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- Permanent Link:
- http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00055597/00048
Material Information
- Title:
- Quarterly Report to the Technology Assessment Board, January 1 - March 31, 1987
- Series Title:
- Quarterly Report Office of Technology Assessment
- Creator:
- Office of Technology Assessment
- Publisher:
- Office of Technology Assessment
- Publication Date:
- 1987
- Language:
- English
- Physical Description:
- 125 pages.
Subjects
- Subjects / Keywords:
- Technology assessment ( LIV )
Budgets ( LIV )
- Genre:
- federal government publication ( marcgt )
- Spatial Coverage:
- Washington, D.C.
Notes
- General Note:
- Quarterly report to the Technology Assessment Board, detailing progress and budgets at OTA.
Record Information
- 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.
Aggregation Information
- IUF:
- University of Florida
- OTA:
- Office of Technology Assessment
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PAGE 1
Quarterly ep rt to the Technology Assessment Board January 1-March 31, 1987 .. .,~., ec-,-,NOU>':,'t ,,_-,
PAGE 2
Office of Technology Assessment Congressional Board of the 100th Congress MORRIS K. UDALL, Arizona, Chairman TED STEVENS, Alaska, Vice Chairman Senate ORRIN G. HATCH Utah CHARLES E. GRASSLEY Iowa EDWARD M. KENNEDY Massachusetts ERNEST F. HOLLINGS South Carolina CLAIBORNE PELL Rhode Island WILLIAM J. PERRY, Chairman H&Q Technology Partners DAVID 5. POTTER, Vice Chairman General Motors Corp. (Ret.) EARL BEISTLINE Consultant CHARLES A. BOWSHER General Accounting Office JOHN H. GIBBONS (Nonvoting) Advisory Council House GEORGE E. BROWN, JR. California JOHN D. DINGELL Michigan CLARENCE E. MILLER Ohio DON SUNDQUIST Tennessee AMO HOUGHTON New York CLAIRE T. DEDRICK California Land Commission RACHEL McCULLOCH University of Wisconsin 5. DAVID FREEMAN Lower Colorado River Authority MICHEL T. HALBOUTY Michel T. Halbouty Energy Co. CARL N. HODGES University of Arizona Director JOHN H. GIBBONS CHASE N. PETERSON University of Utah JOSEPH E. ROSS Congressional Research Service LEWIS THOMAS Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
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I. DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT CONTENTS ........................................ Page 1 II. COMMUNICATION WITH CONGRESS A. Summary of FY '86 Completions, Ongoing Work in FY '87, and New Starts Through March 31, 1987 3 B. Products Delivered During the Quarter 1. Formal Assessment Reports............................. 4 2. Other: Technical Memoranda, Background Papers, Staff Papers or Letter Memoranda, Workshop Proceedings, and Committee Prints..................... 6 3. Testimony............................................. g C. Other Communication with Congress 1. Formal Briefings, Presentations, Workshops............ 10 2. Informal Discussions --Topics 11 D. Projects in Process as of 3/31/87 (including formal assessments, responses to TAB, and Committee requests) l. Descriptions and Requester(s) 14 A. In Press as of 3/31/87 15 B. In Progress as of 3/31/87 21 E. New Assessments Approved During the Ouarter 51 I I I. PUBLICATION BRIEFS OF FORMAL ASSESSMENTS DELIVERED IV. SELECTED NEWS CLIPS ON OTA PURLICATIONS AND ACTIVITIES
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-1 -I. DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT A. B. c. D. E. In lieu of a Director's report to the Technology Assessment Roard in March, I submit the following summary: Superconductivity, Supernovas, and Punctured Equilibrium -Over the past several months there has been rapidly rising excitement in scientific circles about the extraordinary advances in materials that conduct electricity with essentially zero resistance. The basic facts have been known and studied for more than a half-century, and slow, steady progress has been occurring in both research and applications. But the new developments, using new Materials, are truly revolutionary and typify those rare moments in history when the relatively steady pace of change is suddenly and dramatically interrupted. Another example of this phenomenon of unexpected and rapid change is evolution of life on the earth, where the traditional Darwinian theory of incrementalism is now known to be punctured by extraordinary moments such as a cataclysmic event (probably a large meteor) which marked the end of the Cretaceous Period about 65 million years ago. It was also particularly fitting for the first "nearby'' supernova to be seen since the invention of the telescope at about the same time the "new" superconductors were discovered. Biannual Audit -Soon after I arrived at OTA I instituted an independent financial audit of the agency, timed to occur at the beginning of each new Congress. The audit for the year ending 1986 was delivered to TAB in March 1987. It is gratifying that no significant problems were encountered. Reaffirmation of Requests for Work -Since the leadership and membership of many congressional committees changed with the 100th Congress, OTA contacted those committees who earlier had requested work to reaffirm this interest. This was confirmed in every instance. The Technology Assessment Board -Senator Mathias and Congressman Evans retired from Congress at the end of the 99th Congress. The Senate and House leadership chose Senator Grassley and Congressman Houghton to succeed them, and they were welcomed to TAB at its March 26th meeting. Other Appointments -During the quarter I made appointments in response to several congressional mandates: Advisory Panel on Alzheimer's Prospective Payment Commission Physician Payment Review Commission
PAGE 5
F. G. H. -2 -Appointments of new OTA Fellows Once again, O~A received a large number of extraordinarily well qualified and promising applications for our Fellows program. When the:most promising candidates were matched to OTA's projected specific needs beginning Septemeber 1987, five candidates were selected. They are: Barbara Boardman, M.P.H., Harvard University; M.D, Temple University, assigned to the Health Program Michael E. Gluck, candidate for Ph.D. in Public Policy, Harvard University, assigned to the Health Program Jana B. Milford, candidate for Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University; assigned to the Oceans and Environment Program Robin K. Roy, candidate for Ph.D. in Civil Engineering/Resources Planning, Stanford University, assigned to the Energy and Materials Program Mark Schaefer, candidate for Ph.D. in Molecular Neurobiology, Stanford University, assigned to the Biological Applications Program Operations Retreat -In February, OTA's Operation Division, which provides a myriad of support services to the agency, held its first retreat and found it highly valuable in terms of selfassessment, clarification of roles and functions, and identification of current needs. The following functional units constitute the Division: Administrative Services; Budget and Finance Office; Information Center, Personnel Office; Publishing Office; and Telecommunications and Information Services. Communicating with Committee Staffers The fJ~st few months of a new Congress, especially when there is a change in the majority, is an unusually busy time for OTA. First, a large number of reports are delivered and released, reflecting the time when the requesting Committees need the results; second, we must devote much time and energy in meeting with Committees to reaffirm their interests and requests, as well as to get to know the new professional staffers in the Committees. Much of OTA's effectiveness depends upon continuing communications with our counterparts on committee staff, so the time consumed has been well-spent.
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-3 -II. COMMUNICATION WITH CONGRESS A. Summary of FY '86 Completions, Ongoing Work in FY '87, and New Starts Through March 31, 1987 FY '86 Products Released Total Formal Assessments 18 Other Special Reports 8 Report Supplements 0 Technical Memoranda 5 Background Papers, Case Studies, or Workshop Proceedings 7 Testimony 27 Staff Memos or Letter Memoranda 33 Administrative Documents 4 New Projects Approved by TAB Assessments 21 Other (Scope Changes; Special Responses Over 30K) 2 Projects in Process as of March 31, 1987 1. In Press Assessments Other (TM's, Background Papers, etc.) 3. In Progress Assessments Other 7 1 31 18 FY '87 _Q!_ Q3 Q4 2 1 1 1 1 1 5 8 1 3 2 3
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-4 -II. COMMUNICATION WITH CONGRESS B. Products Released During the Quarter 1. Formal Assessment Reports TECHNOLOGIES TO MAINTAIN BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY --Maintaining biological diversity of plants and animals is both a matter of insurance and investment necessary to sustain and improve agriculture, to keep open future options for medical discoveries, and as the raw material for industrial innovation and genetic engineering. Agricultural development needs wild plants as a source of new genes to increase yields, to improve disease resistance, and to increase the ability of crops to withstand extreme environmental stresses. Wild plants are used by the pharmaceutical industry as sources of valuable compounds that, once discovered in nature, sometimes can be synthesized in the laboratory. Animal physiology affords many clues to the origins and nature of human ailments. For example, the cotton-topped marmoset, a species of monkey susceptible to lymphatic cancer, is helping to produce a potent anticancer vaccine. Genetic engineering, an emerging technology with great potentials for agriculture, depends on biological diversity for the raw material to engineer. Thus loss of diversity could reduce the potential opportunities that this technology offers. But while the importance of diverse biological resources is receiving increasing attention, diversity appears to be declining and valuable reservoirs of germ plasm are disappearing. In order to identify opportunities to maintain biological diversity, this OTA assessment: 1) assesses the status of biological diversity and its rates of change; 2) assesses the economic, social, ecological, and political implications of a decline in biological diversity; 3) assesses technologies (both in situ and ex situ) to maintain plant and animal biological diversity; 4) assesses the role of institutions and U.S.-funded agencies (e.g., U.N. and World Bank) in developing and transferring beneficial technologies for maintaining biological diversity; and 5) identifies policy options that will facilitate the development and use of such technologies to maintain biological diversity. Interim Deliverables: Grassroots Conservation of Biological Diversit in the United States Background Paper 11; published 2 86) Assessing Biological Diversity in the United States: Data Considerations (Background Paper #2; published 4/86) The Role of U.s. Development Assistance in Maintaining Biological Diversity (Staff Paper; published 7/86) Request or Affirmation of Interest: Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Hon. Jesse Helms, then Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Sen. Claiborne Pell
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-5 -House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Hon. Don Fuqua, then Chairman House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries Hon. Walter Jones, Chairman Hon. Joel Pritchard, then Ranking Minority Member Hon. John B. Breaux, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the Environment Hon. Don Young, Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the Environment House Committee on Foreign Affairs Hon. Dante Fascell, Chairman Hon. Don Bonker, Chairman, Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade Hon. Gus Yatron, Chairman, Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations House Committee on Agriculture Hon. E. de la Garza, Chairman Project Director: Susan Shen, 226-2256 THE BORDER WAR ON DRUGS --Control of illegal drugs entering the United States from foreign countries is part of federal drug law enforcement efforts. The detection and seizure of drugs at U.S. borders depends on a number of advanced technologies, including radar and other sensing devices and specialized ships and aircraft. The Customs Service and the Coast Guard, the two agencies with primary responsibility for monitoring U.S. borders, are devoting an increasing share of their resources to intercepting illegal drugs. A number of other federal agencies --including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Border Patrol, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Department of Defense --assist interdiction programs. Technical and organizational improvements could increase the effectiveness of drug interdiction efforts. There are proposals to purchase additional equipment for Customs Service and Coast Guard programs; to develop and introduce new, more sophisticated technical systems; and to increase military assistance through the loan of military hardware and greater participation of armed forces personnel in drug control activities. This assessment evaluates current and proposed technologies for drug interdiction, their cost-effectiveness, and their most appropriate use in controlling illegal drug traffic. Requesters: Senate Committee on Appropriations Hon. Mark O. Hatfield, then Chairman Hon. John C. Stennis, then Ranking Minority Member, now Chairman Hon. Alfonse M. D'Amato Hon. Paul Laxalt, then member Hon. James Abdnor, then member Hon. Mark Andrews, then member Hon. Ernest F. Hollings Hon. Lawton Chiles Hon. Dennis DeConcini Hon. Daniel K. Inouye Project Director: Peter Johnson, 6-2066
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II. B. 2. Other: Technical Memoranda, Background Papers, Workshop Proceedings, Committee Prints, and Administrative Reports MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR CHILDREN (Background Paper) --Prepared at the request of the Senate Committee on Appropriations (Senator Mark Hatfield, then Chair, and Senator Daniel K. Inouye), this study examines the extent to which the mental health field has reached a consensus on the appropriate treatments and treatment settings for responding to the mental health needs of our Nation's children. The report also gives an overview of children's mental health problems, the mental health services available to aid children in need of services, and the Federal role in providing services. Project Director: Denise Dougherty, 226-2070 NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY -Ownership of Human Tissues and Cells (Special Report) The use of human tissues and cells to develop commercial products for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes is increasing. From 1980 through 1984, patent applications by universities and hospitals for inventions using human tissues and cells increased by more than 300 percent compared with the preceding 5-year period. In the U.S., 49 percent of all medical institutions have applied for such patents. OTA estimates that there are nearly 350 commercial biotechnology companies existing in the U.S. at this time. Approximately one-third of these companies make some use of human tissues and cells. These uses of human tissues and cells raise a number of important legal, ethical, and economic issues. This background paper, an interim deliverable of the ongoing OTA assessment New Developments in Biotechnology, examines such questions as: Are bodily substances "property" to be disposed of by any means one chooses, including donation or sale?; do individuals hold property rights to their genetic identity or do these rights adhere to the human species?; and who owns a cell line -the person who was the human source of the tissues and cells, or the scientist who developed the cell line? 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, Ranking Minority Member Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Hon. Dave Durenberger, Chairman, Subcommittee on Toxic Substances and Environmental Oversight Project Director: Gladys White, 226-2082
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-7 -PUBLICATIONS LIST (Administrative Document) ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES (Administrative Document) ANNUAL REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1986 (Administrative Document)
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-8 -OTA Staff Papers or Letter Memoranda Date 01/22/87 01/22/87 02/19/87 02/20/87 03/17/87 03/24/87 03/25/87 03/30/87 Subject Review of: Agricultural Herbicide Use and Risk of Lymphoma and SoftTissue Sarcoma Preparing for Science and Engineering Careers: Field-Level Profiles Written Review by Larry Miike to the Subcommittee on Government Activities and Transportation, House Committee on Government Operations of Special Issue Class III Medical Certificates Research on Geographic Variations in Physician Practice Patterns requested by Subcommittee on Health and Environment, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Statement for the Record (by Fred Weingarten): Bank and Broker Filing of Corporate 1099's Response to request by Congressman Vic Fazio: Evaluation of Defense Logistics Agency's Analysis of Impact of Waste Minimization on Need for Conforming Storage Facilities Review of Defense Department's Polygraph Test and Research Programs for the House Committee on Government Operations Response to Questions about Advance Notice and Plant Closings requested by Senator Metzenbaum, Chairman, Subcommittee on Labor, Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources Related OTA Work Ongoing Agent Orange work within Health Program Ongoing and completed work in the Science, Education and Technology Program Background work in the Health Program Ongoing and completed work in the Health Program Ongoing and completed work in the Communications and Information Program Ongoing and completed work in the Industry, Technology and Employment Program Ongoing and completed work in the Health Program Background work in the Industry, Technology, and Employment Program
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-9 -II. B. 3. Testimony Committee/Chairman Date 02/26/87 02/27/87 03/18/87 03/26/87 03/31/87 Subcommittee on Legislation and National Security of the House Committee on Government Operations Subcommittee on Health and the Environment of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Energy Research and Development, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Space Applications, House Commmittee on Science, Space, and Technology Subject/Person Testifying Comments on H.R. 145, Computer Security Act of 1987 (Fred Weingarten and Charles Wilk) Role of National Health Service Corps in the Indian Health Service (Ellen Smith) The Border War on Drugs (Peter Johnson) Focus on the research and development needs, and commercial prospects of renewable energy technology (Peter Blair) Review of OTA's work on the Space Station issue (John Andelin and Ray Williamson)
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10 -II. C. Other Communication with Congress 1. Formal Briefings, Presentations, Workshops (With Committee Staffs) COMMITTEES OF THE SENATE Finance o Health issues Finance Health staff of various subcommittees o Described on-going projects within OTA's Health and Life Sciences Division Labor and Human Resources Subcommittee on Labor Subcommittee on Employment and Productivity o Plant Closings and Mass Layoffs, advance notice, and worker adjustment assistance COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE Education and Labor Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary,and Vocational Education o Review of OTA Staff Paper: Trends and Status of Computers in Schools; Use in Chapter 1 Programs and Use with Limited English Proficient Students OTHER CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES Biomedical Ethics Board o Review of Biomedical Ethics Advisory Committee Candidates
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-11 -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. Topic Alcohol Fuels Clean Coal Technologies Cogenerations Composite Materials, Budgets & Developments Copper Industry Electric Power Wheeling Energy Conservation Fusion Energy R&D Infrastructure Materials New Electric Power Technology Nuclear Power Oil Supply and Demand Power Transmission Renewable Energy Technologies Research and Development for Infrastructure Super Conducting Super Collider and Fuel Cells Competitiveness Export Promotion Hazardous Waste Reduction International Trade & Competitiveness Plant Closing and Worker Dislocation Semiconductor Industry Solid (municipal) Waste Steel Industry Superfund Technology Policy Trade Adjustment Assistance China Commercial Newsgathering from Space Conventional Weapons Cooperative Arms Developments Defense Technology Base Japan Issues MX Basing Nuclear Control SDI Seismic Verification of Nuclear Test Ban Treaties Space Station Space Transportation Taggants in Explosives
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Animal Welfare Biological Research Biotechnology Dementia Assessment Genetic Screening Human Genome Mapping Infertility 12 -Life-Sustaining Technologies and the Elderly Tissues and Cells Report African Development Foundation Biological Diversity Assessment Grain for Alcohol Fuels Monocultures and Variations on Erosion Tropical Forestry AIDS Agent Orange Alternative Cancer Treatments Atomic Veterans Carcinogen Regulatory Policies Children's Mental Health Disease Prevention and the Elderly Drug Export Amendment Drug Labeling in Developing Countries Funding and Ethics of Clinical Trials Genetic Screening Geographic Differences in Health Services Geographic Differences in Medicare Payments Health of Native Hawaiians Indian Health Care Informed Consent National Health Service Corps Outpatient Pharmaceuticals Polygraph Testing Priorities for Health Services Research Review of Special Issue Class II Medical Certificates Serendipity in Science Urine Drug Tests Utilization Review of Health Services Communications Study Update Congressional Communication Freedom of Information Act Future of GPO Information Dissemination Social Security Administration Survey of Federal Information Users
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13 -Acid Rain Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Drug Interdiction Global Climate Change Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Nonpoint Runoff OCS Oil and Gas Ozone Seabed Hard Minerals Waste Disposal in Marine Environments Airport System Planning Aviation Safety Construction Technologies Drug Interdiction Education and Employment of Scientists and Engineers Educational Computer Software Issues Educational Technologies in ECIA Chapter I Programs: Title VII (Bilingual Ed) Programs Educational Use of Satellite Transmissions FAA Data Collection Motor Carrier Safety Precollege math/student performance Research Basis for Science Policymaking Teachers' Role in Technology: Implications for Training Technologies for instructional delivery of courses to students in remote locations (distance learning)
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ASSESSMENTS IN PROGRESS, March 31, 1987: BUDGET** AND SCHEDULE 1987 APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 1988 $Thousands JAN FEB MAR TAB OTA ENERGY, MATERIALS, AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY -~ Proj. Var. 1001 Effects of Technology on the American Economic Transition ______________ 0 Energy and Materials 0 1116 High Technology Structural Ceramics and Polymer Composites __________________ 1118 Magnetic Fusion Research and Development ____________________ 0 1119 Competitiveness of the Domestic Copper Industry __________________________ 0 1121 Technological Risks and Opportunities for Future U.S. Energy Supply and Demand _______________ 0 Industry, Technology, and Employment 1213 Technology, Innovation, and U.S. Trade _____________________________________ (December 1988) 1586 Analysis of Trade Adjustment Assistance ____________________ 0 International Security and Commerce 1311 Seismic Verification of Nuclear Test Ban Treaties 0 5130 Strategic Defense Initiative Survivability and So_f_t_w_a_r_e _________________ 0 1312 Advanced Space Transportation Technologies __________________________________ (January 1989) HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES 2110 2112 Food and Renewable Resources Low Resource Agriculture in Africa-----,-----------------,-----------0 Technology and Public Policy to Enhance Grain Quality in International Trade ___________________ Health (June 1988) Monitoring of Mandated Vietnam Veteran Studies--------------------------------(indeterminate) Technologies for Child Health -----------------,------------------0 Nontraditional Methods of Cancer Treatment: Science and Policy Issues _______________________ (June 1988) 2203 2217 2219 2220 2221 2222 Assessing the Quality of Medical Care __,.--,-------,-------,---,---,--------------------------------Diagnostic Medical Tests: Impact on Public and Private Policy Issues _____________________________ Drug Labeling in Developing Countries (Phase I) ________________________________ 0 Biological Applications 2311 New Developments in Biotechnology-----------------------------------------(April 1988) 2312 Infertility Prevention and Treatment 0 2313 Mapping the Human Genome _____________________________________________ 0 SCIENCE, INFORMATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES Communication and Information Technologies 3114 New Communications Technology: Implications for Privacy and Security o 3115 Technology, Public Policy, and the Changing Nature of Federal Information Dissemination ___________ 0 3116 Communications systems for An Information Age _________________________________ (September 1988) 3117 Science, Technology, and the Constitution in the Information Age _________________________ 0 Oceans and Environment Program 3211 Technologies for Exploring and Developing the Exclusive Economic Zone 0 3212 New Clean Air Act 0 ------------------------------------------------------Science, Education, and Transportation 3307 Sustaining the National Technological Base: Education and Employment of Scientists and Engineers _____________ 0 3308 Educational Technology: An Assessment of Practice and Potential ___________________________ ___,,.,,...-~ 3309 Safety in the Commercial Aviation and Motor Carrier Industries ___________________________ 0 (June 1988) ** TAB App.= TAB approved budget estimates; OTA Proj. = OTA projected budget as of 3/31/87; % Var. Percent variance of projected cost 670 480 280 171 324 277 353 353 850 850 180 181 700 700 1,035 1,035 627 615 395 395 88 25 652 580 412 412 0 496 496 0 514 514 207 207 776. 5 776.5 396 396 198 198 385 428 554 554 690 690 390 390 282 316 545 530 524 524 558 535 699 665 Approved by TAB (Mafch 26, 1987) ______ o = current projected date for delivery to TAB TAB Approved Special Responses -28.3 -38.9 -14.6 + 5 .2 -N/A--11.0 + 11. 2 +12.0 -2.8 -4. l -4.9
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14 -DESCRIPTIONS AND REQUESTERS FOR CURRENT OTA ASSESSMENTS AS OF MARCH 31, 1987
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15 -II. D. Descriptions and Requesters of Projects A. IN PRESS AS OF 3/31/87 INTEGRATED RENEWABLE RESOURCES MANAGMENT FOR U.S. INSULAR AREAS --U.S. insular areas in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and the Pacific (Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, ad the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) have experienced considerable historical land resource degradation. Freshwater supplies may be highly variable and tropical soils and waters can be relatively infertile, requiring special management consideration. Today they rely heavly on food imports, and many local food production technologies and incentives have been lost. The U.S., Hawaii, and territorial governments have voiced commitments to greater food productioni diversity and selfsufficiency. Activities in Hawaii provide models of these developments. The small size and limited resources of these insular areas require that land planning consider the capability of sites to sustain agriculuture and aquaculture; the probable impacts of development on other resources; and alternatives to traditional managment schemes that may be more appropriate to the economies and ecologies of these areas. Technologies designed for temperate, continental agriculuture and aquaculture --frequently dependent on relatively low cost energy supplies, large capital outlays, and well-developed markets --typically are not suitable for tropical insular areas. Reaping sustained benefits from food production developments requires technologies appropriate to resource characteristics and incentive schemes appropriate to cultural settings that encourage integrated development and management island resources. In order to assess technologies for insular renewable resource managment and development, this OTA assessment: 1) reviews data on freshwater demands, supplies and uses and assesses water supply enhancement and conservation technologies; 2) assesses agricultural technologies given the availability and quality of water and land supplies; 3) assesses aquaculture technologies alone and in combination with agricultural technologies; 4) assesses maricultural technologies for their suitability in the insular settings; 5) identifies integrated land capabilitiy analysis technologies appropriate to island resource development; and 6) assesses certain opportunities in case studies that include implementation action plans. Request or Affirmation of Interest: Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Hon. James A. McClure, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member Hon. Spark Matsunaga, then member House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs Hon. Morris K. Udall, Chairman Hon. Antonio B. Won Pat, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Insular Affairs Project Director: Alison Hess, 226-2198
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-16 LIFE-SUSTAINING TECHNOLOGIES AND THE ELDERLY --Recent technological advances in the treatment of chronic disease and acute illness, combined with greater access to such care, make it possible to keep persons alive who might never have survived in the past One result is that more older persons than ever before are surviving to the oldest ages (75 and over). These avances, however, are accompanied by complex legal, ethical, and financial issues concerning the definition of death, appropriate use of life-sustaining technologies, quality of life, patients' rights, surrogate decisionmaking, and the allocation of federal resources. Data indicate that up to 30 percent of all Medicare reimbursements (more than $57 billion in 1983) are made for care of older Americans in their last year of life; half of all nursing home costs are paid by federal Medicaid dollars. This assessment examines these technological advances and their implications for the elderly; and: 1) provides a classification of life-sustaining technologies and describes their development, including prospects for the future; 2) evaluates different technologies that are now applied in different situations and settings (e.g., end-stage renal dialysis,resuscitation, ventilation, alimentation, etc.); 3) describes the elderly subpopulations that are affected; 4) reviews ethical problems in different settings and situations (hospital, nursing home, residence); 5) evaluates the ethical issues related to patients' rights; 6) presents data on attitudes towards life-sustaining technologies and patient's rights (professional associations, groups repreenting the elderly, surveys of the public and health care providers, etc.); 7) reviews methods for determing mental competence and surrogate decisionmaking for the demented elderly; 8) evaluates federal and State laws regarding patients' right, surrogate decisionmaking, living wills, etc,; and 9) reviews data and issues concerning federal and other public costs related to current and potential applications of life-sustaining technologies. Interim Deliverable: Surrogate Decisionmaking (Background Paper) (shared effort with Disorders Causing Dementia) Request or Affirmation of Interest: Senate Special Committee on Aging Hon. John Heinz, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority member House Select Committee on Aging Hon. Edward R. Roybal, Chairman Project Director: Katie Maslow, 226-2090
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17 -LOSING A MILLION MINDS: CONFRONTING THE TRAGEDY OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND OTHER DEMENTIA --The economic, social, and health problems associated with disorders that cause deterioration of mental function (dementia) are growing rapidly. Current estimates of the cost of providing long-term care nationwide are approximately $30 billion annually for nursing homes and another $14 billion for other forms (1983); with $12 billion derived from Federal sources (Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Administration, etc.) Disorders leading to dementia are estimated to account for over half of these costs. These figures, and the other costs asociated with dementia (emotional distress among friends and family, costs of acute medical care, including diagnosis, and income lost due to the disease) threaten to rise rapidly as the proportion of very old people (over 80) in the population continues to increase much faster than other age groups. This assessment considers the Federal policy relating to the two major Federal functions: 1) support of research intended to provide treatment or means of prevention, and 2) financing and monitoring of long-term care for those who have dementia. The assessment surveys the status of basic biomedical research and health services research, and evaluates the methods for providing long-term care of those who develop dementia. The assessment incudes discussions of various options: home care, day care, respite care, adoptive care, and domiciliary care, in addition to nursing home care. Particular attention is focussed on evaluating methods for optimizing care of demented patients in the various settings (including Federal and private responsibilities for financing and assuring quality care). Interim Deliverable: Surrogate Decisionmaking --(Background Paper) (Shared effort with Life Sustaining Technologies and the Elderly) Request or Affirmation of Interest: Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources Hon. Orrin G. Hatch, then Chairman, still member Senate Special Committee on Aging Hon. John Heinz, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member Hon. Larry Pressler Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Hon. Alan K. Simpson, then Chairman Senate Committee on Finance Hon. Bob Dole, then Chairman Hon. Bill Bradley House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. John D. Dingell, Chairman House Committee on Science Space and Technology Hon. Don Fuqua, then Chairman Hon. Larry Winn, Jr., then Ranking Minority Member Hon. Albert Gore, Jr., then member Hon. Joe Skeen, then member House Select Committee on Aging Hon. Edward R. Roybal, Chairman Senator Howard Metzenbaum Project Director: Robert Cook-Deegan, 226-2034
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18 -INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRIES --The services have become mainstays of the U.S. economy, both in terms of domestic employment and foreign sales. Many are driven by new technologies. The U.S. balance of payments position depends heavily on income from foreign sales of intangibles to counterbalance, if only in part, merchandise deficits. Exports of technology-intensive manufactures --commercial aircraft, power generating equipment, electronic systems --are frequently tied to training and maintenance contracts. New developments in many of the service industries stem directly from technical advances. Increasingly, the Western European nations and Japan offer strong competition in international markets for technologically-based services. The analytical approach in this assessment is based on that developed in past OTA studies of competitiveness: three to five service industries are selected for detailed analysis based on business strategies as affected by technological developments, industrial structure, and government policies. Interim Deliverable: Trade in Services: Exports and Foreign Revenues (Special Report) (Published September 1986) Request or Affirmation of Interest: Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Hon. Charles Percy, then Chairman Hon. Charles Mee. Mathias, Jr., then Chairman, Subcommittee on International Economic Policy Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs Hon. William V. Roth, Jr.,then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member House Committee on Small Business Hon. Farren Mitchell, then Chairman Hon. Berkley Bedell, Chairman, Subcommittee on General Oversight and the Economy House Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs Hon. John J. LaFalce, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic Stabilization Project Director: John Alic, 226-2012 NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR NATO: IMPLEMENTING FOLLOW-ON FORCES ATTACK --Recent initiatives to improve NATO's defenses have focused on "follow-on forces attack" (FOFA), a tactical interdiction mission that aims to defeat an invasion by attacking enemy forces while they are moving toward the battle area, and a related interdiction mission that would support FOFA. U.S. programs to develop a capability for deep interdiction may be able to substantially increase NATO's non-nuclear defense capabilities. Central to these programs are new "smart" conventional munitions. The U.S. presently spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually on research on weapons and support systems for interdiction; eventual procurements could total hundreds of billions. Yet there exists to date no comprehensive study of interdiction and its implications for NATO.
