act and 1f current trends "011tlnUe unabated, what IS :,ow 1 ;,r1ous. ,.1Jespread collectmn ,Jf proolems :nay coalesrP into a nat10nai cr1:-i1s 11v ,ar!v ill the nexl :-:en tury,. he report sured. The repQrt ,-~11ed for much of its data on a i 987 ,tucty bv :he Congres ,1onal Oifice oi rechnologv Assess ment. Th.H report found !hat he threat ro :he r:ch .. shallow coastal waters :s :.ir ~:-f'~ler :hcin he dan gers of ,iultuurm .n he ,,pen .JCean. The new report proposed several countermeasures. The basic cause of the troubles, the report said, is the increasing concentration of people living along the coasts. It noted that more than 120 million Americans, roughly half the population. live within 50 miles of the coasts. The number is expected to grow substantially by the end of the century, portending ever ever more homes, shops, factories, roads, waste, pollutmn and "an increase in every type of environmental assault on the land, -11r water and coastal zone." Toxic Chemicals and :vletals Perhaps the most serious problem, the report said, 1s polluuon by toxic chemicals and metals, which enter the coastal waters in industnal and municipal waste discharges and m runoff from streets, parking lots and other developed areas. Another maior problem for coastal waters 1s that they are "suffocating" from too many nutnents and other pollutants that consume the available Red Wolves Reintroduced On Gulf Isle NEW ORLEANS, Jan, 23 (AP) The dfort to reintroduce the red wolf to the wild 1s expand ing wah the mtroducuon of a pair of rhe animals to a wilderness area on Horn Island, m the Gulf of Mexico off the :Vl ississ1pp1 coast. The red wolf. smaller and more elu sive than its gray cousin, once roamed the bottomlands of the South from the Carolinas to Texas. About 100 survive m captivity; the last few wild. purebred red wolves were cap tured hv rhe Federal Fish and Wild life Ser\ce in the !ate l970's for captive hreeding at the Pomt Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, 'Nash. Since September 1987, four pairs of wolves raised at Tacoma have been released :n the Alligator River Refuge in coastal '.'1/orth Carolina. At least two cubs were spotted last sum mer .-\ second group of red wolves was rP111troduced to the wild on Bulls lsl,rnd.:, C .. fi1c1als said. \V1ldl1fe utftc1als hope the pair on Horn Island now becoming accll mated :n a sprawling penned area --.v1ll DrPp,j m February or early .\larch and produce a litter in Apnl. Horn Island was selected as the hreeuing ,ae bec::iuse 1t provides ;:,lenty q[ ~~rey. l'tan Ahead!\ NYC stores i\ ctose Frldavs at pm, \ east Meadow at pm. J oxygen in the water as they decay, leaving little for marine life. These nutrients, in sewage, storm water, farm runoff and contaminated rivers, have damaged or destroyed manv fisheries and shellfish beds. The report noted that elevated levels of bacteria and toxic chemicals have also forced the closing of shell fish beds around the country :ind have lowered the biolog1cal productivity of estuarine areas. By 19~5 about one-third of 13.7 million acres of shellfish waters off the contiguous 48 states were considered unsafe for shellfish ha rvesung, It said. It noted that 70 percent of commer cial fish and shellfish depend on these waters and that the harvests of manv species, including the striped bass, soft-shell clam and American oyster have declined significantly since 1965. In addiion, medical wastes and garbage slicks on Eastern beaches take a heavy toll on recreatmn and tourism in these areas, wnh at,endant economic losses, the report observed. The report said the most pressing need is more money for manne and coastal research, monitoring and regulation, coastal zone management and water quai:ty programs. Since 1981, overnment funds for most of thes,_ programs have declined; overai! levels are now manv hundreds of m1:1Ions of dollars below the need, the .-eport asserted. One way to raise mure money would be to impose fees on cities and industnes that discharge waste into coastal waters, it said. The report also said the Environ mental Protection Agencv .ind the Nallonal Oceanic Jnd -\ 1 musphenc Admimstrallon need 10 ,:;1ve r.1gher priority and more resources 10 protecting coastal waters. It added that he E. P .-\. should strengthen its regui,rnons ior protec1ing water qualnv. wn1ch now iocus largely on freshwater rivers .ind streams, to reflect the threat to coastal ecolog1cal systems. The report said the new r.1lcs should em brace entire svstems mstead ui focus mg on "narrow phvs1cal ,ir ,:~em1c:il parameters." The states must .1!so 0trengthen their water qualm programs 1nd standards, parucularly those gowrning the discharge of ;ox1c substances into coastal waters. the report said The Federal Government should con sider suspending fin:mc1al assistance to states that i::111 10 eniorce :he .vatf'r standards. In addll1on. :he report :ecom mended that the 1..-oastai lune \lan agement Act be Jsed to require iJnd use planning Jtmed :it ::irotecung coastal waters .. -\nd 1t said the en forcement power-; of the coastal pro tecuon laws shr .,,id be used :nore 1g gress1vely to er.,.:, down on poiiuters. --r :Niicrosco: M-,,_-'.. ~-,l ;, ,r, that dcptJ-:s JD_f)f"::r -,J .,,.,av d1J,;:r; UCC'~illC .'at('d ,_i.-..ir; )! '1,,;, rur _, (.::',; '.LlrT1 1_\t,,, isms, :h,r ,', 1,:;,-; 'cl ,pons1b1, :,.,-.;,