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19 -This OTA assessment develops a comprehensive appraisal of the military and technical risks and opportunities of applying various alternative technologies to the "deep interdiction" capability in NATO, with particular attention to possible implications for Alliance cohesion and cooperation. The study focuses on'comparing alternative new munitions to the existing muniti_ons, and other issues such as aircraft and missile platforms and target acquisition systems will be reviewed. Unsolved technical problems are identified and assessed. Soviet doctrine and U.S. and Allied strategy and doctrine are reviewed to assess the military value of various approaches to interdiction, and possible Soviet responses. Finally, the project identifies and assesses possible U.S. policy options for developing this capability. Interim Deliverable: Technologies for NATO's Follow-on Forces Attack Concept (Special Report) (Classified version submitted to Committee 2/86; unclassified version published 7/86) Request or Affirmation of Interest: House Committee on Foreign Affairs Hon. Dante Fascell, Chairman Hon. William S. Broomfield, Ranking Minority Member House Committee on Armed Services Hon. Les Aspin, Chairman Hon. William Dickinson, Ranking Minority Member Senate Committee on Armed Services (affirmation of interest) Hon. Barry Goldwater, then Chairman Hon. Sam Nunn, then Ranking Minority Member, now Chairman Project Director: Alan Shaw, 226-2018 WASTES IN MARINE ENVIRONMENTS --Due to lower disposal costs relative to other alternatives, and increasing public opposition to land-based disposal alternatives, it is likely that pressure to use the ocean for waste disposal will continue or increase. As coastal areas of the United States have become more developed, the amounts of sewage sludge generated from municipal treatment plants and of dredged material from ports and harbors have increased. Disposal of both waste types, especially sewage sludge, at ocean dumpsites has been controversial but also has increased markedly in the last few decades. There also have been proposals to use the oceans for the disposal of different types of nuclear waste and for at-sea incine'ration of hazardous synthetic organics such as PCB' s. The assessment examines the different technologies used or proposed for disposal of different types of waste in the ocean. Primary emphasis is on sewage sludge and effluent dredged material, high-level radioactive waste, and some industrial wastes (including industrial discharges) that are compatible with ocean disposal. The study addresses policy issues related to the role of the oceans
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20 -within an overall waste management context, alternative strategies for managing these wastes in coastal areas, the pretreatment of wastes prior to disposal, and research and development priorities. The environmental, economic, international, and institutional implications of different policy options are also evaluated. Interim Deliverable: Subseabed Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste (Staff Paper; 5/86) Ocean Incineration: Role in Managing Hazardous Wastes (Published 8/86) Requesters: House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries Hon. Walter B. Jones, Chairman Hon. Edwin B. Forsythe, deceased Hon. Mario Biaggi, Chairman, Subcommittee on Merchant Marine Hon. Norman D'Amours, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Oceanography House Committee on Public Works and Transportation Hon. James J. Howard, Chairman Hon. Gene Snyder, then Ranking Minority Member Hon. Robert A. Roe, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Water Resources Hon. Arlan Stangeland, Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Water Resources Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Hon. Bob Packwood, then Chairman Hon. Ernest Hollings, then Ranking Minority Member, now Chairman Project Director: Howard Levenson, 6-2132
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-21 -B. IN PROGRESS AS OF 3/31/87 Energy, Materials, and International Security Division EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON THE AMERICAN ECONOMIC TRANSITION --New technologies, growing international competition in markets once dominated by U.S. suppliers, and changes in the cost and availability of oil and other critical resources may lead to a fundamental change in the structure of the U.S. economy. These changes could also change the utility of major classes of public policy. The analysis conducted for this project will describe ways the national economy may change during the next two decades, explore the ways these changes may alter prospects for employment and profitable investment in different major classes of economic activities, describe how the changes may alter critical aspects of the quality of life in America, and examine the implications of these changes for national policy. The analysis is constructed around seven tightly integrated projects. Six of these are designed to explore plausible ways the economy may move to meet basic market requirements durinr, the next two decades and the nature of the employment and investment opportunities created. The areas covered include: the health industries, agriculture and food processing, construction, transportation and communication, education, and "leisure-time" industries. At least two possibilities are being considered in each case: (1) an extrapolation of current trends, and (2) an analysis of ways the market could be met assuming that new technologies were introduced with no market "imperfections" except those explicitly introduced where markets clearly are inadequate (e.g., regulations designed to protect the environment). This analysis of "potentials" is not a forecast in -the conventional sense but is designed to illuminate the range of possible impacts of new technologies. When the "potential" analysis differs significantly from projections based on trends, the work will provide a convenient basis for determining whether or not the divergence results from poorly designed federal programs. A separate project is examining basic manufacturing and service industries not covered elsewhere. Each of these projects will result in a separate publication and an evaluation of specific policy problems identified in the sectors covered. The components will be combined systematically using a simple accounting procedure developed for the project. Where relevant, the results will be compared with major macroeconomic models developed elsewhere. The integrated analysis will be used to examine major national policy issues affecting capital formation, employment, international competition, investments in infrastructure, research and development priorities, and other areas of major national interest.
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22 -Interim Deliverables: A Review of U.S. Competitiveness in Agricultural Trade (Technical Memorandum) --(Requester: Hon. Roger Jepsen, then Chairman, Joint Economic Committee) (Published October 1986) Technology, Trade, and the U.S. Residential Construction Industry (Special Report) (Published September 1986) Leisure Industries (Technical Memorandum) --Contact Henry Kelly, 6-3960. U.S. Textile Industry: A Revolution in Progress (Special Report) Contact: Henry Kelly, 6-3960 Request or Affirmation of Interest: Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Hon. Bob Packwood, then Chairman, still member Hon. Ernest Hollings, then Ranking Minority Member, now Chairman Hon. Larry Pressler, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Business, Trade, and Tourism Senate Committee on the Budget Hon. Pete V. Domenici, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member Hon. Lawton Chiles, then Ranking Minority Member, now Chairman House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. John D. Dingell, Chairman House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service Hon. William D. Ford, Chairman House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Hon. Don Fuqua, then Chairman House Committee on Education and Labor Hon. Carl D. Perkins (deceased), then Chairman House Committee on the Judiciary Hon. Peter W. Rodino, Chairman House Committee on Public Works and Transportation Hon. James J. Howard, Chairman House Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs Hon. Fernand J. St Germain, Chairman Hon. Chalmers P. Wylie, Ranking Minority Member Project Director: Henry Kelly,226-3960 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: June 1987 HIGH TECHNOLOGY STRUCTURAL CERAMICS AND POLYMER COMPOSITES -Development and use of advanced materials such as high performance ceramics and polymer composites promise dramatic changes in many aspects of our economy. The unique properties and design features of these materials provide the opportunity for greatly increased performance in many products in use today, enhanced manufacturing productivity, and new types of products. Composites used as structural members in aircraft and ceramics in machine tool bits already have demonstrated some of these large performance gains. The promise of these materials has caused other nations to embark on
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-23 -major development programs. This nation's ability to maintain long term economic growth and remain competitive will depend to a large extent on how well we take advantage of the opportunities presented by these materials. To do so, however, requires that many technical problems and non-technical barriers be overcome. This assessment will better define the many opportunities for high technology ceramics and polymer composites over the next 15 to 25 years. It will determine the principal technical and related problems that need to be overcome if timely expansion of the commercial use of these materials is to take place. Finally, the study will analyze the broad implications of these high technology materials to future U.S. economic growth and competitiveness. Interim Deliverable: Future Opportunities for Advanced Materials (Technical Memorandum) (Published September 1986) Request or Affirmation of Interest: 8enat~ Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Hon. John C. Danforth, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member Hon. Ernest F. Hollings, then Ranking Minority Member, now Chairman Hon. Slade Gorton, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Hon. Don Fuqua, then Chairman Hon, Manuel Lujan, Ranking Minority Member Hon. Dan Glickman, then Chairman, still member, and Hon. Tom Lewis, Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Transportation, Aviation, and Materials Project Director: Greg Eyring, 226-2151 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: August 1987 MAGNETIC FUSION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT --Thermonuclear fusion, the process powering stars and hydrogen bombs, offers the prospect of providing a source of energy having an effectively unlimited fuel supply. Fusion power might turn out to be both safer and more environmentally acceptable than nuclear fission. Great progress in harnessing fusion has been made to date, but a great deal of additional work is required. The Magnetic Fusion Energy Engineering Act of 1980 envisaged, but did not appropriate, 25% real increases in fusion research funding for each of the following two years, and a doubling of the overall effort within seven years. By FY 1986, however, the magnetic fusion budget had fallen, in real terms, to two-thirds of the peak value it reached in FY 1977. Shrinking funding profiles are forcing a major reanalysis of the Department of Energy's magnetic fusion research program. OTA will examine the choices which need be made concerning the fusion
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24 -program, including: 1) how resources might be re-allocated between fusion and other national programs intended to meet some of the same goals (long-term energy supply, stimulation of technology, international scientific prestige, etc.); and 2) how the fusion program could be structured, including the role of international cooperation, once the program's goals and priority have been decided. Request or Affirmation of Interest: House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Hon. Don Fuqua, then Chairman Hon. Manuel Lujan, Jr., Ranking Minority Member Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Hon. James A. McClure, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member Hon. J. Bennett Johnston, then Ranking Minority Member, now Chairman Hon. Pete V. Domenici Hon. Wendell H. Ford Project Director: Gerald Epstein, 226-2184 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: May 1987 COMPETITIVENESS OF THE DOMESTIC COPPER INDUSTRY --Copper historically has been an important part of the domestic mineral indsutry and has contributed significantly to the economy, particularly in the Western United States. In recent years, however, a number of factors have combined to reduce the demand for domestic copper in favor of foreign sources of supply. The domestic costs of copper mining and the balance of payments position depends heavily on income from foreign sales of intangibles to counterbalance, if only in part, merchandise deficits. Exports of technology-intensive manufactures --commercial aircraft, power generating equipment, electronic systems --are frequently tied to training and maintenance contracts. New developments in many of the service industries stem directly from technical advances. Increasingly, the Western European nations and Japan offer strong competition in international markets for technologically-based services. The analytical approach in this assessment will be based on that developed in past OTA studies of competitiveness: three to five service industries will be selected for detailed analysis based on business strategies as affected by technological developments, industrial structure, and government policies. Request or Affirmation of Interest: Technology Assessment Board Hon. Morris K. Udall, then Vice Chairman, now Chairman Hon. Orrin G. Hatch, then member Congressional Copper Caucus Hon. Barry M. Goldwater, then U.S. Senate Hon. Jim Kolbe, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Max Baucus, U.S. Senate
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-25 Hon. Carl Levin, U.S. Senate Hon. Chic Hecht, U.S. Senate Hon. Barbara F. Vucanovich, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Manuel Lujan, Jr., U.S. House of Representatives Hon. John McCain, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Howard C. Nielson, U.S. House of Representatives Project Director: Jenifer Robison, 226-2134 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: September 1987 TECHNOLOGICAL RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE U.S. ENERGY SUPPLY AND DEMAND Congress is now being presented with a series of energy demand and supply forecasts that are radically different from those of just a few years ago. A common theme includes greatly moderated oil prices into the early 1990's followed by a possible return to OPEC dominance of oil markets, rising oil prices, and greatly expanded U.S. oil imports by the late 1990's. This study will evaluate current views of the U.S. future energy outlook, identify key technical uncertainties and risks that affect the validity of these views, and identify and evaluate energy policy options dealing with these uncertainties and risks. In the first phase of the study, OTA will evaluate the implications for U.S. energy policy of volatile oil prices, emphasizing the effects of low prices on domestic oil production, e.g., plugging of stripper wells and loss of production from tertiary and some secondary recovery operations in the shorter term, loss of production and reserves due to lower drilling rates, reduced R&D expenditures, and so forth in the longer term. In the second phase aimed at overall U.S. energy supply and demand, OTA will first examine historic changes in U.S. energy supply and demand and the ability of previous forecasts to anticipate these changes. Next, the study will describe current forecasts for the next 15-25 years and identify their underlying assumptions. The study will then identify and evaluate the primary sources of technical uncertainties in the forecasts. The sources of technical uncertainty include: economic growth rates and patterns; new energy supply; conservation, and end use technologies; geologic uncertainties about available oil and gas resources; consumer reactions to lower energy prices, and other apsects of public and industry behavior; and methodological problems in forecasting. (The final report will discuss but not primarily analyze non-technical sources of uncertainty, primarily political uncertainty.) Finally, the study will identify and evaluate policy options that would add flexibility to the energy system, i.e., to increase the system's ability to adapt to the range of futures consistent with these uncertainties. Interim Deliverable: Low Oil Prices and Domestic Production (special report) Contact Steve Plotkin, 226-2110
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26 -Request or Affirmation of Interest: House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. John Dingell, Chairman Hon. Phillip R. Sharp, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Fossil and Synthetic Fuels House Committee on Government Operations Hon. Jack Brooks, Chairman Project Director: Steve Plotkin, 226-2110 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: November 1987 INCREASED COMPETITION IN THE ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY: CONSTRAINTS AND OPPORTUNITIES -Many economists, regulators, policymakers, and others are promoting increased competition in the U.S. electric power industry as a means of improving the economic efficiency of electricity supply. In this context increased competition generally refers to expanding the choices for electricity supply available to utilities and, in some proposals, customers. The recent trend toward increased competition in the industry is typified by a number of proposals by utilities and other organizations to construct generating facilities and provide other energy supply and conservation services outside the regulatory purview of local public utility commissions, as well as by implementation of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of 1978. PURPA, in particular, has prompted rapid growth of nonutility cogeneration and small power generation facilities in some States. Accompanying the trend toward increased competition are pressures on utilities to provide "wheeling" services for other utilities, retail customers, and non-utility power generators. Wheeling is a utility's provision of power transmission service for a third party, i.e., another utility or a nonutility customer. Proponents of increased competition view mechanisms for increasing access to transmission services as essential to achieving a more efficient electric power supply system. Opponents to increased transmission access argue that the present voluntary system of permitting access on a case-by-case basis has worked well and that the extreme case of mandatory transmission access could compromise system reliability as well as, in effect, eliminate a utility's territorial franchise without relieving it of the obligation to serve all customers in its service territory. Thus, by allowing some customers to "shop around" and purchase power from sources other than the local utility, the fixed costs of generating capacity planned and installed to serve all customers would be borne by the remaining "captive" customers. A number of OTA assessments have focused on some of the issues associated with increased competition in the power industry. They have addressed the future of nuclear power, cogeneration, and new electric power generating technologies. The assessment proposed here responds to Congressional requests that OTA focus on the technological factors constraining as well as
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-27 -encouraging competition in the electric power industry. This assessment will focus on the wheeling issue outlined above as well as a number of other issues, including the impact of dispersed generation on system operation, control, and planning~ Also of concern are the associated regulatory, environmental, ano economic questions. Requesters: House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. John D. Dingell, Chairman Hon. Norman F. Lent, Ranking Minority Member Project Director: Peter Blair, 226-2133 Project Delivery Date to TAB: (Project to begin May, 1987) November 1988 TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION, AND U.S. TRADE --The international diffusion of technology has meant that competition from a growing number of countries, in a widening array of products, has cut into the market share of U.S. manufacturers. One result is an unprecedentedly large trade deficit, expected to top $160 billion in 1986. Many factors account for the edge that foreign manufacturers have won in a growing number of products. The rapid spread of technology--in many cases, technology developed in America--is partly a result of 1) American overseas investments and cooperative agreements, 2) the emphasis placed on the development of commercial technologies by foreign governments and businesses, and 3) the reluctance of some U.S. manufacturers to invest in new product development and commercialization. Other factors contribute to the successful penetration of U.S. markets. They include foreign industrial policies, differences in capital costs and availability, and the emphasis foreign manufacturers place on agressive marketing and distribution, domestic manufacturing, long-term gains rather than short-term financial performance, and the effective use of human capital. High American wages, while clearly a factor, reflect our high standard of living, which few would be willing to compromise in order to compete with offshore production. The study will examine how changes in the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing industries affect the ability of the U.S. economy to create new jobs in various sectors. The study will also assess how technology, coupled with strategic responses by U.S. firms, could reverse the erosion of our market shares. Possible policy responses of the U.S. government will be identified, with particular emphasis on policies that could stimulate American producers to invest in technologies for development and commericialization of new products, policies that could aid industrial and technological development in industrializing nations without unduly harming American manufacturers, and trade policies that go beyond traditional "free trade or protection" arguments.
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-28 -Request or Affirmation of Interest: Senate Committee on Finance Hon. Bob Packwood, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member Hon. John Heinz, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Inte~national Finance and Monetary Policy Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Hon. Jake Garn, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member House Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Hon. Fernand J. St Germain Project Director: Julie Gorte, 226-2205 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: December 1988 TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO CHINA --The People's Republic of China (PRC) is introducing major changes as it rapidly modernizes its economic system and seeks improved global relationships. Imports of technology and scientific expertise and the encouragement of foreign investment are key elements. This presents economic and strategic opportunities and risks for the United States. China could become a major market for U.S. exports, and technology transfer could enhqnce economic growth for both countries. Technology transfer could also be a major factor in improving relations and strengthening China's role in Asia. However, technology transfer can also lead to problems. If relations deteriorate between the U.S. and the PRC, we may regret having provided technology that would strengthen their military. For instance, computers and telecommunication equipment, even if sold for commercial use, could be redirected, or the expertise developed in using them employed in independently producing military equipment. Another concern is that they may import only enough technology to get a start, and then expand commercially to become a competitor in world markets. This assessment will examine the role of imported science and technology in the plans of the PRC; the technology the U.S. and other nations can supply; the impacts of policies, both for control and promotion, on these transfers; and the security and commercial risks involved. Interim Deliverable: Energy Technology Transfer to China (Technical Memorandum) (Published September 1985) Request or Affirmation of Interest: Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Hon. Jake Garn, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member Hon. William Proxmire, then Ranking Minority Member, now Chairman House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. John Dingell, Chairman Hon. James Broyhill, then Ranking Minority Member Hon. Al Swift, then Chairman, Special Subcommittee on U.S.Pacific Rim Trade Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (endorsement) Hon. Dave Durenberger, then Chairman Hon. Patrick Leahy, then Vice Chairman Project Director: Alan Crane, 226-2105 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: April 1987
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29 SEISMIC VERIFICATION OF NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATIES -Fo~ nearly 30 years, a ban on the testing of nuclear weapons has been a major objective of arms control. Although the past five administrations have sought to achieve this goal, it has remained unattainable due in large part to the technical question of whether such a treaty could be adequately verified. This question has become particularly pronounced in view of the administration's finding that the Soviet Union is likely to have violated the Threshold Test Ban Treaty by exceeding the 150 kiloton testing limit. The specific concern is that seismic methods used to verify test bans may not be able to distinguish between earthquakes and certain relatively small nuclear explosions. In addition, the monitoring network could perhaps be evaded by muffling explosins in large underground cavities, or by masking explosions during naturally occurring earthquakes. Recently, there have been a number of technological achievements in the field of seismology and assertions have been made that they will significantly improve our capabilities to monitor underground nuclear explosions. Some of these new discoveries may also provide effective methods for countering the possible evasion ploys. This study will examine the nature of these new technologies and assess their potential for improving our seismic verification capabilities. Request or Affirmation of Interest Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Hon. Dave Durenberger, then Chairman Hon. Patrick Leahy, then Vice Chairman House Committee on Foreign Affairs Hon. Dante Fascell, Chairman House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Hon. Lee Hamilton, then Chairman Project Director: Greg van der Vink, 226-2026 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: July 1987 ADVANCED SPACE TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGIES Recent executive branch reports have identified ambitious civilian and military space goals, many of which could only be met by achieving significant advances in space transportation technology. Whether or not this nation chooses to pursue these specific goals, Congress needs credible information regarding the relationship between space goals and space launch technology and the feasibility of achieving critical technical and cost milestones. Although some technology research will be "generic," the launch needs of NASA, Air Force, SDI, and the U.S. private sector are not identical. If this nation chooses to invest in advanced launcher technology, it will be important to ensure that launch vehicle requirements are met without unnecessarily dissipating scarce national resources on duplicative or unproductive research. In light of these concerns, OTA's assessment will: 1) identify launch systems capable of serving the plausible range of demand for space transportation over the next 20 years; 2) identify
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30 and evaluate key technologies -including low-cost, low-technology systems -that might increase the performance and reduce the cost of space transportation while contributing to U.S. industrial competitiveness; 3) evaluate the time and cost of development of these technologies; 4) determine how changes in spacecraft design and operations will influence launch technology; 5) analyze techniques and incentives that could reduce the operations and maintenance costs of new technologies; 6) examine alternative roles for the private sector; 7) assess the state of advanced launch research in other countries; and 8) discuss the adequacy of existing institutions for carrying out an aggressive R&D program to meet the needs of diverse users. Requesters: House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Hon. Robert A. Roe, Chairman Hon. Manuel Lujan, Jr., Ranking Minority Member Senate Committee on Commerce, Science,and Transportation (99th Congress) Hon. John C. Danforth, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member Hon. Slade Gorton, then Ranking Minority Member Project Director: Richard DalBello, 226-2059 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: January 1989 STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE SURVIVABILITY AND SOFTWARE -This project will attempt to meet mandated study objectives by carrying out three major tasks: 1) update of the 1985 OTA Report on New Ballistic Missile Defense Technologies with respect to the technologies currently being researched under the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). The work of the earlier report will not be repeated, but rather special attention will be given to filling in gaps in that Report and to reporting on technical progress made in the intervening two years; 2) examination of the best currently available information on the prospects for functional survival against preemptive attack of alternative ballistic missile defense system architectures currently being studied under the SDI; and 3) analysis of the issues involved in the question of whether it is feasible to develop reliable software to perform the battle management tasks required by such system architectures. Request or Affirmation of Interest: Mandated by P.L. 99-190 Project Director: Tom Karas, 226-2014 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: June 1987
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31 -Health and Life Sciences Division LOW-RESOURCE AGRICULTURE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES --Most people in developing countries are subsistence farmers who cannot obtain or afford the expensive fertilizers and pesticides upon which the highyield (Green Revolution) technologies are based. Thus, as populations grow and fuel prices rise, low-resource agricultural technologies are receiving increased attention from donors and researchers. For example, international donors such as the Peace Corps and the World Bank are giving high priority to research and development projects that enhance rather than replace low-resource, traditional farming methods. This is particularly true for programs in Africa where subsistence farmers hold the key to increasing food production and where the continuing need for massive food aid demonstrates the failure of many past agricultural, development assistance and resource protection policies. This OTA assessment will build upon the results of a previous Technical Memorandum, Africa Tomorrow: Issues in Technology, Agriculture, and U.S. Foreign Aid. By examining low-resource agricultural t~chno:ogies world-wide, OTA will help Congress evaluate programs and formulate policies related to both U.S. agriculture and foreign policy. In order to do this, OTA will: 1) determine which of these technologies can increase African food production in socio-economically and environmentally sustainable ways; 2) identify the U.S. role in technology development and transfer; 3) assess actual and potential benefits to the U.S. from participation in international agricultural research on low-resource methods; and 4) evaluate certain aspects of the Sahel Development Program as a case study in U.S. public and private assistance to Africa. Interim Deliverable: Continuing the Commitment: Sahel Development Program (Special Report; published 8/86) Request or Affirmation of Interest: Technology Assessment Board Hon. Morris K. Udall, then Vice Chairman, now Chairman Hon. Edward M. Kennedy Hon. Orrin G. Hatch Hon. Cooper Evans, then U.S. House of Representative Hon. Claiborne Pell House Committee on Agriculture Hon. E. (Kika) de la Garza, Chairman House Committee on Foreign Affairs Hon. Dante B. Fascell, Chairman (endorsement) House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Hon. Don Fuqua, then Chairman Hon. James H. Scheuer, Chairman, Subcommittee on Natural Resources, Agriculture Research, and Environment House Select Committee on Hunger Hon. Mickey Leland, Chairman Hon. Marge Roukema, Ranking Minority Member Project Director: Phyllis Windle, 226-2265 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: June 1987
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32 -TECHNOLOGY AND PUBLIC POLICY TO ENHANCE GRAIN QUALITY IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE --U.S. agriculuture is beginning to show signs of declining international competiveness. For U.S. grains, the major component of agriculutral 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. 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 is to provide 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 to 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 Agriculuture 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, 226-2266 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: June 1988 MONITORING OF MANDATED VIETNAM VETERAN STUDIES --As mandated by PL 96-151, reviews epidemiologic studies regarding long-term health effects of veterans exposed to dioxins in Vietnam. Request or Affirmation of Interest: Mandated by PL 96-151. Project Director: Hellen Gelband, 226-2070 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: Indeterminate
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33 -TECHNOLOGY AND CHILD HEALTH --This project will bring together the current evidence on the effectiveness and costs of health care technologies in promoting and maintaining children's .health. It will examine current patterns of availability of these technologies and barriers to their appropriate use. The role of Federal policies, including Medicaid, Maternal and Child Health, and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, in providing access to preventive and therapeutic technologies will be examined A range of illness prevention and therapeutic technologies is available at every phase of childhood and the prenatal period. Some, applied in the prenatal period, can reduce the risk of neonatal mortality and morbidity; others, applied later in the child's life, may prevent illnesses that typically manifest themselves in adulthood. New medical technology has also transformed formerly fatal childhood diseases into serious chronic illnesses, whose victims remain technology-dependent for extended periods of time. It is often feasible for these children to be cared for in the home, provided the financial and supportive resources are available. The availability of these life saving technologies raises questions about the private and public financing and organization of services for this small but growing population. This project will emphasize study of illness prevention technologies, including non-medical technologies such as promotion of safe behavior (e.g., seat-belt use) and improved nutrition. Among the preventive technologies to be considered will be prenatal screening, monitoring, and care; infant screening; immunizations; and early-childhood screening. Therapeutic technologies will include neo-natal intensive care and pediatric home care for technology-dependent children. Interim Deliverables: Technology Dependent Children (Technical Memorandum) (In press) Tocodynamometry (Case Study) (April 1987) Request or Affirmation of Interest: House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. John D. Dingell, Chairman Hon. Henry A. Waxman, Chairman, Subcommittee on Health and the Environment Hon. Edward R. Madigan, Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Health and the Environment Hqn. Thomas J. Tauke Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources Hon. Orrin G. Hatch, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member Senate Committee on Finance Hon. Bob Packwood, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member Hon. Russell R. Long, then Ranking Minority Member Project Director: Judith Wagner, 226-2070 Projected Delivery nate to TAB: June 1987
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-34 -NONTRADITIONAL METHODS OF CANCER TREATMENT: SCIENCE AND POLICY ISSUES In 1986, it is estimated, more than 900,000 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer, and about half of those people. will die from their cancer within five years. Conventional cancer treatments, even when successful, can be painful and disfiguring, and of long duration. Each year, thousands of American cancer patients turn to methods of diagnosis and treatment which have not been assessed through the standard scientific process, and for which there is inadequate information on which to judge their safety and effectiveness. Many healthy people use nontraditional methods, also unproven, which are claimed to prevent the development of cancer. The Federal Gov~rnment has not taken a direct role in evaluating or controlling most nontraditional cancer treatments, although both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have acted in certain instances. State legislatures have passed laws legalizing the use of treatments that have not been approved by FDA. For instance, by the mid-197O's, laetrile had been legalized in more than 25 states. More recently, in 1981, Immuno-Augmentative Therapy (IAT) was made legal by the Oklahoma legislature, and the Florida legislature passed a law (repealed in 1984) allowing the use of IAT and other unconventional therapies. In the private sector, the American Cancer Society has been most active in gathering information about nontraditional therapies and disseminating it to the public. Professional societies and patient advocacy groups have also participated in critically informing medical professionals and the public about these treatments. Proponents of unconventional treatments also have information networks through which they disseminate information. The proposed assessment would 1) examine the role of public and private sector bodies in evaluating and providing information about nontraditional treatments; 2) critically review the existing literature, both from mainstream science and from the proponents of nontraditional treatments; 3) estimate, if possible,the number of Americans who avail themselves on these treatments and the financial impact on individuals and on health insurers; 4) examine the potential for conducting evaluations of nontraditional treatments that would meet the same standards of evidence required of mainstream treatments; and 5) develop objective guidelines for planning such evaluations. IAT would be used as a case study for the development of guidelines. Interim Deliverable: Immuno-augmentative Therapy (Case Study) (Dec. 1987) Request or Affirmation of Interest House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. John Dingell, Chairman
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35 -Congressional requesters and endorsers: Hon. Guy V. Molinari, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Alfonse M. D'Amato, U.S. Senate Hon. James Howard, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Robert A. Roe, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Bill Chappell, Jr., U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Mario Biaggi, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Jim Leach, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Gary L. Ackerman, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Raymond J. McGrath, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Thomas J. Downey, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. John Myers, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Dan Glickman, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Barbara A. Mikulski, then U.S. House of Representatives, now U.S. Senate Hon. Denny Smith, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Bill McCollum, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Edolphus Towns, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Charles E. Schumer, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Frank R. Wolf, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Robert J. Mrazek, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Robert C. Smith, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. James A. Traficant, Jr., U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Jim Lightfoot, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Patrick L. Swindall, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Norman F. Lent, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. James Abdnor, then U.S. Senate Hon. J. Bennett Johnston, U.S. Senate Hon. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, U.S. Senate Hon. William Lehman,_ U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Frank Horton, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Beverly Byron, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. James H. Quillen, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Douglas Bosco, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Don Young, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. c.v. (Sonny) Montgomery, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Berkley Bedell, then U.S. House of Representatives Hon. David S. Monson, then U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Peter H. Kostmayer,u.s. House of Representatives Hon. James Weaver, then U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Charles E. Grassley, U.S. Senate Hon. Robert J. Lagomarsino, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Matthew J. Rinaldo, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Guy Vander Jagt, U.S. House of Representatives Hon. Alan B. Mollohan, U.S. House of Representatives Project Director: Hellen Gelband, 226-2070 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: June 1988
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36 -ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF MEDICAL CARE --The general public relies on physicians and other medical providers for advice about medical technologies and referrals. But lay people still face the problem of evaluating the quality of care delivered by these prqviders. Public concern about this situation has grown as Federal and State governments, private insurers, and employers have increased efforts to moderate medical expenditures. There is concern that appropriate use of technologies and quality of care could be sacrificed as providers and plans in turn intensify activities to constrain their costs. More information is also important to enable the health care market to work efficiently. This study would evaluate possible techniques for assessing quality of care to ascertain whether valid information could be developed and made available to the public. Quality and its possible measurement have multiple dimensions. Technical aspects of quality matter to medical providers, consumers, and society, but consumers may place more emphasis than providers on interpersonal aspects. At the societal level there is interest in equitable distribution of medical technolgies and public health benefits of care. These dimensions of quality can be described and assessed by indicators of the structure, process, and outcome of care. The OTA study would examine avaliable methodologies and develop criteria, such as validity, to evaluate measures of quality. OTA would then use these criteria to evaluate possible quality indicators for hospitals, physicians, and health plans. In its policy options, the study would consider the availability and costliness of data, organizational responsibility for quality assessment and information dissemination, and the use of quality assessment results. Request or Affirmation of Interest: House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. John D. Dingell, Chairman Hon. Henry A. Waxman, Chairman, Subcommittee on Health and the Environment Hon. James H. Scheuer, member, Subcommittee on Health and the the Environment House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Hon. Don Fuqua, then Chairman Hon. George E. Brown, member Hon. James H. Scheuer, member Senate Special Committee on Aging Hon. John Heinz, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member Hon. John Glenn, Ranking Minority Member, still member Project Director: Jane Sisk, 226-2070 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: March 1988
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37 -DIAGNOSTIC MEDICAL TESTS: IMPACT ON PUBLIC AND PRIVATE POLICIES TOWARD HEALTH CARE -Tests to identify individuals who are likely to develop serious diseases are being rapidly developed. Some of these tests are directed at genetic diseases for which there are no known therapies, thereby raising questions over the social consequences of identifying susceptible persons. Use of the test for detecting antibodies to the AIDS virus is already a highly controversial issue. The use of diagnostic tests by health insurance companies, self-insured businesses, and health maintenance organizations may lead to substantial costs to government if private insurance becomes very costly or unavailable. While the Federal government plays an important role in financing health care, the regulation of health insurance is largely a State function. This assessment would: 1) identify the tests in use and under development; 2) identify how such tests are used in setting insurance rates for employees and their dependents or in excluding such individuals from coverage; 3) estimate the number of people who could be affected; 4) estimate the health care costs for treating or caring for affected invididuals; and 5) develop policy options vis a vis the Federal role in relationship to State and private sector actions and responsiblities. Request or Affirmation of Interest: House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. Johri Dingell, Chairman Hon. Henry A. Waxman, Chairman, Subcommittee on Health and the Environment Hon. Ted Weiss, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations and Human Resources House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Hon. James H. Scheuer, Chairman, Subcommittee on Natural Resources, Agriculuture Research and Environment House Committee on Ways and Means Hon. Fortney H. (Pete) Stark, then Chairman, still member Hon. Daniel K. Inouye, endorser Project Director: Larry Miike, 226-2070 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: March 1988 DRUG LABELING IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES The U.S. pharmaceutical industry is a major supplier of pharmaceuticals to the world, including many developing countries. The industry has been criticized heavily in the past for "mislabeling" of certain drugs sold in those countries. Labeling problems can be of two types: inclusion of indications for a drug's use that are not justified by scientific studies, and failure to include adequate warnings of a drug's side effects or contraindications. Leaving aside the question of past claims, the request for this assessment asks whether such labeling is occurring today. This has been, and continues to be a contentious issue in the Congress and between the pharmaceutical industry and public interest or consumer groups. Despite this attention, there has been no objective, broadly-based evaluation of this issue.
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38 The central issue is not simply one of whether there are differences in labeling between those drugs sold in developing countries and those sold in the U.S. (or other selected industrial nations) but whether any such differences are significant in terms of what is known about the efficacy and safety of such drugs. The major goals of this assessment would be to evaluate (for a selected list of representative drugs) not only whether differences in labeling are occurring presently, but also whether such differential labeling is appropriate in light of knowledge about the drugs. To this end, the assessment would: 1) identify possible candidate drugs whose labeling is to be evaluated; 2) collect samples of such labeling from a minimum of eight developing countries (five such countries specifically indicated and at least three at OTA's selection); 3) evaluate the labeling of the drugs by comparing to information from the scientific literature and any other relevant and expert sources. Requesters: Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources Hon. Edward M. Kennedy, Ranking Minority Member (now Chairman) House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. John Dingell, Chairman Hon. Henry Waxman, Chairman, Subcommittee on Health and the Environment Project Director: Larry Miike, 226-2070. Projected Delivery Date to TAB: December 1988 NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY --In the past 10 years the growth of biotechnology has been explosive. Large and small firms have invested billions of dollars in the technology across a broad array of applications. Advances in basic research are equally impressive. A number of new techniques are in development or have reached the market that will improve the detection of cancer and a variety of genetic diseases; others will improve the treatment of these diseases. For example, a diagnostic test for the genetic disease Huntington's Chorea is close, and Factor VIII, a blood clotting factor, may soon be available to treat hemophiliacs. Agricultural applications include improved resistance to plant pests and pesticides, and nutritional enhancement of existing food crops. Biotechnology has great promise for numerous applications both now and in the future; there is also concern about the potential consequences of these applications. This assessment will focus on several interrelated areas: the directions in which the technology is developing including environmental and medical applications; the social utility of these applications; and the implications of the technology for intellectual property law. Although separate areas, assessment of each is dependent on background knowledge in the others; hence they are combined in one assessment.
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-39 -Several questions with regard to environmental applications need to be answered. Are the environmental ramifications of the deliberate or accidental release of genetically engineered organisms being adequately reviewed under the existing regulatory .structure? How well can the levels of risk be predicted? How much and what kind of research is being done by regulatory agencies, the academic community, and industry? What regulatory criteria should be used to evaluate risk? Closely tied to this issue is public perception. How do people perceive the risks of biotechnology? What kind of information is widely disseminated? Is information targeted to specific groups? Is there a need for specific changes in education? What are the economic and social impacts of the patterns of development of biotechnology? Has the need for capital and the types of firms developing products influenced the types of products, especially in agriculture? Is the technology being transferred in a manner that will benefit not only highly developed nations but also lesser developed countries? How can the Federal government encourage the development of products that could directly benefit the third world and individuals with diseases of rare occurrence? New techniques for diagnosing inherited diseases are being developed. What is the status of these technologies? Are there special problems associated with their use because of the time lag between the ability to diagnose and the ability to treat diseases? The adequacy and limitations of intellectual property law vis-a-vis biotechnology need assessment. Do present criteria for utility patents apply to all living organisms produced by biotechnology? Are there special considerations in the deposit of these products? How long should they be stored? Who should have access? When is experimental use of the products infringement? Is Public Law 96-517, the patent law that allows research institutions to apply for patents on research results, equitable to all parties concerned? Are patient rights in experimental and clinical settings being adequately protected? Interim Deliverables: Public Attitudes Toward Biotechnology (Background Paper) (May 1987) (Contact Robyn Nishimi, 226-3994) U.S. Investment in Biotechnology (Background Paper) (Fall 1987) (Contact Kathi Hanna, 226-2289) Environmental Applications of Genetically Altered Organisms (Background paper) (Summer 1987)(Contact Val Giddings, 226-2289) Applications of Biotechnology to Test for Human Genetic Disorders (Background paper) (Summer 1987) (Contact Tony Holtzman,226-2O7O Ownership of Human Tissues and Cells (Background Paper) (published 3/87)
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40 -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 Project Director: Gary Ellis, 226-2099 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: April 1988 INFERTILITY PREVENTION AND TREATMENT -Infertility affects one in six American couples. About one million of these couples seek the help of doctors and infertility clinics each year. The health-care costs of infertility have been estimated to be at least $200 million annually and may be closer to $1 billion, virtually all from the private sector. A majority of infertile adults can be effectively treated with newly developed microsurgical techniques and/or fertility drugs. In addition, artificial insemination results in the birth of some 10,000~20,000 children each year in the U.S. Since 1978, other new techniques of conception have brought hope to childless couples. For example, through mid-1985, some 800 infants have been born with the help of approximately 200 fertilization clinics around the world (including 122 clinics in 35 States and the District of Columbia) that use in vitro techniques. Both the number of clinics in operation and the number of infants born with the help of these methods arerising steadily, mirroring the popular demand for, and technical success of, reproductive therapy. Various concerns have been raised, including whether some clinics misrepresent their success rates, leading to consumer fraud. Public health concerns have arisen over the failure of most artificial insemination practitioners to screen sperm donors for sexually or genetically transmitted diseases. Societal custom, law, and regulation are largely unequipped to handle the rapidly changing, novel social and biological opportunities and relationships offered by innovative reproductive technologies. This assessment will cover six principal areas: (1) Technologies to prevent infertility. The assessment will describe causes of infertility and will discuss approaches to prevention. Existing and anticipated technologies to prevent infertility will be addressed. (2) Technologies to diagnose infertility. The report will describe the diagnostic technologies and techniques used to identify the existence and cause of an individual's infertility. Anticipated advances in infertility diagnostics will be discussed. (3) Technologies to treat infertility. The assessment will also describe existing and anticipated technologies for assisting human reproduction (e.g., therapeutic drugs, microsurgery, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, embryo transfer, surrogate
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41 motherhood, freezing of germ cells and embryos), as well as ancillary reproductive technologies (e.g., sex-selection). Medical screening of donors for genetic and sexually transmitted diseases will also be addressed. (4) Federal and State regulation of reproductive technologies. What protection from genetic and other injuries does the law offer the various parties who participate in medically-assisted reproduction? Is this protection sufficient? In addition, the report will discuss the effect of Federal policy on the quality and/or availability of infertility therapies in the United States. (5) Veterans' issues. What are the special reproductive problems of veterans? How is service-connected infertility being addressed by the Veterans' Administration? What would be the advantages and disadvantages of providing infertility treatment in VA facilities? (6) Other issues. State laws governing a child's legitimacy, custody, inheritance rights, support, and adoption will be addressed insofar as some types of infertility treatment raise special issues. ~he assessment will also address whether access to these therapies can constitutionally be limited. Request or Affirmation of Interest: Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Hon. Frank Murkowski, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member House Committee on Government Operations Hon. Ted Weiss, Chairman, Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations and Human Resources Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs Hon. Albert Gore, Jr., then Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on the Civil Service, Post Office and General Service Project Director: Gary Ellis, 226-2099 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: November 1987 MAPPING THE HUMAN GENOME The proposed assessment will be an early warning project likely to be of great interest to authorizing committees, appropriations committees, science agencies, and the general public. Each human cell, except sperm and egg cells, contains 46 chromosomes. The chromosomes contain an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 genes encoded throughout a sequence of some 3 to 3.5 billion DNA base pairs. Technologies to rapidly determine DNA sequences have been developed over the past decade, and have recently been automated. Techniques to identify "landmarks" on each of the human chromosomes are well uncerway,and the number of such landmarks is roughly doubling each year. These emerging technologies have led to speculation that the Federal Government should mount a special effort, estimated to cost in the range of $3 billion over 5 to 10 years, to generate the entire human DNA sequence. A concurrent debate centers on alternative means of usefully mapping the human
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42 genome, not necessarily resulting in a complete DNA sequence. The Japanese are mounting a major gene sequencing project, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) -with its $5 billion endowment -is heavily invested in gene mapping. Policy implications arise from several sources. First, the expertise to perform the sequencing resides in several different executive agenceis, primarily the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Funding and coordination would thus be complex. Second, this could be among the first "big science" projects in biology, requring substantial resources over a sustained period. Third, the technologies to do the sequencing and gene mapping would have signficant clinical applications, scientific consequences, and industrial spinoffs for biotechnolgoy. Fourth an international effort to map the human genome would have to contend with conflicts between free exchange of data and technololgy, on one hand, and propriety and nationalistic interests on the other. Request or Affirmation of interest: House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. John Dingell, Chairman Project Director: Robert Cook-Deegan, 226-2034 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: December 1987 Science, Information, and Natural Resources Division NEW COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY: IMPLICATIONS FOR PRIVACY AND SECURITY -The Federal Government, the largest single user of information technology equipment, is facing major changes in the nature and uses of communications technology. New generations of products --such as local and wide area networks, software-controlled switching, digital communications integrated with computers, and satellite and fiber optic transmission --each bring much greater capability to managers and users for accessing, manipulating, and transmitting information. In addition, the government, like the private sector, is rapidly expanding the number of ways in which it uses information technology to accomplish its business. These new capabilities and uses challenge the integrity of the government's information system. This study is evaluating two sets of these challenges that are essentially opposite sides of the same coin; the implications of increasingly advanced telecommunications systems for the privacy of workers; and the security and vulnerability of these systems to unauthorized use. The study examines new and prospective capabilities of communications technology, assesses their impact on privacy and security, and analyzes how the combination of technical, administrative, and legal safeguards can cope with privacy and security implications.