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RADIO CLIPS DATE TIME NETWORK PROGRAM 75 EAST NORTHFIELD ROAD I LIVINGSTON I NEW JERSEY 07039 (201) 992-6600/ (212) 227-5570 I (800) 631-1160 January 6. 1989 10:00-1:00 AM MT ABC Talkradio Tom Snyder Show Tom Snyder, host: ACCOUNT NUMBER 10/6297 Y We are joined by telephone now by Dr. Catherine Wagner from the Office of Technology Assessment. and we continue with Bob Spurgeon from BFl :\iledical--or BFI Medical Waste Svstems here in the studio in Southern California. Dr. Catherine. thanks for being with us tonight. and hello. Catherine Wagner: Hi. Good evening. Snyder: Good evening. doctor. I'd like to ask you about this paper you did on medical waste management. and the position of the OTA. Office of T echnolo~y Assessment, on where we stand right now in terms of effectively controlling what could be a serious problem. Wagner: OK. Basically. the paper is an overview of the issue. and attempted to make an assessment of what we know about medical waste. what's being generated. what kind of risk they pose. what federal and state actions ha\; been taken or are on the> books. and what mi!!ht be nec>dt>d in addition to better address medical waste issues. And the report-basically concludes that we do not have a lot of good information on e,en the amounts of this kind of waste that's being generated. the risk that--the actual risk that it posed. Now we know somethin!.! about it. and the .\'1edical Waste Trackin!.! Act. \\ hich passed this past fall in Congress has research pro,isions with it to -try and begin to fill those information gaps. and in the meantime sets up a modd program that will in sevc>ral East Coast states and other statc>s that \\ant to opt into this program trap the waste and bc>gin to move> toward rc>gulating it. ( They continue dis...:us~ing mc>dical waste management.) .255 Words 21 Clips

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.... ... ----"-j--------~----~--... --~----~---"--:,,-WMHINBTON, DC NON11LY 33",SOO ,-: DECEHBER 1988 -58 HS Infectious Medical Waste fd2/nj The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) has released a background paper entitled Issues in Medical Waste Management, which says recent beach wash-ups of medical waste are a symptom of confusing, inconsistent, and inadequate regulation (see ASM News, November 1988, p. 594-596). The repo~ cites inconsistencies in federal guidelines for the definition and management of infectious waste and lack of federal regulations for tteatment and disposal of medical waste. Further complica tions, it notes, are owing to more medical waste being classified as infectious at the same time that controls are being tightened on disposal options. OTA suggests that a lead federal agency, most likely the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), needs to clarify and develop the federal definition, classification, and regulation of medical waste. Congress is working to reauthorize the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which, says OTA, offers "sufficient legislative authority'' to implement corrective regulatory measures and provide EPA direction in its efforts. [Copies of the OTA background paper can be obtained from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, DC 20402, (202) 783-3238.] Meanwhile, Congress completed action on 12 October on HR 3515, which would set up a 2-year demonstration program for tracking and handling medical wastes in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, states contiguous to the Great Lakes, and any state included in the program through a petition program. States covered by the program may seek exclusion from the program within 30 days after regulations are promulgated. The bill also requires the administration of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to prepare a report for Congress on the health effects of medical waste. :, { I t l .. t l -\ I ... ... I

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,_,,,_ _____ ,_ -----------------JOURNAL OF ENUIRONHENTAL HEALTH DENVER, CO BI-HONTHLV 5,400 JAN-FEB 1989 BuR_J;JEUIS -3695 HS Storage capacity shrinking forf~io~c;9ve wastes Thou~andsiffufiversities, hospitals, radio graphy firms and other nuclear fac;_ilities are running out of storage space for radio active wastes categorized as "greater-thanClass-C" (GTCC). Lower level radioactive wastes, ranked A, B or C, are disposed of at three commercial sites in the United States, but GTCC wastes currently must be stored on-site. \,, In a recent review, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), reported that such on-site storagecapacity is shrinking and could be used up within a decade. Meanwhile, it is expected to take 15 to 20 years to develop a disposal facility for these wastes. Although no deatha have been reported from accidents involving GTCC wastes in the United States, "the relatively high levels of its radioactivity demand that management options be made available to ensure that public health and safety are protected." OT A suggests that the federal government develop an extended storage facility for GTCC waste and, in the mean time, that it provide storage space at one of the Department of Energy's existing facilities. OT A estimates that over the next three decades, between 10,000 and 20,000 cubic feet of packaged waste -a volume equiv alent to four to eight tractor trailors -will be required for offsite storage. On a long-term basis, the report recom mends permanent isolation of these wastes in a deep geologic repository, such as that proposed for commercial spent fuel and defense high-level waste. 1 '1 ~-~i f'r \" l \ -' \ \


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