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43 -Requesters: House Committee on Government Operations Hon. Jack Brooks, Chairman House Committee on the Judiciary Hon. Don Edwards, Chairman, Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights Project Director: Charles Wilk, 226-2240 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: Vol. I: Electronic Monitoring of Office Work (in press) Vol II: Integrity of Electronic Communication and Computer Info (April 1987) TECHNOLOGY, PUBLIC POLICY, AND THE CHANGING NATURE OF FEDERAL INFORMATION DISSEMINATION Use of information technology -such as electronic document filing, computer-aided surveys, computerized databases, optical disks, electronic mail, electronic remote printing, and electronic bulletin boards -is already affecting and could ultimately revolutionize the public information functions of government. However, the use of such technology is complicated because of tensions involving public information, management efficiency and cost reduction, and private sector cooperation and competition. This study will: identify and describe the current institutional base for federal dissemination of public information; assess the current technological base and relevant future technological developments; evaluate present and future public information needs and how technology might help meet such needs; and identify and analyze key issues and options. These will include, for example, possible future public information roles of the Government Printing Office, executive agencies, libraries, and private firms; policies for public access to and dissemination of federal information, including policies on the depository library and statistical systems; and opportunities for innovative use of information technology in, for example, electronic remote printing of federal reports, electronic access to federal data bases used in decision support systems, and scientific and technical information exchange. Requesters: Joint Committee on Printing Hon. Charles McC. Mathias, then Chairman Hon. Frank Annunzio, then Vice Chairman, now Chairman House Committee on Government Operations Hon. Glenn English, Chairman, Subcommittee on Government Information, Justice, and Agriculture Project Director: Fred Wood, 226-2244 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: November 1987
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44 COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS FOR AN INFORMATION AGE --Recent advances in information storage and transmission technologies, occurring in a newly deregulated and intensely competitive economic climate, are rapidly reconfiguring the Nation's communcations network~. The revolution in computers and communcations technolgoy has already transformed the regulation and market structure of the industry, dramatically changing the way in which information is created, processed, transmitted, and made available to individual citizens and institutions. These technologies hold promise for a greatly enhanced communications system, which can meet the changing communcations needs of an information-based society. How these technololgies evolve will depend on decisions being made now in both the public and private sectors. This study will provide a context for evaluating these decisions, and will help Congress to decide on the proper Federal role. The assessment will explore the role the Federal Government might play in this area, with particular emphasis on the issues raised by technological advances. This study will 1) characterize the new communication technologies and explore the intricacies of coordinating them; 2) identify their potential for meeting changing communications goals and needs; 3) discuss conflicts that might stem from their development and use; and 4) examine new communications systems abroad and their potential relationships to the U.S. system. Requester: House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. John D. Dingell, Chairman Project Director: Linda Garcia, 226-2247 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: September 1988 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND THE CONSTITUTION IN THE INFORMATION AGE The two centuries of American constitutional history have seen accelerating scientific advance and technological change, penetrating virtually every facet of American life. The social effects of these changes are reflected in interpretations of basic constitutional principles by Congress and the Federal courts. Several recent OTA assessments have analyzed challenges posed by new communications and information technologies to provisions related to rights of property, privacy, and freedom of speech. Characteristics of advanced technologies --such as their scale, power, speed, and unprecedented capabilities --may raise new questions about fundamental powers and constraints on goverment embodied in the the Constitution. This study will complement other bicentennial activities by focusing attention on the role of science and technology in our society, and the opportunities and challenges that they may create for democratic governance in the future. It will provide a context for discussion by public policy makers, legal and judicial scholars, scientists and engineers, and the public of the values of Constitutional stability and flexibility as we move into a third century of technological change.
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45 -New technology often calls for constitutional interpretation. For example, public and private use of aerial and satellite reconnaissance capabilities may raise First, and Fourth amendment questions. Genetic screening may raise questi.ons of due process. Communications systems can enhance Federalism through decentralized governmental services, and support democratic representation by improving the flow of information between citizens and their representatives. These examples point to the need to advances in science and technology, examine the ways in which they may either raise challenges to constitutional provisions, or offer new ways of achieving constitutional goals. Requesters: House Committee on Judiciary Hon. Peter W. Rodino, Jr., Chairman Hon. Hamilton Fish, Jr., Ranking Minority Member Hon. Robert w. Kastenmeier, Chairman, Subcommittee on Courts, Civil Liberties, and Administration of Justice Hon. Carlos J. Moorhead, Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Courts, Civil Liberties, and Administration of Justice Project Director: Vary Coates, 226-2245 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: December, 1987 TECHNOLOGIES FOR EXPLORING AND DEVELOPING U.S.EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONES The United States assumed control of ocean resources within 3 billion acres of the Exclusive .Economic Zone (EEZ) seaward 200 miles in 1983. Prospects for non-fuel mineral resources within the EEZ are considered to be high, but little is actually known about the seabed resource potential within this vast area. Exploration and survey of the EEZ requires highly sophisticated remote sensing both above and below the ocean. The job is enormous and is expected to be very expensive. Several questions are key to the assessment and development of living and non-living resources and the protection of the marine environment: 1) What is currently known about marine resources and their associated environments in the EEZ; 2) What are the current activities in charting, surveying, exploring, and conducting research in the EEZ; 3) What technologies are required to explore and develop marine resources; 4) What would be needed to ensure environmental protection in the event of seabed development; 5) In what economic context should the marine resources of the EEZ be placed in reference to world markets and the economy; and 6) Are there international implications for developing seabed resources in the margins of the EEZ.
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-46 -Requesters: House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries Hon. Walter B. Jones, Chairman Hon. Barbara A. Mikulski, then Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Oceanography Hon. Mike Lowry, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Panama Cana/Outer Continental Shelf House Committee on Science, Space and Technology Hon. Don Fuqua, then Chairman Project Director: James Curlin, 6-2077 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: April 1987 NEW CLEAN AIR ACT ISSUES --This OTA assessment will focus on air pollution concerns that are amon~ the most contentious issues facing Congress in it attempt to reauthorize the Clean Air Act. The first is urban ozone. Currently the health-based air quality standard for ozone is being exceeded in about 70 urban regions, areas in which about one-third of the population of the United States lives. EPA estimates that about half of the areas will still not be in attainment by the 1987 deadline required by the Act. Second, the assessment will address the closely related problem of regional oxidants (primarily ozone), pollutants that can lower the productivity of agricultural and forested regions and contribute to violations of health-based ambient air quality standards in urban areas, often far from the sources from the sources from which the polutants are formed. Next, while evaluating the cost-effectiveness of controlling various sources of hydrocarbon emmisions for lowering ozone levels, the assessment will also identify which of these hydrocarbons might also be toxic air pollutants. Finally, the assessment will update our ability to analyze new options for controlling acid rain, the major focus of an earlier assessment. Requesters: Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Hon. Robert T. Stafford, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member House Committee on Energy and Commerce Hon. John D. Dingell, Chairman Hon. Henry A. Waxman, Chairman, Subcommittee on Health and the Environment Project Director: Robert Friedman, 226-2131 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: March 1988 SUSTAINING THE NATIONAL TECHNOLOGICAL BASE: EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT OF SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS -This study will identify and analyze factors affecting the education and employment of scientists and engineers over the next two decades. The objective of this analysis is to describe the dynamic interactions between public policies, private actions, and the nation's changing research work force.
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47 -The first part of the study will review supply and demand data, models, and projections for individual scientific and engineering disciplines. Key trends and factors shaping supply and demand for scientific and engineering disciplines wil1 be identified. These factors will be analyzed in detail in the second part of the study. The analysis will focus on the education "pipeline" from precollege through early careet; on the institutions that recruit, channel, and certify students in science and engineering; and on academic and industrial needs for faculty and researchers. Requester: House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Hon. Don Fuqua, then Chairman Project Director: Daryl Chubin, 226-2080 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: February 1988 EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY: AN ASSESSMENT OF PRACTICE AND POTENTIAL --The application of microcomputers in elementary and secondary education has been growing dramatically. There are now more than one million computers being used for instruction in over 85 percent of American public and private schools. In many cases, computer-based systems are coupled with other advanced telecommunications and video technologies. These systems have the potential to deliver instruction, reinforce basic skills, overcome physical and linguistic handicaps to learning, and enhance educational program effectiveness. OTA will analyze the wide range ~f instructional technologies currently found in American schools, and will focus on those factors that most strongly influence effective and equitable implementation: the role of federally-funded programs for educationally and econmically disadvantaged children, the effects of various approaches to teacher training, incentives and/or barriers to development of appropriate software, impacts of state and local as well as private sector initiatives, and the need for ongoing research and development. The study will consider public policy options designed to make the best possible uses of educational technologies in realizing the critical goal of improved learning and preparation of our youth for productive futures. Requesters: House Committee on Education and Labor Hon. Augustus F. Hawkins, Chairman Hon. James M. Jeffords, Ranking Republican Member Hon. Pat Williams, Chairman, Subcommittee on Select Education Project Director: Linda Roberts, 226-2166 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: February 1988
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48 -SAFETY IN THE COMMERCIAL AVIATION AND MOTOR CARRIER INDUSTRIES --Over the past eight years, the commercial aviation and motor carrier industries have restructured. The increased number of carriers and the freedom to set rates have brought intense competitive pressures to keep costs down. The study will examine whether transportation safety continues at an appropriate level within _the new industry structures. Questions to be addressed are: What new or existing technologies can be utilized to improve safety? Is sufficient safety data available and is that information analyzed in an appropriate manner? Are Federal safety standards appropriate, and are these standards being adequately enforced? The OTA study will analyze both aviation and truck safety separately, but simultaneously, and will result in two final reports, one for each of the two modes. Requesters: House Committee on Public Works and Transportation Hon. James J. Howard, Chairman House Committee on Government Operations Hon. Cardis Collins, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Government Activities and Transportation Project Director: Edith Page, 226-2175 Projected Delivery Date to TAB: Aviation (Vol I), March 1988 Motor Carriers (Vol. II), June 1988 SPECIAL RESPONSES TECHNOLOGIES FOR PREHISTORIC AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION (Background paper) (Requested by House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, Hon. Morris K. Udall, Chairman, and Hon. John F. Seiberling, then Chairman, subcommittee on Public Lands) Project Director: Ray Williamson, 226-2209 Projected Completion Date: April 1987 TECHNICAL EVALUATION OF CLEANUP PLANS FOR THE STRINGELLOW SUPERFUND SITE: AN UPDATE (Staff paper) (Requested by Hon. George Brown, House of Representatives) Project Director: Joel Hirschhorn, 226-2089 Projected Completion Date: Spring 1987 INFRASTRUCTURE MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES: (Staff Paper) -(Requested by Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Hon. Robert T. Stafford, Chairman, and Hon. Daniel P. Moynihan) Project Director: Jenifer Robison, 226-2134 Projected Completion Date: May 1987
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49 -REVIEW OF EPA WASTE MINIMIZATION REPORT (Technical Memorandum) -(Requested by House Committee on Government Operations, Hon. Mike Synar, Chairman, Subcommittee on Environment, Energy,and Natural Resources) Project Director: Joel Hirschhorn, 226-2089 Projected Completion Date: April 1987 COMPARISON OF U.S. AND SOVIET MILITARY TECHNOLOGIES (Special Report) -(Requested by: House Committee on Armed Services) Project Director: Peter Sharfman, 226-2020 Projected Completion Date: April 1987 NEWS GATHERING FROM SPACE (Workshop) --(Requested by House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Hon. Don Fuqua, then Chairman, and Hon. Bill Nelson, Chairman, Subcommittee on Space Science and Applications) Project Director: Richard Dalbello, 226-2059 Projected Completion Date: April 1987 ENVIRONMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (Workshop) -(Requested by House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Hon. Don Fuqua, then Chairman, Hon. Maune! R. Lujan, Ranking Minority Member, Hon. James H. Scheuer, Chairman, Subcommittee on Natural Resources, Agriculture Research and Environment, and Hon. Claudine Schneider, Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Natural Resources, Agriculture Research, and Environment.) Project Director: Alison Hess, 226-2223 Projected Completion Date: APril 1987 PHYSICIAN PAYMENT REVIEW COMMISSION ACTIVITIES -(Mandated by Public Law 99-272.) Project Director: Clyde Behney, 226-2070 Projected Completion Date: Indeterminate PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT ASSESSMENT COMMISSION -(Mandated by Public Law 98-21, Section 601.) Project Director: Elaine Power, 226-2070 Projected Completion Date: Indeterminate CARCINOGEN REGULATORY POLICY (Technical Memorandum) --(Requested by: House Committee on Government Operations, Hon. Jack Brooks, Chairman, and Hon. Ted Weiss, Chairman, Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations and Human Resources) Project Director: Karl Kronebusch, 226-2070 Pro;ected Completion Date: April 1987
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-so -HEALTH STATUS OF NATIVE HAWAIIANS (Staff Paper) -(Requested by: Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs) Project Director: Larry Miike, 226-2070 Projected Completion Date: April 1987 ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY OF URINE DRUG TESTS (Staff Paper) (Requested by House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, Hon. William D. Ford, Chairman, and Hon. Gary L. Ackerman, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Human Resources) Project Director: Larry Miike, 226-2070 Projected Completion Date: May 1987 MONITORING OF WOMEN VIETNAM VETERAN STUDIES (Mandated by Public Law 99-272) Project Director: Hellen Gelband, 226-2070 Projected Completion Date: Indeterminate MAMMOGRAPHY SCREENING FOR MEDICARE POPULATION (Staff Paper) (Requested by Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, Hon. Edward Kennedy, Chairman) Project Director: Denise Dougherty, 226-2070 Projected Completion Date: May 1987 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE R&D/MACHINE TRANSLATION OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION (Background Paper) --(Requested by: House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Hon. Don Fuqua, then Chairman, and Hon. Manuel Lujan, Ranking Minority Member) Project Director: Fred Weingarten, 226-2240 Projected Completion Date: April 1987 THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF STANDARDIZED TESTS AS MEASUREMENT TOOLS FOR FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY (Technical Memorandum) --(Requested by: Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, Hon. Orrin G. Hatch, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member, Hon. Edward Kennedy, then Ranking Minority Member, now Chairman) Project Director: Nancy Naismith, 226-2214 Projected Completion Date: April 1987 CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES (Background paper) --(Requested by: Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Hon. Robert T. Stafford, then Chairman, now Ranking Minority Member, and Hon. Daniel P. Moynihan) Project Director: Edith Page, 226-2175 Projected Completion Date: May 1987
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-51 -II. E. New Assessments Approved During the Quarter Full Assessments 0 0 0 Increased Competition in Electric Power Industry: Constraints and Opportunities (approved at 3/26/87 TAB meeting) Advanced S ace Trans ortation Technolo ies (approved at 3 26/87 TAB meeting) Drug Labeling in Developing Countries -Phase I (approved at 3/26/87 TAB meeting)
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Publication Briefs
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;:*} OTA REPORT BRIEF March 1987 ,..,r,,,.,t1,uu' ... Technologies To Maintain Biological Diversity The Earth's biological diversity is being seriously re duced, and the losses are likely to accelerate over the next several decades. The most optimistic view of the consequences of reduced biological diversity is that re sources that otherwise might improve the quality of human life will not be available. At worst, reductions could mean a serious disruption of the ecological proc esses on which civilization depends. To avert such adverse consequences, the United States needs to strengthen its commitment to global conservation efforts. In the past, diversity among ecosystems, species, and genes was maintained without specific conserva tion efforts. But as natural areas continue to be dis rupted by human activities, maintaining biological diversity increasingly depends on the development and use of specific conservaportance to agriculture. Generally, these programs are uncoordinated. underfunded, and too narrow to ad dress the biological diversity issue effectively. Further more, the ad hoc conservation programs that currently exist do not cover the broad scope of areas that are important to maintaining biological diversity. To improve knowledge about the extent and rate of loss that is occurring, more emphasis should be placed on the collection of additional data. One of the challenges for the U.S. Congress and other policy makers is to strike a balance between using resources to collect better data on rates of loss and analyze likely consequences on the one hand, and implementing spe cific conservation efforts to meet known threats on the other. The ability to maintain What Is Biological Diversity tion measures. Of partic ular concern are those highly diverse ecosystems such as moist tropical forests, coral reefs. and Mediterranean type envi ronments, with high num bers of unique species. Two complementary approaches are necessary to conserve biological diversity. One approach, called "onsite mainte nance," is to maintain parks and other natural areas to preserve plants and animals in the areas where they occur natu rally. The other approach. Biological diversity refers to the variety and varia bility among living organisms and the ecological com plexes in which they occur. Diversity can be defined as the number of different items and their relative fre quency. For biological diversity, these items range from complete ecosystems to the chemical structures that are the molecular basis of heredity. Thus, the term encompasses different ecosystems, species, and genes, and their relative abundance. diversity w'.11 incri:asingly depend on the availability of useful. affordable tech nologies and on programs designed to apply these technologies to a broader range of species or ecosys tem types. At present. technologies and programs to conserve or enhance biological diversity are limited in their applica tion. The application of science to conservation is a relatively recent event, and a formal discipline in this area is only just emerg ing. Further progress will The term also provides a common denominator for various groups concerned with loss of biological en tities. Despite the broad range of concerns, the prob lem to date has been presented almost exclusively in terms of the extinction of species. Although extinction is perhaps the most dramatic aspect of the problem, it is by no means the whole problem. called "offsite maintenance," is to preserve diversity apart from natural habitats in places such as seed banks or zoos. Onsite maintenance is the best means of maintaining a broad range of biological diversity in the long term. Offsite maintenance is the most eco nomical method for preserving a small but critical component of genetic diversity such as the thousands of plant varieties important to agriculture. As threats to biological diversity increase, greater interaction be tween the two approaches will be required. Maintaining global biological diversity will require greater coordination of conservation efforts by the United States and other countries. Several government and private programs in the United States and else where address narrow conservation objectives such as protecting migratory species or genetic resources of imdepend on promoting and encouraging institutions and researchers to place greater emphasis both on the synthesis of research re sults and on technology development and transfer in support of resource managers. The Role of Congress A range of options is available for Congress to main tain diversity in the United States and throughout the world. They are summarized on the reverse side. Copies of the OTA report. "Technologies To Maintain Biological Diversity," are available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, DC 20402-9325: (202) i83-3238. The GPO stock number is 052-003-01058-5: the price is S15. 00. Copies of the report for congressional use are available by calling 4-8996. Summaries of reports are available at no charge from the Office of Technology Assessment. The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) is an analytical arm of the U.S. Congress whose 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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Summary of Policy Issues for Congressional Action Related to Maintenance of Biological Diversity Issue Finding Options Strengthen national commitment Adopt a comprehensive approach to mamtaining b1olog1cal diversity Estaolish a national biological diversity act Preoare a national conservation strategy Increase ability to maintain biological diversity Increase puo/ic awareness of 0101og1ca1 diversity issues Improve research. tecflnology development and application Amend aopropnate leg1slat1on ot Feaeral agencies Establish a national conservation education act Amend the International Security and Development Coooerat1on Act Direct National Science Foundation to estaolish a conservation biology program Estaolish a national endowment for b101og1ca1 d1vers1ty Fill gaps and madeauac1es in existing Provide sufficient funding for existing maintenance orograms programs !morove link between ons1te and offs1te orograms Estaolish new programs to fill specific gaps 1n current efforts Enhance knowledge base Improve data collection. maintenance. Establish a clearinghouse for biological data and use Enhance existing natural heritage network of conservation data centers Support international initiatives Provide greater leadership m the Increase support of existing international programs Address loss in developing countries mternational arena Continue oversight hearings of multilateral deve1ooment Promote the exchange of genetic resources Amend Foreign Assistance Act banks' activities Examine U.S. options on international exchange of germ plasm Amend the Export Administration Act to affirm U.S. commitment to free exchange of germplasm Adoot broader definition of b1olog1ca1 d1vers1ty n Foreign Assistance Act Ennance caoao11ity of the Agency tor Direct AID to adoot strategic approacn to d1vers1ty lnterna11ona1 Devetooment conservation EstaD/Jsh alternative funding sources for 01olog1ca1 diversity pro/eels increase AID staffing of personnel with environmental training Create special account for natural resources ana the environment Apply more Pubfic Law 480 funds to effort SOURCE: Office of Tecnnology Assessment. 1987. ONGAESS OF THE UNITED STATES OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT NASHINGTON DC. 20510-8025 OFFICIAL BUSINESS PENAL TY "OR PRIVATE USE. $300 POSTAGE ANO FEES PAID OF~CEOFTECHNOLOGYASSESSMENT 379 ~-U.S.MAIL
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..-~ --------_---,-......-....,.--,--.-. ~-----_, ., .' ,,...,.,---~--------~---_ _. ..... ..,.._~...,....------r-o:--""-...... ----.. -..-~~------:.: ... ;~ OTA REPORT BRIEF .. -..;:.-"" ~~-----\ ~----...,__ -------~--------=.,.hf ________ ... ~ Despite a doubling of Federal expenditures on drug interdic n over the past 5 years, illegal imports of cocaine, the drug w of intense national concern, have almost doubled since 981, supplying a growing number of users at prices that have lallen as the supply has increased. The challenge faced by drug enforcement agencies is formida ble. The large market, coupled with the huge profits to be made by transporting drugs from foreign suppliers to domestic wholesalers, fuels this illegal traffic. OT A estimates that the mark-up between foreign and domestic wholesale prices is on the order of 20 to 30 times for marijuana, 4 to 5 for cocaine, and 30 to 40 for heroin. In 1985, the value added to these drugs through smuggling was roughly $6 billion for marijuana, $1.6 billion for cocaine, and $1 billion for heroin. Of this, perhaps 90 percent (over $7 billion) was realized as profit by drug smugglers. March 1987 DRUG TRANSPORT MODES The drug traffic moves by a variety of transport modes and routes to reach the United States. Most imported marijuana comes either by sea, in private vessels, or by land, across the Mexican border, but private aircraft and commercial transport are also used. Cocaine is smuggled across all coasts and the Mex ican border, with about half the traffic carried in private air craft and a large share of the remainder in private ships or boats. The amount of cocaine smuggled through ports of entry appears to be increasing. The heroin produced in Southeast and South west Asia comes through ports of entry primarily carried by air line passengers or hidden in cargo or mail. The amount of Mex ican heroin that enters across the land border is increasing. Smugglers show great ingenuity in devising methods of entry. When interdiction efforts restrict a particular mode of transport or route, drug traffickers quickly shift to alternatives. As a result, the Nation's long and highly permeable borders are be ing assaulted by an illegal traffic that uses all conceivable means of transport and concealment. FEDERAL INTERDICTION EFFORTS The agencies with primary responsibility for drug interdiction are the Customs Service, the Coast Guard, and the Border Pa trol of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. These front line agencies, supported by numerous other Federal agencies, have seized increasing quantities of drugs over the past 5 years. In fiscal year 1986, almost $800 million was expended by the Federal Government in this effort, and the number and quan tity of seizures was higher than ever before. Despite these ef forts, the impact on drug trafficking has been slight, and the flow of drugs into this country has not been stemmed. Only a small percentage of drugs are being seized. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-570) affirms the legislative intent to continue interdiction as a major element in drug law enforcement. The Act authorizes a substantial in crease in funding for interdiction and greater use of military assets. It also sets the stage to resolve some of the fragmenta tion in organization and responsibilities for drug interdiction. It provides mechanisms for allocating new military equipment and requires legislative proposals from the President by mid1987 to reorganize executive branch efforts to combat drug traf ficking and abuse. The goal of the Nation's overall anti-drug abuse program is to reduce the number of users and prevent others from becom ing users. The national strategy includes reducing both supply and demand. Interdiction is only one element of supply reduc tion which also includes investigation and prosecution, and ... -,:-...: _: : ... .--. L -----
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international narn.,tks control. While many debate thr rC'latiVl' mnit,; o( I agrC'e that some level of effort in f'ac h ic, n<'c<',;:c;;:iry I lw total effort to combat drug abuc;<' ic, also always tempered by smh cnm,rnc; ac; its impact on civil liberties or on legitimate commerce and nth<'r private aclivifi<'<: Central to the success of future drug interdiction efforts are thf' fec_hnologies employed to detect, intercept, and carture smugglers. This study investigate<: the availability, use. and perrormance of the technologirs now u<:ed and those that could contribute to the Nation's effort to prevent illegal drug traffic. This involves not only examination of the technology itself but also of the organization<: that use these systems and the enrorcement strategiec; they ernplny. FINDINGS There 15 no dear correlation between the level of expenditures or effort devoted lo interdiction and the long-term availability of illegally imported druRS In the domes~ tic market. However, given the pro(itability of drug c;muggling, a worldwide glut of drugs, and the view that the United Stales is the favored marht for drugs, inter diction alone will probably never result in more than a short-term or relatively small reduction in drug availability. The value of Intelligence Is very high for all Hpects of druR Interdiction. In particu lar, good tactical intelligence can mean a large increase in ability to identify smug gling attempts. In certain areas, intelligence gathering is limited by inadequate re sources and an ineffective network. Needed information cannot be gathered and delivered to the users in a timely fashion. Classified intelligence, even if valuable lo interdiction efforts, is not often or easily used because of concerns about revNling 5ources and methods during court procttdings. Over the past 2 years many new technologies, ranging from remote sensors lo pur suit aircraft and patrol boats, have been introduced into Federal drug interdiction programs. These technologies have, for the most part, enhanced Federal capabilities. However, the technologies are just now becoming operational and evaluations of their overall effectiveness cannot be made without more t>xperience and a directed effort to collect relevant data for evaluation. No single technology has been identified that would solve the Nation', overall drug Interdiction problem. But there are many opportunities for individual technologies to make incremental contributions to specific Federal interdiction efforts. Realizing these opportunities may require development of new technologies or procurement of Increased numbers of existing technologies. However, most technological improve ments, by themselvt'S, may have only a temporary benefit because, the drug trafficker!'i will take rapid and usually successful actions to neutralize the effectiveness of new Interdiction techniques. Re5ponslbilities of the Federal drue: Interdiction agencies are fragmented and over lapping. The lack of a suitable institutional framework is a major impediment to the adoption and effective use of technologies-particularly command and control sys tems that could offer significant benefltc;. With the exception of special intensive oper atlons, problems with inleragency coordination and cooperation occur and no cen tral authority addresses important strategic queslionc; on priorilit'S and resource allocation. INTERDICTION GOALS Even though goals for the national drug interdiction program ar, seldom stated explicitly, it appears that three major objectives make up the implicit working goals of all of the agencies involved. These are: 1. to constantly harass and deter all significant smuggling attempts, and to work toward disrupting the trafficking networks, seizing as many drugs as possiblt' and making arrests of the drug traffickers; 1. J.O.force the most vulnerable drug trafficking organizations out of business; and '<\ t to demonstratt' a national resolve to curtail the drug use and abust> probl>m. 1 -~"'}. Cocaine Smuggling RoutP.s r,om l. atln America to the United States and Europe WHAT IS INTERDICTION7 In this study, inlPrdiction refers to t>fforts to intercept or to deter the shipment of illegal drugs (chiefly marijuana, cocaine, and heroin) from foreign countries to the Uniled States. It does not include actions in source countries to reduce cultivation or to disrupt criminal organizations rec;ponsible for processing and shipment. Neilher dot>s it include actions to pursue and to neutralize drug trafficking organizations and distributing networks within the United States, although all these actions are part of the overall Fed eral strategy to combat drug use. Interdiction focuses on drugs in transit to the U.S. border, Including both those shipments conl:'ealed in lf'gitimate commerce that seek to pass through ports of entry and those that attempt to penetrate the horder surreptitiously in private aircraft, boatc;, and land vehicles or carriPd by persons on foot. OPIIONS his O I A ac;c.rs<:nwnl 1lf i11t1dit ti(in lfcl1rn1logil''-c:ur,gP..,I<: a r,1ng(' 1,f 11pt in11<: th.1t could b<' <'mrloyrd by !he hdtr,1/ agrn< ie,;; in an effnrt !o imprnvr thP rffrctiven<'<;S of future' oper<1tinnc;, incrC'a,:;e ,;:unrc,<: within flH'ir npt>r;itional c;!ril!C'~dr<:, and make mor(' dfkif'nt U<:f' of rr<;t,urraration nf a coordinated, long-range plan for use of inf('rdiction req1urces and technol(lgies. Such a plan would matlh resourcec; to the pr<'<:ent threat and develop a c;ystem to assure that cnnc;istent monituring nf traffic king j,_ fed into the planning prncess. The plan could include networks fnr intelligence and surveil lance data as well ac; drc;ignat<'d commands to apply pr<',;;sure al appropriate major smuggling modes of port of entry, air, marine, and land hord<'r<:. Establishment of a common c,yc;tem to evaluate deterrent rapahilities and the effectiveness of techm1logies and techniques usrd for intenlirtion. 1 he 5yslf'm would need to include specific data to br collected. standards for mrac;uring detection rates and apprehension rates, consistent costing methods, and procedures for using the most appropriate data to evaluate systems or operation<: Development of a substantial rec;<'arch and development (R&D) prngram to de velop more effective detection ted,nologies for ports of cn!ry. llif're is somt> promise of technological advancement in this area but R&O efforts ar<> ton <:mall to conduct needed work. Existing National lahoratorit's may hr ,wailahle to provide the technical base for this R&:D effort. Design and development of a horder surV population 12 or over) havt' uc;ed an illicit drug in the prt"ceeding year, and 23 million people (12 pf'rrf'nfl have done so in the preceeding month. Among the employed 20 to 40 yt>ars old. 29 percent rtported using an illicit drug in tht" preceeding year, and 19 percent in the preceeding mtinth (16 percent reported marijuana use and 5 pt>rct>nl reportf'd cocaine U<;f:') Trends People who reported using marijuana at least once in the past month decreased from 20.0 million in 1982 to 18.2 million in 1985. In the c;ame time frame, those uc;ing cocaine incr('ac;ed from 4.2 million to 5.8 million, a 38 percf'nt increase. Ao:, many 18 to 25 year o)dc; rt>ported uc;ing ilHcit drugs in lQ85 ac; they reported in 1979 and 1982; in contrast. more pPople 26 and over reported uc;ing drugs in 1985 The increase in drug use in thic; age group is at least partially e'egan using drugc; in prt"vinuc; year~. 'i011R( E 1911~ Natr{lnal Hou~hold c:;urvty on flru11: Al,ust. Natinnal ln
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The use of human tissues and celis to develop commercial products for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes is increasing. From 1980 through 1984, patent applications by universities and hospitals for inventions using human tissues and cells increased by more than 300 percent compared with the preceding 5-year period. In the United States, 49 perc,ent of all medical institu tions have applied for such patents. OT A estimates that there are nearly 350 commercial biotech nology companies existing in the United States at this time. Ap proximately one-third of these companies make some use of hu man tissues and cells. These uses of human tissues and cells raise a number of important legal, ethical, and economic issues. March 198' OT A examined the following questions: Are bodily substances "property" to be disposed of by an} means one choses, including donation or sale? Do individuals hold property rights to their genetic iden tity or do these rights adhere to the human species? Who owns a cell line-the person who was the ::umar source of the tissues and cells, or the scientist who devel oped the cell line? Should disclosure, informed consent, and regulatory re quirements be modified to cope with the new question! raised by the increased use of human biological materials; Sources of Human Tissues and Cells Human bodies contain a number of elements that may be useful in biomedical research. This report refers to all humar parts-replenishing and nortreplenishing, living and nonliving beneficial and detrimental-collectively as human biological materials but excludes any consideration of human germ cells sud as sperm and ova and fetal tissue. Three basic biological technologies are of particular relevancE to this report: tissue and cell culture, hybridoma, and recombinant DNA. Although tissues and cells can be manipulated vie these techniques for diagnostic, therapeutic, research, and com mercial purposes, in fact the various uses of biological materi als are usually intertwined. A variety of people, including scientists in the research community, universities, and industry plus physicians, and patient and nonpatient sources share ar interest in the acquisition and use of human biological materials Can Human Tissues and Cells Be Sold like Property? No area of law clearly establishes who owns human tissue: and cells. Nor does any law prohibit the use or sale of humar bodily substances by the living person who generates them 01 by someone who acquires them. In the absence of clear lega restrictions, the sale of tissues and cells is permissible unless th1 circumstances surrounding the sale suggest a significant threa1 to individual or public health, or strong offense to public sensi bility. To date, neither deleterious health effects nor public mora outrage have occurred even though occasional reports of salei of replenishing cells (e.g., blood, semen) have been publicized But while the law permits the sale of replenishing cells, it doei not endorse such transactions as involving property. The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) is an analytical arm of the U.S. Congress whose 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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lnforntl'tl ( 1111wnl ,11111 l)i.,tl1,,111t l 1nt1I nt tnth. littlt lhnughl Ii.id b1 >~I\TII In 1h,t ln'-111>: 111lc>1111,1l1n11 .,b,,111 llll' l'''"rttl 1111 ({llllllll'lf i.11 J:,I111, 11111 \\'llh llw .ul, h111ltt'1 11nlt1gy ,tnd ii, pnhnli.1111'-l' of ti,.,111 ., ,md 11<., in \',1l11.1bk p1od111 i... tin., ,..,.,lll. rmrit ... t c,n-.i1l1r,1!u1n t\11:11mtnl., 1,111 h1 111,Hll' h1,1li 1111 ,uul ,1g,1in-.t tlu id1,111f nu ludini: inf1mn,1ti1in .1l111ul lin.rnc-i,11 g,11n in tlw rtq11i11I tli-. t lt1-.111t nf infp1111,1tion 1t1 p,1litni... ,1ml 11,1,ud1 -.uhj1 I<. hr prn,;;pr< I 111 lm,111( i.11 g,1in c ,rn t ,1111pli< ,tit th1 pro11-.,;; ol oh!.11nin~ vnlunl,,ry < on,;;rnl 1111 till' U'-l' ,,I h11111,1n b111h,gi1 ,11 m,1hi,1l., It tan be argued thal to a,;;c.urr truly vnlunt.uy con-.1nl. U' .. l'arth c.uhjt'Cl'i c.hnultl not be ofrt'red compl'no;ation for thd, linll' and irunnnnic-nct', lrl alone i;ubc;lantial financial ~ain. I ht cn11nhra1gunwnl j., that the pl'ople who provide human tisc.ucc. and tdl-. havl' ri~htc. or inltno;tc; in marletabll' subc.tancec. taken or c. and c.o ha\'l' a ri~ht lo know about rnlential rrnfit... r1ono111ic Coni;iderations 0111" lillll'-.1bl1ul tl11 c omnw11 i.1lil'.1lit1n nf h11rn.1n fi-..:;uc<. and cdl,c; .ui<.t' ,tf lt-..n 11111111., when tlw r.1w m,1hri,1J.., .:irt originally .1equir<'d and wh<'n tlwv h,1v1 hrcn d1vt!t1p1d inft1 ,, c omnwu ially valuahl<' product. o c:om( t,tl'nl. ,1rgunwnl., 11,r pL1ynwnt, for human (i,;;sm-. and crlls uo;rd in hioll'< hnol,1git ,11 n.,t,11c h t't he, ,imilar drhall'C: ahc111t mark<'lc. in human or~:,m., lw li\'t' prim ip,il i-.,;;m-. idtnlilild in till' dchatr ar<' !Ill' tqu1ly Pl production and di..,trihution; !lw .,dd,d < n<.I., ol p,nnwnl., to '-Ot1rcr.:; .md asc.olial<'d transaction,;; J ... nci.11 p,o,,I..,: .,,1lrl y ,ind qu,1lil y. ,md .S p11lrnli,1I ,l10rt.igt., or ind lit i,m i1c. nc.ulting from a nonmarkt't c;y!--ltm 11r lr11rn ch,1nging f n1111 ,1 ncinm.1rk<'I ,;;yc.lrm tc, a markrt c;y1-lrm At prt<.enl, th,re doe,;; not appt.ar lo he a movement toward a change in fht txi-.tin~ c.yc.ltm n( het of ll1r ()TA ,c,,,,,,. ''New /),r1dn11mtP1I in Hinlt.clruolnR.11 Ow11oc.l1ip of Hummr Ti-.c;urs 111111 Cl'II-., mr m1ml,,Mf' fwm Sup,,infr11 ,l(,rt of Donmwnls, [JS {;1111,,,r,mul P,intiu~ Off1n, W,1,;l1in~to11. PC 20402-9J25 (202) 7/!J-J2J/! T/11 (;po slo, k 11111111w, is 052 OOJ-Ol060-7, tl,r ,,,icr is $7.50 (',1111(',; of rlw ,,,,,o,t fnr congrec.c.lonal uc.l' fin m1ail,1"1, l,,v rn/lin)l 4-/1006 .. "y-. <,I ,:, '. ,t } '' ,, ',. I 1 l Rarlly of Human Tissues and Cells Used In Blolechnology The issue of rarity of human tiso;ues and cells used in biolech nological research takes the form ol a pyramid At !hf' bol tom are lhe vast majority of materials, relatively common and easy to obtain (though by no means does this imply an in finite supply) Much larthrr ur the pyramid is an inlermedi alP. level, where particular sar:1ples may exhib11 uncommon characlerislics or occur in !he ;,opulation al a low h>q11ency Al lhe top of the pyramid are 'he cases of true uniqurnpc;o; 1hr d,sr.overy of which 1s unrrf'rliclrthle ,1lllt!r f '"'''"''' t,,,1,,,.,1,.,h' ,..,,,','"'"'' l'IM7
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Selected News Clips on OTA Publications and Activities The following is a representative sample (about 6%) of the clippings received during the last quarter. These clippings refer to 22 different OTA publications. Members of Congress participated in the public release of all 6 studies issued this quarter. OTA ASSESSMENT REPORTS Losing a Million Minds: Confronting the Tragedy of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias Technologies To Maintain Biological Diversity New Developments in Biotechnology: Ownership of Human Tissues and Cells Border War on Drugs Integrated Renewable Resource Management for U.S. Insular Areas Technologies for Prehistoric and Historic Preservation Serious Reduction of Hazardous Waste Technology, Trade, and the U.S. Residential Construction Industry Trade in Services: Exports and Foreign Revenues Ocean Incineration: Its Role in Managing Hazardous Waste Transportation of Hazardous Materials Technology, Public Policy, and the Changing Structure of American Agriculture Acid Rain and Transported Air Pollutants Protecting the Nation's Groundwater From Contamination Automation of America's Offices OTA TECHNICAL MEMORANDA, BACKGROUND PAPERS, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Certified Nurse Midwives: A Policy Analysis (CS) Children's Mental Health: Problems and Services (BP) Indian Health Service (Staff Paper) New Structural Materials Technologies: Opportunities for the Use of Advanced Ceramics and Composites (TM) Demographic Trends and the Scientific and Engineering Work Force (TM) Review of the Public Health Service's Response to AIDS (TM) Review of Defense Department's Polygraph Test and Research Programs (Staff Paper) Miscellanous
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MOie h 8erv1Ces tifged for dementia victims THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Services for Alzheimer's disease victims and their families are disor ganized, incomplete and often una vailable, according to a congres sional study released yesterday. "Federal polices have not been designed to reinforce family and community supports," the Office of Technology Assessment said in a statement accompanying its S39-page report, "Losing a Million Minds." "Medical, mental health and so cial services are frequently only poorly adapted to the needs and abil ities of those with dementia," ac cording to the report. "Families are often referred from agency to agency, each of which may exclude individuals with dementia from their services for different and legitimate reasons." The OTA report, requested by seven Senate and House commit tees, said 7.4 million people could be afflicted with Alzheimer's or other types of dementia by 2040 if no treatment is found. It costs about $40 billion each year to care for patients with memory loss, intellectual deterioriation and altered behavior symptomatic of Alzheimer's and other dementia dis eases, the report said. "Individuals with dementia con stitute perhaps the largest definable population group of those who re quire long-term care for extended periods, and payments for long-term care under the Medicaid program account for up to 10 percent of some state budgets," it said. According to OTA, the federal government pays some $4.4 billion and the states $4. l billion for nursing home care under Medicaid. Victims and their families pick up the rest of the tab. "People who need long-term care frequently become impoverished in paying for it because of its long dura tion and high costs. The costs of care can have a catastrophic impact on family caregivers, not just the ill person," the agency said. Federal funding of biomedical re search into dementia increased from $4 million in 1976 to $67 million this year, OTA said. According to OTA, growing public awareness of Alzheimer's and re lated diseases is demonstrated by the fact that three bills on the subject were introduced in the 97th Con gress, 1981-82, while 38 bills were At least 21 states have major legislative initiatives on Alzheimer's, the study said, and several have led the way with carefully planned approaches to the problem. Those cited for ex emplary efforts were California, Maryland, Kansas, Tuxas, Minne sota, Rhode Island and Illinois.
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THB NEW YORK TIMBS, TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 1987 U.S. Panel Points to Precipitous Decline in S_pecieS; By KEITH SCHNEIDER i WASHINGTON, March 3 An Congressional adl. vlsory group today called for a coordinated prof gram to arrest the decline In anlmali plant, Insect and microbe species It said are disappearing at a rate per: haps not seen since the Joss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago., The recommendation came In a 334-page report prepared over the last two years by the Office of Tech nology Assessment, an agency char tered by Congress to advise on scien tific and technological issues. The study, "Technologies to Maintain BloJoglcaJ Diversity,'' Is the inost comprehensive assessment yet produced by a Government agency ort the threat the loss of species poses trl human welfare. The study proposes a wide range of Federal and private ac lions that could help reverse thJ trend. Today's report reflected the mount Ing concern among biologists over th loss of biological diversity, a conce~ that has been expressed with growing urgency at numerous recent confer1 ences and In several scientific ] ports. The report said that the loss o valuable animals, plants, insects an microbes has now been acknowl1 edged as a distinct threat to the eco.l nomlc future of major Industries. The pharmaceutical industry, for example, owes much to the discovery and Isolation of compounds found In plants and animals. An Important agent to fight viruses-and cancer, the report notes, was isolated from a sea sponge found In Jamaica. But pollu tion In the Caribbean could threaten some unexa~lned species of sponges. The report said that the United States, despite enacting 29 separate laws and having a host of Federal agencies to manage natural re sources, does not have a coordinated program for addressing the decline In biological diversity. The report places special attention on what Congress could do to strengthen the nation's commitment to conserving biological resources here and overseas. "The report points out that there Is a whole range of people who are con cerned or should be concerned," said Susan Shen, one of the authors. "The political support for a comprehensive program is potentially enormous." Extinction has always been a part of evolution, the report said. "It's estimated that 95 percent of the spe cies that have ever existed are now extinct," said Michael Strauss, an other author. "The significance now ls that the rate of loss of species due to damage by man Is higher than It's been In a very long time." The report's authors called on Con-gress to enact a separate act to pro vide guidance for a comprehensive, approach to conserving biological re sources. The goal would be to coordinate the wide array of Federal, state, and private programs In the United States and abroad that affect the prospects for species conservatlo~. Such an act, the authors said, oould be admlplstered by a separate body of advisers, similar to the President's Council for Environmental Quality. The report also calls on O,ngress and Federal agencies to amend 29 separate acts In order to encourage a consistent approach and make main tenance of biological diversity an ex-'Ninety-five percent of the species that have ever existed are : now extinct.' pllclt consideration of all Federal ac tivities. ,' changes In how the United States administers foreign aid was also sug gested In the report. Many of the plant genetic resources on which United States agriculture Is based come from overseas, and It ls hnfiqr tant to prevent the loss of 'Wild vari eties of grain or ancient lines of livestock that could be valuable some day In breeding, the report said. Congress could help by tying conservation of gen~tlc resources to Its International aid programs, the report said. : The report suggests an array of ret search and education programs to promote public awareness of, the Issue and to develop new methods foe conserving biological resources. The report said that the National Selene~ Foundation could help establish a new scientific field called "conserva 7 tlon biology," which would train a generation of scientists in technique~ for maintaining biological diversity. The report also cited the role it1 conservation that. private groups have played1 and urged Congress to establish a national endowment to provide funds for these groups. Representative James H. Scheuer; a Democrat of New York, and chair' man of a House Science, Space and Technology subcommittee, praised the report and said It provided a foun; datlon for action by Congress. He said he would be use It In drawing up legls~ latlon he would Introduce In May or June aimed at "conserving ecosys~ tern diversity In the United States." Other experts said they hoped the( study IVOUld encourage Congress tc, act "C(mgress asked for the report," said Cary Fowler, of the Rural Ad~ vancement Fund In Pittsboro, N.C.!' and an activist 'OD conservation of plant resources. "Now we'll see what they will do with It."
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INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE. THURSDAY. APRIL 2. 1987 Report Cites Worldwide Extinctions W ASHINOTON (NYl')-A congressional advisory group has called for a coontinaled program to arrest the dec:line ia arumal, plant, insect and microbe species it said are disappearing at a rate perhaps not seen since the loa ol the diaolaun 65 million years ago. The recommendation came ia a 334-page report prepared over the last two yan by the omce ol Technology Aslellment, an agency c:hartered by Congress to advise oa acientific and leelmological issues. The study, ""technologies to Mainlain Biological Diwnity,,. is the 1D01t comprehensive .... ..,,...., yet produced by a government agency oa the threat the loud apec:ia poses to human welfare. The study proposes a wide range ol redcnl and private acdau that could help mene the trend. The new report reflec:led the mounting concem among biologists CMr the lou ol biological cliwnity, a CODCCl'll lbat bu been apreued witb growina uqcncy at nwnerau1 recent confcrencea and in sneral scientifac reports.
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:; ci-e 1,1 cc Jo I 1-5 S f"/lffi1,,,:,,j'I._, 2 7, / 7 8 ";j OTA: Property Right, Donor Consent p 1 9;,41 Factors Cloud "Gifts" of Human Tissue Twenty years ago, the thought of a pa tient claiming rights to a drug derived from his cancerous tumor would have seemed remote to researchers. But for scientists de veloping new diagnostic cools and drugs through biotechnology the prospect of losing part of the financial rewards of that work is no longer inconceivable. At the same time there is growing concern about the rights of people who donate raw tissue and cell mate rial for research. Must researchers disclose to tissue donors that subsequent research could lead to a commercial product? And should companies and institutions share any result ing profits with tissue donors or their heirs? The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) suggests that there is now a need for Congress to take stock of these issues and other matters involving technological advances in biological research and its applica tion in health care. Until recently, exchanges of human tissues have not been of much concern. They generally have occurred freeof-charge in a cooperative spirit. But in Ownenhip of Hu,,,.,, Tissues and CeiJ.s, the first of a series of reports entitled Ner,, Developments in Bwtedmou,gy, OTA foresees a more complicated world for research that is dependent on human tissue specimens. The production of diagnostic tools and new drugs from the use of cell fusion, cloning, and recombinant DNA techniques, says OT A, raises a series of fundamental policy and ethical questions. In particular, should the federal government permit com mercial trade in human cell lines, and should physicians and researchers be compelled co disclose potential research and commercial interests co patients and research subjects? Copies of Nn, DnYiapMn,11 ,n 8"1t1cl1NJUl!P 0Mlnflll/' of H11-Tiss11a .,,. Cills (OTA-RA-H7l mav tie obtained from the U.S. G<>-cmmc:nr Prmcmg Otfkc. Federal and state agencies often require that patients or other donors be cold that tissues may be used for research. But the rules do not always apply. And, disclosure require mcnts usually stop short of telling these donors that their cells or body parts have potential commercial value. The legal basis for donors co claim a property right co a cell line or even to a drug that may eventually be developed from do nated human tissue is murky, according to OT A. inc law of property was not written with this kind of thing in mind," says Barbara Miskin, an attorney with Hogan and Hartson of Washington, D.C., and former deputy director of the President's Commis sion for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research. ~-:nid this legal quagmire, many research ers, universities, and companies have begun co strengthen their disclosure procedures. Cetus Corporation of Emeryville, Califor nia, for example, requires institutions sup plying cell lines or human tissues to demon strate that the material was obtained through informed consent and that they have a dear title. At Ccncocor Inc., of Malvern, PcMsylvania, donors arc offered a one-time advance payment or a royalty on any product that results from the donation of cells or tissues. Despite efforts to secure releases and improve record-keeping, there arc no assurances at this point that researchers and insti tutions arc free from future claims. Nor is it certain that the existing sysccm of free dona tion of human biological materials will con tinue. Ultimately, says OTA, the resolution of these issues may depend on how Con gress chooses co regulate the procurement and the distribution of human tissues and cells. MARK CllAWFORD SCIENCE, VOL. 2H
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BUS INES S Selling a Pound of Flesh Patients want to share biotech's bounty Don't read this story if you're eating. It's about the sale of surgical left overs, such as skin or tumors. As biotechnology blooms, demand has risen for discarded human tissues. The researchers who patent important discoveries or bring products made from those tissues to mar ket can strike it rich. Angered that their doctors make money from tissues they paid to have removed, patients are suing for a cut ofa different kind. While selling organs for transplant is illegal. no laws or court decisions govern the cell market. A new debate has been sparked over rather ghoul ish topics: who owns excist'd tissue. and who should profit from it'! Today researchers thriftily make use of what surgeons used to throw away. rework ing everything from infant foreskins to the still-living detritus of other suq.:tnes rnto "cell lint>s"- blgun requiring consent forms and paying patients at least a nomi nal amount. "We ngulate ourselves," says Suzann ( ;arner whose Boulder, Colo.-bast'd Clo net 1cs t 'orp. marklts $250 human-skin ctll culturl's to re:wan:hers and cosmetics companll'S. Some rtstarchers even ask pat1lnts to waive rights to their cells-aparently contradicting fl
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2b f\~,'"\ BURREJ.J.Ers :Pols ponder profits :for biotech donors I l11 'ti I) NEWnotsE NEWS 'siRv;d: patients and research subjects of WASHING TON Congress the anticipated potential use of needs to consider legislation their biological materials to as ~tablishing the rights of donors sure that such materials are used whose cells and tissues are used to with the informed consent and develop new biomedical products, blessings of the donor. says the chairman of a House "Total candor is essential to science panel. building the trust that should un-Rep. Robert Roe, 0-N.J., who derlie the relationship between heads the House Science and patients and medical research Technology Committee, says he ers." hopes Congress will be able to Failure to gain the permission develop answers to the legal, ethi-of donors for the use their of cells cal and financial questions raised and tissue has led to at least one by the rapidly developing biotechcourt case in which a donor at nology business. tempted to claim a share of profRoe's statements came yesterits from a cell line developed day as the co grssion~ OffiM from his blood samples. Technolo2,' ssessmen reie In that case, a judge dismissed a study o the lssues concerning the case on the grounds that the the use of human biological madonor had no established legal terials in research that can result claim to the final cell product, in new biomedical products that even through he refused to sign a are sold for profit. consent form waving his rights to "Congress may conclude that it any products developed from his is fair and equitable for the origi-blood. nal sources of human biological Joining Roe in releasing the materials to share in the derived OTA report was Sen. Albert Gore, profits," the report said, while not D-Tenn., who said Congress must endorsing a particular legislative act now to clarify the law. "If action. researchers and industries are ob-Though the National Organ structed by regulatory ambigu Transplant Act bars the sale of ity,'' said Gore, "we will have human organs, the sale of biologifailed ourselves and future gen cal materials such as cells, bodily erations." fluids and tissues is not prohibGore said donors of original ited. biological material would have "We should study how commerrights to final biomedical prod cialization in this area could afucts in only a tiny portion of the feet the quality and quantity of cases. human biological materials avail-In most cases, Gore said. the able for biomedical research,'' rights to final products would Roe said. clearly belong to the researchers Roe added, however, that who developed them. He said that "there should be full disclosure to in most cases the original biologi cal material is like the clay used by a sculptor to create a work of art the credit for the final work should go to the artist, not to the provider of the clay. The OT A report is the first in a series of six the agency is prepar, ing on new developments in biJ' technology.
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TV CLIPS DATE TIME STATION LOCATION PROGRAM 75 EAST NORTHFIELD ROAD I LIVINGSTON I NEW JERSEY 07039 (201) 992-6600 i (800) 631-1160 March 25, 1987 11:00-11:30 PM WBIR-TVtCBS) Channel Ten Knoxville, Tenn. Action 10 News Nightside Valissa Smith, co-anchor: ACCOUNT NUMBER NIELSEN AUDIENCE 10/6297 Y 88,000 When human tissue and cells are used in research. how do--who do they belong to?--well, the person who donated them or the scientist who developed a product from them? That's one of the questions explored in a report by the Office of Technology Assessment. a repon that's praised by Senator Albert Gore Jr., who thinks congressional action is needed to deal with the moral, legal and commercial dilemmas posed by human tissue research. Especially since the area of biotechnology is changing so--so rapidly. The report found no specific laws that clearly provi.:: ownership rights to human tissue and cells used in research. 107 Words 9 Clips Video ea5HIIH are available in any Coima1 Co, a peiiod of Coui weeb hom ai, dale hom ou, affiliale: VIDEO MONITORING SERVICES OP AMERICA, INC. 12121736-2010
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WALL STREET JOCRNAL NEW YORK. NY Eastern Ed1t1on D 7H ,l.lO M~R 26 1987 BURREl..l.lPS Paid Use of Human Tissue in Research M~} Hurt Biotechnology Finns, Data Say By ALAN L. OnlN Staff Reporter of THE w ALL STWBl!!T JOU-AL WASHINGTON-Requiring payment for human tissues and cens used in biomedical research could add "significant burdens" to the developing biotechnology industry, a congressionally ordered study concluded. The study indicated that the burden would come not so much from the money paid to the people whose tissues, cells or ; other biological materials were used but I rather from the administrative costs of keeping track of the multiple origins of useful cell lines. But it also acknowledged that as bio technology firms' profits increased, "is sues of equity'' might ultimately argue for a system of payments to the hwnan sources of any valuable material. The study was prepared by tbe Office of Teclmology Assessment, a group of spe cialists carrying out technological evalua tions far congressional committees. The re port, "OWnership of Human Tissues and Cells." examined the lei;al, ethical ancf economic implications of the issue-in es sence, whether a person's body should be considered a fonn of property, with the person retaining the right to be paid fairly for research doneand products developed from his bodily materials. Uncertainty May Be Detrimental Current uncertainty about how courts might resolve the issue could be detrimen tal to both academic researchers and biotechnology companies, the OTA-said. It noted that right now, "the probability that any one person's biological materials will be developed into a valuable product is ex ceedingly small." But in the future, it said, 'the importance of the issue and the mun ber of people involved could increase" and "the potential for commercial gain ... could quickly become a reality." Congress's interest in the area was sparked by a California lawsuit ffled by John Moore, a patient suffering from a rare type of cancer. Mr. Moore sued for damages and royalties from a commer cially valuable cell line developed largely from his diseased spleen, removed at the University of California at Los Angeles 1 Medical Center. Mr. Moore named the doctor who removed the spleen and developed a highly useful cell line from ir, UCLA, which pat ented the cell line; and biotechnology firms using the line for new products. The defendants argued that ownership of a cell line belonged to those who developed it, and that a court decision in Mr. Moore's favor would have "a chilling effect" on bi omedical research. A lower court has dis missed Mr. Moore's claim, but it Is now on appeal. Several earlier cases raising similar points were all settled out of court. At this time, the OTA said, no laws or judicial de cisions definitely govern the matter. OTA reports traditionally don't recom1 mend any specific course of action, but j rather outline pros ana cons of various op,tlona available to Conrress. always includ ing the option to do nothing. Sometimes, thougll, the tone of a report appears to point more in one direction than another; and in this report the thrust seemed to be that Congress shouldn't rush in with legis lation one way or the other. Differing Interpretations Key lawmakers interested In the subject se,emed to put differing interpretations on the OTA study. House Science Committee Chainnan Robert Roe ID., N.J.J, whole committee initially requested the OTA investigation, stressed the complexity of the subject and the need to look carefully at all the ramifications before taking action. He specifically requested. the Depart ment of Health and Human Services to comment on the OT A report within six montbl. After that, he said, his committee would consider what action, If any, to take. Sen. Albert Gore Jr. m., Tenn.) said that while there are "no dear right or wrong answers" in this area. he believes early legislation is essential to remove un certatnttes that could Interfere with prom. 1atn1 reseucll. and development. He said Mwuuld ask the Senate-HOllSe Bfimledical' Ethics Board. of which he Is vice chair man;. to-addthe subject to its-current agenda. Both men seemed to favor requiring doctors and researchers to infonn patients or other research 9Ubjects in advance of any known potential use of their biological materiall. so that these matertals are used only with fully lnfonned consent. 'Total candor is essential to the tnm ilat should underlie the relationsbip between patients and their doctors," Mr. Roe declared.
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NEWARK, N:J DAILY 460,330 THURSDAY HAR 26 1987 BVRR,fUE'S 169 Roe calls for guidelines on use of human tissues I I By J. SCOTT ORR St.rLeclger WalllllllllN aureau WASHINGTON-Congress should consider adopting legislation to make clear the ownership of human tissues and cells used in medical research and the development of biome'dical products, Rep. Robert Roe (D-8th Dist.) said yesterday. Roe, chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, said he hopes Congress will be able to develop answers to the legal, ethical and eco nomic questions raised by the use of human tissues and cells in biotechno logy. Roe made the statements yesterday at a Capitol Hill news conference at which a congressional study on the ownership of human cells was released. The study, by the congressional Office of Technology Assessment rcrr.q,-gatd rt rs permtssrtJte to sell human tissues and cells for the production of biomedical products. The OT A study looks at the issues raised by the use of human biological materials in research that can result in new biomedical products, such as cell lines and gene probes, that could be sold for profit. The report goes on to say, however, that legislation may be needed to determine what rights tissue and cell donors may have to profitable products developed from their donations. "Congress may conclude that it is fair and equitable for the original sources of human biological materials to share in the derived 8rofits," the reports said. Though the TA report list ed a number of options for Congress, it did not endorse any of them. Though the National Organ Trans:: l Photo by Mark Abr oham Gladys White, study director, watches.as Rep. Robert Roe CD-8th Dist.) talks at a Capitol Hill news conference on ownership of human tissues and cells plant Act prohibits the sale of human organs, the sale of biological materials like cells. bodily fluids and tissues is not prohibited. Joining Roe in releasing the OT A report was Sen. Albert Gore (D-Tenn.), who said Congress must art now to clarify the law. "If researchers and in-dustries are obstructed by regulatory ambiguity, we will have failed our selves and future generations," Gore said. He went on to point out that donors of original biological material would have rights to final biomedical products in only a tiny portion of the cases. In most cases, Gore said, the righL'! to final products would clearly belong to the researchers who developed them. He said that in most cases the original biological material is like the clay used by a sculptor to create a work of art-the credit for the final work should go to the artist, not to the provider of the clay, he said. "We should study how commercialization in this area could affect the quality and quantity of human biological materials available for biomedical research," Roe said. Roe went on to point out, however, that "there should be full disclosure to patients a .. d research subjects of the anticipated potential use of their biological materials to assure that such materials are used with the informed consent, and blessings, of the donor. "Total candor is essential to building the trust that should underlie the relationship between patients and medical researchers," he said. Failure to gain the permission of donors for the use of their cells and tissue has led to at least one court case in which a donor attempted to claim a share of profits from a. cell line developed from his blood samples. In that case, a judge dismissed the case on the grounds that the donor had no established legal claim to the final cell product, even through he refused to sign a consent form waiving his rights to any products developed from his blood. The OT A report is the first in a series of six the OT A is preparing on new developments in biotechnology at the request of a subcommittee of the Roe panel.
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' 11 ', fif'\R 26 l ~S'l Bu~L:_LE__'S ~Scientific use of human tissue still in legal limbo, study says (n')Cf ]V By Jtff Nesmith 1 1 }oumal-C,0mtuutlon Washington Bureau 1 1 WASHING TON -The growing use of human tissue for biotechnology research holds great promise but raises "novel and complex" legal and ethical issues, a congressional study said Wednesday. Existing laws and policies may not adequately address the kind of arguments that could arise over the use of living tissue, the Office of Tec~nology Assessment said In A repoi-f titled ''New Developments In Biotechnology: Ownership of Human Tissues and Cells." A recent financial analysis for the stock brokerage firm of Paine Webber Inc. lists sales figures for several products, including human growth hormone, SQld by Ge'hentech Corp., $5 million in 1985, estimated to have been $~5 million In 1986; human insulin from Eli Lilly, $30 million in 1984, ,so million in 1985, estimated at '85 million in 1986; and interferon from Schlring' Plough, U million in 1985, estimated at $15 million in 1986. "In the area of the use of human tissues and cells, technology in fact has advanced beyond existing law," the report says. "It Is not possible to predict what principles and arguments of Jaw might actually be used as cases of this sort come belore the courts." In the past few years, technolof ies based upon the manipulation o biological processes have begun to produce substances of commer cial value. These technologies include the establishment and maintenance of cell cultures, the vast production of identical, or monoclonal, antibodies, and recombinant DNA technology, also called "genetic engineering." The report did not offer recommendations for specific legislation. It was released at a news confer ence attended by Sen. Albert Gore (D-Tenn.) and Rep. Robert Roe (D N.J.), chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. "We are on the verge of croclal medical discoveries," Gore said, "and if researchers and industries are obstructed by regulatory ambi guity, we will have failed ourselves and future generations." The Office of Technology As-sessment said the report is to be the first in a series exploring implica tions of biotechnology. "No area of law clearly pro vides ownership rights with respect to human tissues and cells," the report says. "Nor does any law prohibit the use or sale of human bodily substances by the living person who generates them or one who ac quires them from such a person, except under circumstances unrelated to biotechnology research." In addition to legal ambiguities, the report says, policy questions involving a person's knowledge of and consent to the use of tissues have not been settled. Traditionally, the authors said, a patient has been entitled to infor mation about possible risks. and benefits of diagnostic tests or treatment. "Until recently, little thought had been given to disclosing infor mation about the prospect of commercial gain, but with the advent of biotechnology and its potential use of human tissues and cells In valuable products, this issue merits consideration," the report says. It could be argued that federal Sen. Albert Gore warned of dangers of 'regulatory ambiguity.' regulations should e:rplicitly require disclosure of potential commercial gain, the authors said. On the other hand, the prospect of financial gain might distract a patient from other Important considerations. Potential ethical problems cited in the report include the question of whether trade ii, human tissues and cells ought to be limited because the body Is considered part of the basic dignity of a human being. "If the body Is incidental to the essence of person hood, however, then trade In the body Is not protected by the ethical principle of re spect for persons," the report says.
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[lie :Xcu1 ijurk irimt!i NE'N YORI\ :I f ). 93-+.530 :'J'L l.S-~J.7ZO '\.lT 7. :;~\ '.I A R 2 6 1 9 8 7 ~/jEJ.J.E'S New Study Sees Lag In Laws on the Use Of Human Tissues I WASHINGTON, March 25 (AP) -The sale of human tissue and cells that could be sources of valuable biomedi cal products 1s generally permissible, but laws do not establish standards on compensation for such materials or their ownership, the Office of T!;CQ nology Assessment saidlbdly. tr'ffi'l' Im.Cd fflTr u~ad to patentable and potentially profitable products, new legislation would probably be needed for the donor to share in any profits if a feasible compensation sys tem could be worked out, according to a new study by the office, which studies technical issues for Congress. Some people contend that ownership rests with the person from whom the tissues came; others say it goes to those who develop products from the tissues. The report, requested by the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, said no single body of law or ethics dealt directly with this question. No clear ethical guidelines exist about how human biological materials should be developed or exchanged, the report said, but Western religious traditions generally favor free transfer of human tissue and cells. 2 Democrats Praise Study Senator Albert Gore Jr. of Tennessee and Representative Robert A. Rbe of New Jers~y. both Democrats, praised the study. "We must come up with a consensus because this is a matter that deserves pnonty attention," said Mr .}ore, vice chairman of the Biomedical Ethics Board, a Congressional group ,hat examines such issues. Mr. Roe, chairman of the House Committee of Science, Space and Tech nology, said he had asked the Depart ment of Health and Human Services to examine the report and send its re sponse to the committee. Scientists have :.1sed cells and tissue from patients for research without the jonors' knowledge. With the advent of .1ew biotechnology techniques, such as gene splicing or making hybrid cells N1th characteristics not found in na ,ure, commercial companies have the means to make n,~w products derived from human cells. J
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. TV CLIPS DATE __ TIME --. ,.. NETW RK ~--A~\,i. 0 >: .. J:;'.' PROGRAM DATE TIME STATION LOCATION PROGRAM DATE TIME STATION LOCATION PROGRAM 75 EAST NORTHFIELD ROAD I LIVINGSTON I NEW JERSEY 07039 (201) 992-6600 I (800) 631-1160 March 18, 1987 12:00-1:00 PM MT Cable News Network Newsday ACCOUNT NUMBER 10/6297 Y NIELSEN AUDIENCE N/A Bernard Shaw reporting: ~-A Senate subcommittee was told today that the billions of dollars ifs approved to stop drug traffickers has not worked. Over the past five years, the federal government has doubled the money used to stem the flow of illegal drugs into this country, but experts at the government's Office of Technology 'Technology say the amount of drugs entering the United States has increased. The traffickers simply turn to new tactics when one point of entry is cut off. Peter Johnson
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FEDERAL TIHES SPRINGFIELD, VA WEEKLY 39,000 HRR 30 1987 BURREUIS .. i!illl.nl">-., .,_,.'""-;) .;;(",uM ,J.:.r -., ~ '.' ~,. ... .., ; ........... -~~:---:. -.. ..... ,, ~th. II"":~'\}-,..,., .... ._, ; :: ew:a:nO:~ :~cii1::IO~.at -. D~ ..---:: ,:~----~1 ::~,.-.:_. ... ,.,.$~" ~,J ,:.i.'f: .,.><" 1bi4l't11$,:,I;,. .r:,-, ... ..... ; ,. .. ~gTS.rn.ungl1~g .. 'm&;j'' ~" '~.ual'I-~~ .. ,,~;,, ,.,. ~-t~' -. : '
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36 lJASHINt, ,,m ,,.-OAII. Y ... : -,q !J~2 THURS[,r.'-' HAR 19 1987 BU.ff{fEllPS Drug war termed 'sad state of affairs' By Sam Meddls USA TODAY. WASHINGTON -The Rea gan admirustratlon's drug war : took its second whack in as many days Wednesday ttus time before a scrappy congres sional narcotics com.T.ittee. "We're dealing with a sad state of affairs," said Rep. Charles Rangel. D-N.Y., cbair man of the House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control "We cannot protect our borders." The criticism echoed Tues day's congressional report that the federal government spent $800 million to combat drug importers in 1986, but heroin, martjuana and cocaine still ftooded in at record levels. Top drug ftghters denounced the report, saying it didn't ex amine the entire effort and didn't take recent improve ments into account "The information that was contained in the report was dated," said John Lawn, head of the Drug Enforcement Ad ministration. "It was sballow," said U.S. Customs Service spokesman Dennis Murphy. Others say more busts won't insure cuts in supplies. "I think what we're doing really ls digging a hole in the ocean," said Stirling Johnson, New York state special narcotBy Suzy Parker, USA TODAY ics prosecutor. Despite crackdowns, the price of a kilogram of cocaine dropped from $60,000 in 1981 to between $17,000 and $25,000 now.
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I ORLANDO, FL DAILY 222,150 FRIDAY iiAR 20 1987 Bu!fUE'S 182 -~ \ -GlooID doOm in drug repo, ..... ....,_., G.J..C\7 '-J .J!)_ITORIAL For anyvne,-. ,tbinks the cocaine market,. ooupled with the huge problem may be abating. here's a be. made by transportfhg fJ.,am for, report from Congress' Office or eign suppliers to domestic 'wholesalers, Technology Assessment: fuels this illegal traffic .. .. "Despite-a: ~.ol-federal expendir tures on drug interdiction over the past five years, illegal imports of cocaine ... have almost doubled since 1981, supplying a growing number of users at prices that have fall!n as the supply has increased. ''The challenge -faced bf drug enforce ment agencies is formidable. The large r---"OTA estimate.tbat markup betweelL,.foreip and. 1oom~ wholet.aJe prices is on th<>J;Ciet ~20 tQ.~ tfmesfoj marijuana, 4 to 5" for cocaine, and 30 to 40 for heroin. In 1985, the value added to these ~--ggJm\wu rougllly $6 billlollJ
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CHICAGO :r TB!;~,~-~HICACO, fl_ DAILY 744 06~ THURSDAY HAR 19 1987 BURREU.E'S 208 --/Drug smuggling booms 2te doubled efforts WASHINGTON-More illegal Drug boats run a SO-mile gantlet are being smuggled into the to reach Miami. Sec. 1 A, pg. 29. Umted States now than ever before despit.e a doubling of federal spend ing to stop smu~ers in the last five years, a congressional report issued Wednesday said. The report by the Office of Tech nology Assessment estimated the street value of illegal drugs sold in the United States at about $50 bil lion annually, a retail trade it said was bigger than that of Sears and K-mart combined. A record total of about 12,000 tons of marijuana, 120 tons of cocaine and 6.6 tons of heroin was smuggled into the U.S. in 1985, and the volume has increased since then, the report stated. The enormous profitability of illegal drugs means that efforts to intercept or deter smugglers "will probably never result in more than a short-t.erm or relatively small reduction in drug availability," the re port concluded. But current efforts to snare smug glers are hampered by the "frag mented and overlapping responsibilities" among the many federal agencies assigned to guard ~.S. borders. "Problems with interagency coordination and cooperation exist at every level," the report said. Evidence of the lack of coopera tion surfaced at a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing on the report Wednesday when top Coast Guard and Cus toms Service officials disagreed over which agency had primary responsi bility for long-range air surveillance off the U.S. coast. Customs Commissioner William von Raab called "ridiculous" a claim by Coast Guard Commandant Paul A. Yost that the Coast Guard has primary authority over offshore air surveillance. Yost told the subcommittee that Customs of. ficials agreed to the arrangement at a meeting last December, but von Raab said Customs has a different interpretation of the meeting's outcome. Von Raab also disputed a claim in the report that the U.S. Border Patrol has jurisdiction over drug in t.erdiction at the Mexican border. ''That's not true. It's Customs" that has jurisdiction, he said According to the report, federal agencies spent almost $800 million to stop drug smuggling last year. "Despit.e these efforts, only a small percentage of drug,, are being seized and the flow or drugs into this country has not yet been stemmed," the report said. Much of the existing information about drug smuggling is inadequate to make informed decisions about the best strategies to combat it, ac cording to the report. Little infor mation about drug seizures is com, piled, for example, because of : different record-keepin~ method}' used by federal agencies, 1t said.
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Delegate Ran de Luga gains backing for budget increases, Paf!e 3. By NORM BREWER and DA VE BAUMAN ., Calling for new efforts to coordinate develop ment of natural resources of those areas the Office of Technology Assessment report claims th:it "ge_nerous aid packages" that pumped money into social programs "may have reduced local incen tives" to pursue economic goals.~;;, Gannett News Service -~ ------------------All 10(\. f[equenUy,. the f~port said, the Umtederal government ten it is simply thoug_ht that o_ur ;:., ",: cannot substitute for local gov) dependence on the mainland as tn:s ernment direction in where we evitable, that our potentials are.' ought togo," Farrelly said. limited_ } Noting that the study attempts to '.'Thal is not s? an~. that l;5 what -~ "strike an amicable balance be-this report pomts out, he sa!d. tween conservation and developDe Lugo vowed that his sub-., -) ment Farrelly said "that's the committee will consider se_veral : i :i battl~ we face in the Virgin Islands policy options recommended m th~ ; right now." repor~,including: i_ ,. i The 325-page report, "Integrated Fme-t_umng federal programs.:~ f Renewable Resource Management to unique asla~d needs; .1 for U.S. Insular Areas," covers the Coordmatmg the ~ork of agen-. < ,-;J; 2,300 tropical U.S. affiliated Pacafcies respsons1ble for insular devel, ic and Caribbean islands, mcludmg opment elforts. Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Directing federal aid to more Islands American Samoa, Guam, resource projects. the No;thern Marianas, Palau, the Providing more aid for data Marshall Islands and the collection, planning, education, Federated States of Micronesia_ training and research. The study concludes that devel-. Coincidentally, the report's opment projects have damaged release came o~ th~ eve of de many ol the islands' natural Lugo's subcommittee s llrst over 'lsystems that buffer erosion from sight hearings on President heavy tropical rainfall, freshwater Reagan's proposed 1988 budget. runoff and waves. ~'uture projects Many of the tern tonal ~overnors should "act m concert with islalljj have been invited to testif~ before 1 plural processes_" /f the panel today._ Student fmancaal 1 r'The study suggests a mix of aid, mass"trans1t, energy conser~~1 'strategies, including new vation and technical aid for all the .v,t''; agriculture and aquaculture territories' are alatoo roe aharp '"1 > technologies ranging Crom highly cuts_ ..__;
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-. ---='-'=~ A-20 Honolulu Star-Bulletin Thursday. February 26, 1987 ,eport Hailed as Primer to Pump Up P-acific Isle Go~ernfflents' Ec-~nomies :-~ .... _. . :: By Norm Brewe~: U.S. ~lictes of' th~ past, Gov~The report ~ests _a mix_ of -and Dave BaumanJohn Waillee of Hawaii said. that strategies. including new agricul-, : Gannett News Service_ Congress bas been ne~ent in ture and aquaculture technot-, ... -not paying more attenuon to the ogles ranging from highly mech-WASlllNGTON Two deeterritories. anized hydroponic systems fori a"il"es of U.S. financial aid ta 15Gov. Joe Ada of Guam said high-value crops near Mainland lnd governments ot the Padffe improving island economies will urban.-areas-to low-malntenance,-1JDI Caribbean have failed. to fa. allow the territories, to .. contri~ fish hatcheries using cast-0ff oil t8P self-reliant economies, says a ute to the natiOn.... drums on remote atolls.. Cffl'lgresslonal report callilig for American Samoa's Gov. A.P. B t th .. _.., __ th riiw efforts to coordinate the Lutall said that for centuries bis u e report empwuuc, at .&-. 1 f people-had "lived: ID to- bar-p~o ms to increase island food ucve opment o the isJands' natu-14A p uction also must -'-to rm resources. mony" with nature. .'~All that ......c: m -In fact, said the Office of came to an end not too long :.1~:11:e~r::_ting and transpor Ta:hnology Assessment report.: agcr. ... he said. "Increasing production 'ienerous aid packages" that. : Although not specifically criUachieves little if substantial ~ped money into social pro-. dzing_ the in~uctio~ of Mainamounts of the product are lost. g'anis "may have reduced local land technologies on ISiand agti-to pests and spoilage," the report illeentives" to pursue economic: culture: and other resources, says.-. Lutall saJd that it bas resulted in "All too frequently, the repc,rt:. such things as. decllning fis~ CONGRESS SHOULD decide s!Jd, the United States bascatches and d!gl'adattoo.. ot soils. flow to correctproblems, either. moved island governments away__ Rep. Daniel Akata saJd it Is taking the lead in coordinating: f"'m their natural diversity to--linportant that not. too much available island resources wit6~ ward reliance on a single com--P~ be put on the lslan~ economic need& or designating~ medity .. This practice made islan-natw'.31 resources and that aidresponsibility to other 1ederal d.e?s more vulnerabl~ to limited pc,Ucies ta~e-. culture and tradi-agencies. markets, low prices and depend_ lions Into account. -Ironically, Congi:esa already,_: ~e on imported technologies.. Island-governments lncludt!d: bas taken-such a step, by re,..-1 :Jlawaii Sen. Spark Matsunaga, m the report were "1erto Rico, establishing a. subcommittee onwho requested the study, today_-. Virgin, Islands. Amencan Samoa. insular and fnternatfonal affairs bllled-it-: as a primer .. for gov-.,._ Guam,.-_ Commonweall;b of the-that is headed by Delegate Ron~ent'and indU5try in' ~t N_ort_hern Mariana Islands,. deLugo, D-V.L _. il1;R" Island. resources ln the mostt Reoub~ of the Marshall Islands,,. DeLugo said there-are those-.:.'. e.flicient and effective war;" :;. Feaerated: States of Micronesia who see the territories wit-Ir,: "Addressing a meeting o Island' )lncl the Repu.bllc 0, Palau. -limited potential. and dependent. gm-ernors.. where the report*;;,._ -mE REPORT said-past'devel-upon the Mainland.. -_ -= were released, Matsunaga noted opment projects in .. many oft; "That is not so and that Is t~ OTA study was the first to sho~ areas have damaged many what this report points out. ... b41 view islands as "ecosystems.". natural systems that buffer erosaid. '. ,:Fun development of island re_sion from heavy tropical rainfall."_ The report emphasizes the SQIU'Ces requires integratiJ\g all freshwater runoff and waves. acneed to use modern technologies ~ts of the insular economy cording to the report. Future, only in cases where they comple including local customs and: Pt:Ojects should ."aet ln concert m~nt. island r~urces. while ptn. law," Matsunaga said. with island natural processes," pomting U.S. a.id to such things said the report which noted that as education, job training and _;YJHILE NO~ of the te_rri~ problems vary among the i5data collection that wilf best governors duectly cntic~ lands. develop island economies.
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Across government lines To~ I U.S. ~~ds have fared poorly L, ~--1 .~ Island" governments of .. the Pacific and cartbbean Ties to isliuids:r :-,: have not fared well under ,, two decades of U.S. aid, ac-date to 1898' cording to a congressional source, of T.1&\. 1'efa. Office of Technology report tkmsblpawttll fslaacls. ... ;.'.. re=ro~~-soda! Virpn, Islaadil .. ..;_: ~~:f:;,~oi:l ~~~::: : ~~!'; :rf:e;rca~o~o~: .'.,~~~/: ing and data collection to a Rk'.ot Gilam-: help develop economies. .. trom Spanisb:.after ~.. The report urged using tsll-Amerteaa, War; ta;., modem technologies only to Nol.1lel,t. ~. ri,:~; complement island re:taalli,;. JlaribaD Tat8ndS, sources. And all projects Federated: sta115. ot Ml,,,, must be compatible to local ''en>nesla an.cl Palau .. cul=e~=~!=~ trom Japan. itter.W.Od. ment efforts resulted in WlirIL .. ': : i':;;:;, longterm physical damages, the report said. Cited: damage to natural buffers that help to prevent erosion caused by heavy tropical rainfall, freshwa ter runoff and waves. No island officials directly critid7.ed U.S. policies of the past But Gov. A.P. Lutali of American Samoa backed the report, saying some technology aimed at improving crop. yields had harmed the soil and hurt flsbing. For centuries, he said, bis people "lived in total harmony'' with nature. "All that came to an end not too long ago," he said. The report suggests a nux of strategies, from new agriculture and aquaculture technologies for bigb-value crops near urban areas to low-maintenance fish hatchertes using cast-off oil drums in remote areas. Inctuded in the report Puerto Rico, Virpn Islands, Amertcan Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariw Islands, Marshall Islands, Federated States ot Micronesia and Pala1L -Norm Brewer, Dave Bamnan
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I F -------------3 WASHINGTON REPORT (.;~'fi y USING HIGH TECH TO SAVE THE PAST By Philip Speser Laser and electro-optic technologies have found applications in numerous high-tech industries. In addition, concern for industrial competitiveness has stimulated application of advanced technol ogies to traditional, "basic" industries. And now, a recent Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) report describes the potential for using advanced optical technologies in the field of historic preser vation. This report, published towards the end of 1986, is entitled Technologies for Prehistoric and Historic Preseroation. According to John Gibbons, OTA director: "Ar-. chaeological remains and historic structures and landscapes are important reminders of this nation's rich and diverse cultural heritage. They provide a sense of our past and contribute in other ways to our quality of life. Yet, in recent years, as the results of population shifts, urban growth, and energy development, the stresses on these unique, nonrenewable cultural resources have increased dramatically. As this assessment makes clear, the appropriate use of a wide vari ety of preservation technologies, many of them developed for applications in natural sciences and engineering, could reduce many of these stresses." The OTA study divides the preservation process into seven components: discover (identification and survey); recording and measurement; analysis and evaluation; restoration, conservation, and maintenance; protection from catastrophic losses; data and information storage and retrieval; public education and involvement. For each component, OT A describes current laser or electro-optical technologies that could be easily transferred to preservation uses. For ex ample, visible light and infrared photography or video and multispectral scanning are among the technologies discussed for the discovery compo nent. Photogrammetry and infrared and ultravio let inspection technologies are highlighted for use in documentation. Optical disk, laser label ing, and optical readers are seen as long sought solutions for archiving problems arising out of the vast amounts of data collected during archae ological and other historic research. OTA cautions that some existing technology may not be optimally transferred to preservation PHILIP SPESER. J.D. Ph.D .. Is Senior Washington Contribut ing Editor for LFIE-0. He is president of Foresight Science and Technology, Inc .. 2000 P St .. mv. Suite 305, Washington, DC 20036. 11 LASER FOCUS/ELECTRO-OPTICS uses without modification. For example, the dis cussion of optical scanners in "discovery" proce dures concludes: "To be most efficient for preser vation, the total system (scanner and associated computer hardware) should be designed for the specific preservation need. For example, the best mix of spectral bands and ground resolution to use in studying structures is likely to be different from the mix for agriculture or minerals explora tion. Because of the different soils and vegeta tion, even regional differences may dictate different approaches to optical scanners. However, the use of existing systems, though not designed specifically for preservation work, may be more cost-effective, at least in the short term." Despite optimism that the benefits of new technology will outweigh the costs for preserva tionists, rapid application of technology is not assured. Numerous problems have have been expressed by preservationists. These problems include a lack of familiarity with advanced tech nologies, few standards for the new technologies, lack of technology transfer mechanisms or clear inghouses, and little guidance or fwiding by the federal government. Nonetheless, opportunities in the preservation marketplace may be improving. Kathleen Rein burg, director of the Office of Public Affairs for the Society for American Archaeology in Wash ington, D.C., said, "Preservationists recognize the need for new technologies, including optical ones. So together with other archaeological and historical professional societies and with preser vation groups, we have founded the Coalition for Advanced Preservation Technology (CAPT). One of CAPT's major goals is to ensure that the federal funding and guidance called for in the OT A report is provided." Reinburg added, "CAPT was only founded in December, but already the support on Capitol Hill and among mid-level managers in the agen cies has been overwhelmingly encouraging. Peo ple are enthusiastic about applying America's genius for high technology to saving the past. This is one OTA report that will not simply collect dust on Congressional shelves." If Reinburg is right, preservation will be a growing market niche for manufacturers and service firms. Copies of the OT A report can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. GPO Stock number is 052-003-01051-8. The cost is $10.00. For further information on CAPT, write to the Office of Public Affairs, Society for American Archaeology, 1511 K St., NW, Suite=: ( ington, DC 20005.
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1 Preserving the Past Saving old buildings and documents for the future is not always easy America is in danger of losing much of its past-through deterio ration of archival documents and through loss o( historic sites. But historians now have a variety of technologies from which to choose to preserve America's cultural heritage for future generations. Many historic and prehistoric sites such as houses, monuments, and battlefields are becoming lost at an "alarming rate," according to a new report from the Office of Technology Assessrnent (OT A), 1 echnologies for Prehistoric and His toric Preservation. Urbanization and suburban enaoachment deeper and deeper into the countryside are dramatically increasing stresses on landscapes of historic interest. Pre serving these sites provides impor tant economic benefits such as jobs and increased tourism, the report points out. Modem technologies that pro vide a cost-effective way of study ing and protecting historic sites include remote sensing and geo}. i V Low-tech and high-tech melhods for protecting historic sites by controlling birds: Above, an ultruonic device behind Uncoln's head prevents birds from roosting on the statue. Below, an imita11on snake is intimidating enough to keep birds-and their droppi~ a building ledge. PMCIT08:_A.,_ ___ NATICIW. P-lllll\la graphic information systems, which can improve the quality, quantity, type, and usefulness of data. Stereo photogrammetry, stone and wood protective treat ments, improved computer software, and other new technol ogies can also improve the authen ticity of restoration and the effec tiveness of conservation and maintenance, says OTA. West Germany and France have both been using more advanced technologies for preservation and for a longer time than has the United States, says the report. For example, the French have de veloped a sophisticated airborne infrared scanner for investigating 40 THE FUTURIST, January-February 1987 I rYi
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ent solutions. Much deterioration can be minimized by controlling the temperature and humidity level in the storage rooms. Acidic paper can be treated, though exist ing methods may be too expensive to be used widely, according to the special committee who prepared the report. In most cases, new technologies may not be appropriate for preserv ing the past that's on paper, says the committee. Magnetic recording tape and disks used in computers, for example, may last about 20 years-a very short time in terms of preservation. Computers themselves go out of date quickly. "What is the archivist to do when the machine manufac turer declares the hardware obso lete or simply goes out of busi ness?" the report asks. "Will there be an IBM or a Sony in the year 2200?" Instead, computers can be used for indexing material, while older technologies such as microfilming and photocopying can be counted on to keep most archival materials in acceptable condition for genera tions to come, the committee con cludes. Sources: Technologies fur Prehistoric and His toric Praemition, Office of Technology As sessment, U.S. Congress. 1986. 212 pages. historic and prehistoric land-$10. Available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Of-scapes. German methods of refice, Wuhington, o.c. 20402. GPO stock cording historic structures are far number 052-003-01051-8. Pre,m,gtion of His more complete than current U.S. tarical Rtmls, Committee on Preservation thod of Historical Records. 1986. 128 pages. me S: $17.95. Available from National Academy In addition to many of its historPress, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., ical buildings, monuments, and Washington, o.c. 20418. \ landscapes, the United States is ,--also in danger of losing some 530 / million pieces of paper that are literally falling apart in the National Archives in Washington, D. C. Documents such as hundred-year old shipping records provide de tails about the nation's past that are of incalculable importance to histo rians, according to a new National Research Council report, Preserva tion of Historical Records. These documents face a variety of problems-acidic paper, fading, damage due to frequent handling, etc.-that will require very differ"I FUTURl$l BETHESDA, "O BI-"ONTHLV 30,tiOO FEB 1987 -1.rn I
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Needed Knowledge Historical Preservation Of America's Buildings Hampered by l,ack of Engrs. 30,000 Structures lly Alan Chapple -::::::1 S1a1TW1itr~; In 1he f'onstr11cion world. the 1980, may someday he known as the era of fustmic preservation, when huildrn lurned their at1en1ion from m'>Clt>rn glan-andsleel towers IO 1he tolonial, 1--ederal, and Vkcorian Slyles of the nalion's early years. Yer _d,spite expanding preserva1ion dloru, Amerua's antiquities are ,lt-1rriorati11g at an alarming rate. So 10 nm1ha1 1his Inn of ll.S. hislory, engineers art bt'in~ summoned 10 apply the terhnolog1es o( 1hr:i1 profr~sion 10 save the nation's sl11Rlmal ll('aSUU:"S. "Fngin~cn know med,anirs and mathematics, and malcrials. Thty know slrrs~ and slrains, inleranion helween heal and rold and slrm 1urc~s," saial ol Fngine~ring Coun:1.el in ~aryand and < ha1rma11 of the Nawmal Commiuee on llistory and lie, i1age ol 1he Ame,i<-an ScN:"iely ol Civil 1-'.nginerrs (ASCI-:). ''Architeds are very gtMMI or1 aes1he1ic aspecls, on furn -lional aspects, but when ii comes lo judging s1ruc1ures ancl interaction of strm:lures and rnvironmenls they are less trained." Wi1hout the expt"nise of engi neers, many historic buildings havr fallen prey to misguidrd contrattors, preservalionisu, and architetU, Fi11Simons s.-aid During~ project in _Chi Iner of Ammann & Whirne} exp ained that in reno vating rhe Sldlue ol Liherty, engineer'i s11utie,I 1he prope11ies of 1he iron used by 1he desiRllt"T in 1he l~hh tt'lllmv. "We now know mme ah0111 puddled iron than even f(;uslave) t.ilfel di,I Demolition l>espi1e 1he alluring na111re of old slnic Imes. engirlf'crs are sorne1imes rt'litt t,1111 to ach i'"ie preserva1ion. Noti11g 1ha1 enKinrer'"i 'ihoulder the pr 1111.11 rt'SJHH1'"iihili1y lor puhli, s;1lety, Fi1tS11mu1S'"i,1id 1ha1 many professionals rec_ommend rlcmolition ra1her 1han risk reno\'ation In ad,liti,m, ,,1111rc,vc1sies ahout 1he a111hentic_ity ol luswric_ preserva tion may repd some engineers from urnlertaking rencnarion work "There's a er1a111 sen'"iilivi1y to the needs of hi'"itori< au.-ura< y," Cohen poinred out, saying that many engineers are confounded as 10 how rhev < an main lain hoth 1he stnutural integrity of an old building and its his1ori,-appearanre. Sudi con I l"O\'('I sies .tnd debates threaten to hamstr-in~ 1he historic preservation effort. S1m\1ly p111, thr presrrvation li~ld tan i I a Roni lo lo,e 1he aid ol t'nl(incers. a belief supporred h~ a repon i-;sued hy lhe ( )ffrc e of et hnolog\Assessment (0 I A) in Seplemher The '"iltuly, .. -re< hnologies for Prehislori, & Uistori<: Preservation," called for Kre,uer poutidpation in such emle.1von hy engineers. r<, support its request for inueased involvement, the .O.IA report no1erl th.ii enginee1 ing te, hnology n,uld he ;:tpplied to: stru< 111r;al in1egri1y; innn pora1io11 ol ITIO(i<'rn huil,ling ctKle, wi1l1 1>n~n,nicH1 rn111ircn1ent!ii; behav i,,r 11f hi'"il11ri,h111lcli11t,t m;:1terial-s; mainten,11Ke and ,1ahili1ation of huildings lhal Wt'Te poorly 1011,tnutetl Jncl never inlemled to be permanent ('"im h .ts staves c111arters): omrl e,ninmmental 11urn111,ri11g. / Hui wh1lt' i1 ,, 1he l ni,,::ineO'i\f'\',(''I lht' I('( 111101-0J,{le\ 11 a11~lt,,hlc 10 prt'\t'f vat ion \\Ill k. loo frw t I\ 11 and ,11 lH"llll .ti JH,lllillollt'l'"i ,ITC \ll'T~cd 111 lht' mrthrnls ;11111 111.11e1 i,,1, 11,lans. and old dot:umerus that nml< provide insi)(hl lo cnnstr11c1ion prac.-tices that have gone out of 11\f' over 1he years. Furthermore. the () IA paper suggested the i11itia1ion of a tede1.1lly funded inslillllicm that wouhl n>onlinale preservation \\'ork. rl1e ce111t would assis1 in the transler of let h-11ol11gy, provide I raining for pre'"iervation professionals. aml '"iel ve ,t'"i an inlf>rmafion I le.-11 inKhouse. Even withmu Slit h rl'lonn,, Cohen predit.ted 1ha1 engineering ef f(,ns Ill hisloric preserv.ilion wtll nHITish. At the same lime he di,cmmted the notion 1h,11 e11gineenng has lusl l1M> rmHh knowledge ahout past building practin>s to ,ulequ,11elv ;ulclre'is the neetl nf prest"rv,11io11 work. "A losl scit'nH? No. ac tu,1llv I rhink it is
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I ---~-=-- ,I ;. TV CLIPS DATE TIME NETWORK PROGRAM Bu_B/~.E.UPS 75 EAST NORTHFIELD ROAD LIVINGSTON NEW JERSEY 07039 (201) 992-6600 (800) 631-1160 February 20. 1987 9:00-10:30 PM Christian Broadcasting Network The 700 Club Danuta Soderman, co-host: ACCOUNT NUMBER NIELSEN AUDIENCE 10/6297 Y N/A Let's go on to the news right now. The United States is spending billions of dollars each year to protect the environment, but is it being spent in the right way? CBN News Senior Correspondent John Black has this report on efforts to reduce toxic waste, not just treat it. .r John Black reporting: The federal government will spend nine billion dollars over the next1five years to clean up dangerous waste dumps like this fifty-five million gallon lake of toxic waste near Bridgeport, New Jersey. Government and industry will spend another seventy billion dollars a year to clean up new toxic waste--about two hundred fifty million metric tons of it. And most of that will not be adequately treated. It's a never-ending cycle. Joel Hirschorn. in a report to Congress for the Office Of Technology Assessment. says the problem is being attacked from the wrong end. Joel Hirschorn (Office Of Technology Assessment): Everyone in the last decade who ever had to make a list of the ways to deal with hazardous waste has always put at the top of the list the first option--waste reduction. Don't produce waste iii the first place. The problem is no one, including the EPA or the federal government, has done anything significant to implement that first option Black: Hirschorn does not suggest that all toxic waste can be eliminated. But he says it can greatly be reduced and at a savings to industry. Hirschorn: Waste reduction is the only way to spend money on the environment where industry can increase its profi ta bili ty. Black: Two examples: Dow Chemical's New Orleans plant products polyethylene plastic resin pellets--a basic material used in the manufacture of a wide range of plastic products. These pellets are a major source of pollution if they escape into waterways. And this can happen at a number of places in the production process. As part of an aggressive wast .. -reduction program, Dow has installed a drainage system which traps these pellets before they become a pollution problem. Five hundred pounds of pellets are captured and recycled daily and pollution has been reduced by more than ninety percent since the start of this program. At Cleo Wrap in Memphis. Tennessee--the nation's largest manufacturer of Christmas wrapping paper--air pollutants from ink solvents have been virtually eliminated. The Cleo Wrap printing process had been creating from thirty to Video casscncs arc available in anv format for a period of four wccts from air date from our affiliate: VIDEO MONITORING SERVICES OF AMERICA, INC. 1212173<>-2010 ,._
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._, .. ,/ TV CLIPS 75 EAST NORTHFIELD ROAD LIVINGSTON NEW JERSEY 07039 (201} 992-6600 (800} 631-1160 forty drums of toxic waste a month. Morris Patterson (Vice-President, Cleo Wrap): We began to receive pressure from the federal agencies to comply with these laws that had been on the books for awhile--all of the printing industry did. And we began to, once again, look at solvent recovery. Black: But the cost of recovering solvent waste, says vice-president for manufacturing Morris Patterson, would have been high and there still would have been a toxic substance to get rid of. The answer was a research and development program to come up with new water-based inks which would not pollute. It was a process lasting several years, but in the end there wls a net savings over three and a half to four billion dollars the company would have paid for recycling equipment. Patterson: The R & D on our new inks would probably be no more than a third of that. Black: Joel Hirschorn says the Dow Chemical and Cleo Wrap experience can be duplicated in many other companies. Hirschorn: And everyone wins. This is a win-win situation. The public would get better environmental protection, the government would have less to regulate and the industry would increase its net income. Black: J. Winston Porter, assistant administrator for solid waste at the Environmental Protection Agency says government regulation is forcing industry to look at waste reduction. rather than waste treatment. J. Winston Porter (Assistant Administrator, Solid Waste, EPA): It costs about ten times as much to get rid of a pound of hazardous waste today as it did ten years ago. Through the various regulations and requirements that people have to go through to handle hazardous wastes, it's gotten very expensive to meet these requirements. We estimate that there would be about two and a half times as much waste per unit had we not had this kind of program in place. Black: There is no doubt that federal regulation forces an increase in environmental spending. As the number of pages of government regulation increase from about one thousand in 1972 to seven thousand in 1985, annual spending on the environment increased from ten billion dollars to seventy b1lhon dollars. That's a b1lhon dollars for every hundred pages of government regulation. But is the nation getting enough environmental protection per dollar spent? As much as ninety percent of the nation's annual production of hazardous waste is still being inadequately treated. The Office Of Technology Assessment report suggests restructuring the EPA to put more emphasis on reduction, developing industry incentive programs to encourage waste reduction and even offering pollution control concessions in return for demonstrated waste reduction. Hirschorn: The most important word in our report was not reduction or hazardous or waste. it was serious, We. as a nation. have developed what we ,.
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/ .I TV CLIPS 75 EAST NORTHFIELD ROAD LIVINGSTON NEW JERSEY 07039 /201/ 992-6600 (800) 631-1160 call a pollution-control culture. And to change this cultural phenomenon into a prevention kind of way of solving a problem is very, very difficult. Black: Eliminating toxic waste before it becomes a disposal problem is not the whole answer. There will always be some toxic waste. That's the price of our c1 viliza tlon. But at present, less than one percent of the federal waste control dollar is being spent on reduction and only a few industries are taking reduction seriously, even though it has the potential of reducing toxic wastes by thirty to fifty percent or more. John Black, CBN News, at the Cleo Wrap Company in Memphis, Tennessee. 962 Words 80 Clips ..:. -, ...
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/Taking seriously the reduction of hazardous waste JOEL S HIRSCHHORN, PH D AND KIRS~N U OLDENBURG ~~<:t1~ The office of Technology Assessment of the U.S. 50 Congress (OT A) has recently released its report Serious Reduction of Hazardous Waste; the 250 page report offers a comprehensive assessment of the technical, ero nomic, and policy dimensions of hazardous waste re duction. The basic theme of the report is that the best way to prevent future hazardous waste problems is to not generate such waste in the first place. As a means of pollution prevention, reduction of the generation of haz ardous waste at its industrial source is the best and most certain way of reducing risks to health and the environ ment. It is not the fundamental concept of waste reduc tion that is controversial; the issues and differences of opinions are about its applicability, availability, imple mentation by industry, and tangible support by the government. From its analyses OTA concludes that this approach to environmental protection is not an idealistic or theo retical possibility, but a practical, near term alternative. to managing waste and controlling pollutants after tht:y have been generated. This has not always been the case. Circumstances have changed because of the steady increase in the number of environmental regulations, and the steady increase in the costs of complying with them. The greater awareness of regulatory noncompliance and the growing recognition of the costs (e.g., Super fund) and damages from ineffective control of toxic waste and other hazardous pollutants have also contrib uted to ,naki,.g waste rcc;..:.:Lio more attractive. Prc: vention now makes a great deal of environmental and economic sense, not as a replacement for pollution con trol measures, but as a complement to them. There is an easy analogy between waste reduction and e..-gy conservation, but also a big difference. With energy conservation there arc multiple sources of energy, changing demand, and large market price fluctu ations. But the costs of managing waste and controlling pollution for a specific amount of waste or pollutants can only continue to increase--and the economic driving force or waste reduction/pollution prevention wil! not waver. A better analogy is with preventive medicine-it has taken a long time and sharply increasing health care costs to drive home the point to many people that pre vention is the most cost-effective strategy. The same ap plies to the environmental area. The most important word in the title of the OT A re port is not reduction, hazardous or waste--it is serious. For a decade nearly everyone said that waste reduction was the option of choice, but then did little to make it a reality. The obstacles are not technical or economicthey are attitudinal, behavioral and institutional. Old ways have to be changed. But as we all know, changing human attitudes and behavior and government is no easy task. On the other hand, our study has found solid evidence that such change is possible. First, pioneering U.S. companies have discovered how waste reduction can offer substantial benefits quick ly and without spending a lot of money. 3M has saved about $300 million in the last ten years and has used its previous success to spur its commitu.ent to continuing waste reduction. Companies may not always publish the technical and economic details of successful waste re duction efforts, but there is convincing evidence of the near term practicality of waste reduction. Second, some States and foreign countries have suc cessfully used non-regulatory approaches to help indus try reduce waste. We have examined State programs in great detail; although they are not funded at high levels and are still new, there is clear evidence that State technical assistance and information transfer programs help some companies, especially smaller ones to reduce waste. Some European countries that compete with us internationally are a decade ahead of us in waste reduc tion. Governments in Europe have spent substantial sums to help-but not force-industry to reduce waste. The motivation for the joint government-industry effort in Europe has been to entirely serve their own economic self-interests. No one disputes the fact that the best environmental protection comes from not producing waste and pollu tion in the first place. However, it is also clear to us and others who have studied the subject that many things can stand in the way of widespread waste reduction. Therefore the OTA report emphasizes: (1) a definition of waste reduction that is consistent with pollution prevention-and the dangers of an ambiguous definition or one that includes waste management; and (2) the case for the primacy of waste reduction over pollution con trol. No technology to control pollution or manage waste can reduce risks to health and environment as well as not producing pollution-or producing much less. We are not suggesting that our pollution control regulatory system can be replaced. It is not realistic to think that we can eliminate the generation of all pollu tants and wastes. The Nation will need adequate capac ity for effectively treating the hazardous waste that will continue to be generated and the enormous amount of materials from site cleanups, although more and more cleanups will be done onsite. But it is important to un derstand that most people in industry are accustomed to think in term of end-of-pipe pollution control or the management of toxic waste after it is created. Moreover, the pollwion control reKulatory system cannot by itself motivate-and does nothing to assist-industry across all sectors and plants to expeditiously implement waste reduction to its technical and economic limits. Our definition of waste reduction encompasses ac tions taken by a waste generator to alter production practices to generate less waste before the generator has to. handle, transport, and manage it. Waste treat ment, such as incineration, and off site recycling are JANUARY 1987
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I~ -preferred over lanJ disposal. but neither is as effective as waste reduction. About ten percent of current Super fund sites that require permanent cleanups were once waste treatment or recycling facilities. We stress defini tion and the concept of primacy because so much atten tion has gone to finding alternatives to the land dispasal of toxic waste that many people have lost sight of waste reduction and, instead. focus on waste treatment. While there is a place for both approaches, the auto matic response in industry often is a traditional pollu tion control/waste management solution rather than ex ploring waste reduction possibilities. The first is routine for environmental engineering or regulatory compli ance departments; the second must involve everyone involved in production, from shop workers to engineers to R&D personnel to managers. Waste reduction/pollution prevention offers some thing for nearly everyone: lndu.srry benefirs from lower producrion and overhead cosrs and reduced liabiliries. The public benefits from better environmtmtal protec tion and a more comperirive industrial base. The government benefirs from having less to regulate and enforce. Even with more environmental regulation-which is inevitable-national environmental spending. instead of continuing to increase, could decrease from the cur rent $70 billion annual level if waste reduction becomes widespread. The chances are good that over the coming months a major national interest in waste reduction/pollution prevention will crystallize as the public understands that this is an immediate option with environmental and economic benefits. A new positive, common sense ap proach to toxic waste and environmental protection is available to the American public. The point is not to blame anyone, but to take advantage of the many waste reduction opportunities that present themselves. Prtvate and Public Actions ,:~, The OTA report spells out what industry can do and wha~"<;:ongress can think about doing to implement the statement of national policy in the 1984 amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act: "The Congress hereby declares ii to be the national policy of the Unired Srara rhar, wherever feasible, the generation of hazardous waste is to be reduced or eliminated as ex peditiously a.s po.uible." The six major steps industry can take are: 1. Conduct waste reduction audits, like energy use audits, to identify waste reduction opportunities. 2. Revise accounting methods so that both shortand long-term cost of managing wastes. including liabilities, are charged to the departments and individuals respon sible for the production practices that generate the waste. 3. Involve all employees in waste reduction planning and implementation. Waste reduction must not be seen as the sole responsibility of environmental engineers or regulatory compliance departments. 4. Motivate employees and focus attention on waste reduction by setting goals and rewarding employee's successful waste reduction efforts. Special education and training may be necessary. 5. Transfer knowledge throughout the company so POLLUTION ENGINEERING that waste reducing techniques implemented in one part of the company can henefit all departments. divisions. and plants. Company newsletters an!J conferences mav be necessary. 6. Get technical assistance from outside sources. including State programs. universities, and professional consultants. What can the Federal government do to spur more industrial reduction of hazardous waste? We discuss many possible options in our report. However. our analysis does not support the use of a traditional regula tory or prescriptive approach. Simpl_v pllt, there are far too many industrial processes and site specific conditions for the government to establish technically sensible stan dards or regulations. Our report offers for Congressional consideration a middle course based on Federal leadership and assis tance. If the Federal goal is rapid and comprehensive re duction of hazardous waste, then the following six op "tions offer a practical, near term approach: l. Establish a grants program to fund a variety of activities that support industrial waste reduction, such as technical assistance and generic R&D, but not funding for specific waste reduction efforts offered by individual companies. 2. Enact new waste reduction legislation based on the multimedia concept (i.e .. that deals with wastes and pol lutants in the air, land, and water). with expanded Fed eral reporting and planning requirements for industry. 3. Establish reporting requirements on waste reduc tion for financial reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission. 4. Create a new EPA Office of Waste Reduction with an Assistant Administrator. 5. Allow regulatory concessions, i.e .. trading off cer tain limited pollution control regulatory requirements for waste reduction achievements. 6. Create independent State Waste Reduction Boards to implement the new Federal initiatives. These actions and perhaps others discussed in our re port would be tantamount to establishing a new waste reduction ethic for American society. The result could be the elevation of waste reduction to a level compara ble to pollution control, giving America two ways to seek more effective environmental protection. Editor's nore: SERIOUS REDUCTION OF HAZARDOUS WASTE can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govt. Printing Office, Wash .. DC 20402, GPO stock No. 052-003-01048-8 for $12. Summary booklets available free from OT A: (202) 224-8996. Joel S. Hirschhorn is a Senor Associate and Kirsten U. Oldenburg is an Analyst at the Office of Technology Assessment, United States Congress, Washington, DC. The views expressed here are those of the aurhors and nor necessarily those of OT A.
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. ',I --~, FUTURIST BETHESDA, 110 BI-KONTHLV 30,000 HAR-APR 1987 8fffl
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Oil DAILY WASHINGTON, DC DAILY 6,200 HDNOAV FEB 23 1987 BV1'1'fPS Changing Rules Should Prompt Minimizing Waste By Nick Snow 0,;;:>97y DALLAS -Minimizing generated wastes at a drilling site could well be the single greatest weapon against future liability, a prominent consultant maintains. M.M. Field of Compliance Consultants Inc., Baton Rouge, La., told the 1987 Energy Technology Conference and Exhibition last week that frequently changing regulatory requirements and the high costs associated with waste site remediation were the reasons why. "!ht,Q,~~~~21.!.al Q{lil:! of TechnolQ&Y Assessment reportecttlia{ po1tution control spending in the United States in 1985 reached $70 billion, of which approximately $47 billion was expended by industry," he observed. "However, OTA noted current pollution control methods often do little more than move waste around."' Field said that
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AUTOMATION IN HOUSING & HAHUFACTURED HOME DEAL~R CARPINTERIA, CA HONTHLV 25,JOO FEB 1987 Bu~,~~s l'-lew LiteratI.Jre THE IMP ACT of new technologies on the construction industry is ex plored in "Technology and the Fu ture of the U.S. Construction In dustry,'' workshop proceedings pre pared by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) and published by The Americn Insti tute of Architects Press. The work shop established that new technology is radically reshaping the construe' tion industry in some cases and that the slow adoption of attractive new technologies may make the industry vulnerable to foreign competition and rob clients of qualitative im provements in buildings. The 153-page. 8\1 ~ .. x1 l" softcover publication also discusses how tech nological changes will affect overall growth rates in the construction in dustry. the quality and performance of building products, the number and nature of construction jobs, and the international competitive position of the domestic industry. Study partici pants included representatives from private industry. academia .and gov ernment agencies, and AIH/MHD Editor and Publisher Don 0. Carlson. The construction workshop is part of a larger study requested of OT A by chairpersons of several congress ional committees interested in how innovation and trade might affect jobs and living standards in America. Illustrated with approximately 50 photographs, graphs and charts. the softcover book is available from the AIA bookstore ( order No. R402) at $23.95 for AIA members, $33.95 for nonmembers. For more informa tion on the report, call John Lynn, AIA government affairs. 202-6267374 .. For copies of the report. call Marianne Bohr. AIA marketing, 202-626-7585.
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. ... -..... ----~ Another push for prefabricated housing MlCKITECTIJRAL RECORD NEW VORK. NV IIONTHLV 74.300 L "Innovations that could improve the quality and reduce the costs of American housing are being needlessly slowed by antiquated regulatory systems and inadequate research and development," according to a scalding report from the Congressiona~ Office of Technology Asses~m~nt, which urges more iactory construction. A report from the office points to other countries, especially Sweden and Japan, where prefabricated housing is both more widely accepted and more efficiently produced. While the office's latest research finds that a perhaps surprisingly high 35 percent of U.S. housing, not including mobile units, comes from this source, in Sweden the figure is 90 percent. And the edge in countries abroad is said to come from highly automated factories, heavy investments in research, and favorable regulations, rne American Dream may become more fabricated in the factory. according to a study by the congressional Office ot Technology Assessment. Although pre-fabricated housing components are becoming more numerous in the U.S .. foreign countries are taking the lead Last year's NAHB show illustrated how the other countries are becoming more sophisticated in the factory-made items. "It's estimated that within 5-7 years. more than halt the homes in Japan will have a significant portion of the construction in th.e tactory."~said Dan Chenor. spokesmen for the ptoject. "It's 90 percent for Sweden" The American marketplace has obstacles such asack of government incentive, large fluctuations in housing sales and a highly divided housing policies and codes system "The building code systems is probably the major constraint." said Chenor. Also. the American Dream might be too personal to be mass-marketed "Its part of the American Dream to have this house with the human element." claimed Chenor. The study recommends more government support. an updated national code system with regional priorities and something the current Administration will be pleased at, There's options for completely private intervention" said Chenor. "It's sort of a market progression brought forth by both U.S. and foriegn builders." reasoned Chenor on why this trend is gaining momentum Although the report was published before tax reform was passed into law. Chenor felt that the document was flexible enough to make it through the bureaucracy. while our inefficiency comes from wide fluctuations in house sales that discourage investment in capital equipment and the fact that codes and inspection are controlled by the plethora of local governments instead of being centrally focused. What the Congressional office recommends, in addition to federal funding of research, is one of two measures: the modification of the central regulatory system that now governs the construction of mobile units to also govern prefabs, although the office acknowledges abuses and confusions in the system as it stands; or the coordination of local regulatory operations through a new uniform code and reciprocity by local governments on inspections. Models for a new code could be one already proposed by the National Association of Home Builders for ROOFER conventional construction and one recently requested of Congress by U.S. appliance manufacturers. In fact, it is the recent invasion of foreign appliances, as well as other prefabricated building components, such as pre-hung windows, that may have prompted the committee's report. According to Henry B. Gonzalez, Housing and Community Development Subcommittee chairman, "As our nation moves into the 21st century, Congress must develop responsible housing policies that recognize the impact of technological innovation; this timely report provides a helpful focus for that effort." The report, Technology, Trade, and the lJ. S. Residential Construcl,on Industry, is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. 20402 (20V783-32.38). f"ORT MYERS. FL 1.0-TINES/VEM 15,500 JAN 11987 lluf1JJEU.E'$
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. ISSUE: Current findings by the Office of Technology Assessment call for a re examination of our approach to international trade, according to Rep. Willis D. Gradison Jr. of Ohio's Second District. Accurate information, readiness to change key to trade deficit By TIIE HON. WILLIS D. _:'.t'I~ '/ GRADISON JR. The U.S. trade deficit is indeed a problem. But, as with most problems, as we focus more attention on them, we discover new and surprising information -information which can alter the way we think. The repon found that the Depart-ment of Commerce has systematical-ly overestimated the current account deficit of the United States, the measure of our balance in the trade of goods and services. In the period from 1982 to 1984, it is now esti mated that the United States had a S 51 billion surplus in the trade of services -three times the previous Commerce figure. OTA argues that This revelation has important implications. I'irst, even in today's world of massive figures, S34 billion over three years is not exactly small change. More importantly, though, is that the more accurate information sheds light on how American industry can work to improve its marketing prospects overseas. There is a strong linkage between services and manu facturing that is growing even tighter because of the new technologies in computers and communications. As we become aware of the size of the foreign markets, the business opportunities become more obvious to our producers. And for those who bemoan the growth of service industries in the United States, the surplus in trade in services shows that many of these services are highly rewarded, allowing us to purchase S51 billion in goods that would otherwise have been in deficit. The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), an indepeodent congressional agency, recently comple~ 5'U!lY_whidi Di8blighrs bow mudi:there is to learn aboa( interna tional trade. Focusing on just one area -trade in services -illustrates the point. the original St 7 billion figure resulted from the use of antiquated ac. i-, counting categories that failed to capture the rapid rise in interna tional services, panicularly in finance. There is a strong linkage between services and manufacturing that is growing even tighter because of the new technologies in computers and communic ations. The OTA finding also highlights the need for continued negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GAIT), the international treaty which governs world trade relations. At the urging of the United States, upcoming GATI talks will consider both trade in services and intellectual property (including international copyrights), two areas of great American concern. Accurate information about the way the world economic structure is changing is a prerequisite to an understanding of potential business opportunities that we too often take for granted. As we have seen, though, they require an alen watch and the ability to adjust to new circumstances. As I have noted in the past, the trade deficit is indicative of a threat to the future standard of living for all Americans. But this attention should be focused on improving productivity and expanding output for everyone, rather than sheltering business from the healthy competition that promotes growth. Protecting industries benefits producers at the ex -pense of consumers; better understanding and improved operations benefit everyone. CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER CIHCIHNATI, OH WEEKLY 10,000 HAR 2 1987 BURREUES -1"'3'
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PLAHT SERVICES CHICAGO, IL MONfHLV 80,200 HAROLD V. SEMUNC JR., Washington Correspondent OTA assesses ocean indneration Ocean incineration-the burning of hazardous wastes in incinerators mounted on ocean-going vessels-could be an attractive, though not essential, interim option for managing certain liquid wastes, according to a report by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). Several waste-treatment methods, such as ocean incineration, the OTA study says, will be needed to bridge the gap between hazardous waste disposal practices of the past (such as landfilling), which are being abandoned, and preferred practices of the future (such as waste reduction), whose capacity is only now developing, according to OTA. But, OTA says, time will be required to implement these pre ferred practices and they will not be applicable to all wastes. Ocean incineration, OTA said, may be particularly useful for wastes that are highly chlorinated. Burning these wastes generates an additional product, toxic hydrogen chloride gas. To prevent human exposure to this gas, land-based incinerators must neutralize it using a difficult "scrubbing" process which itself gen erates hazardous waste. Ocean incineration, which would occur far from humans, would use seawater's naturaJ ability to neutralize the gas.
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JOURNAL OF COHHERCE NEW VORK, HV OAILV 23,000 KONOAV FEB 2 1987 BUff.ffS.U"S ~l -Low Freight Rates Worry US Tank Truck Carriers -._.: By LEO ABRUZZESE ~L,";(:,,~ .. -..-. Dep1 tre1pt rates a.ad the 'Olreat of igber fuel prices are cre.-tmc coacenm among many of the 1111tioa's tank truck petroleum baul en. -Clifford Rarvisoa, e:recutive di Mttor of National Tank Truck CUri Inc. in Wuhingtoa. said many ball!: commodities baulen cannot generate enough capital to replace ._ .. pemive guoline and chemical :rip. ; rm not sure bow this i.Ddultry Is going to recapitalize and re-equip, Mr. Harvison said. "Rates are abao : lutely devastating. They're strictly on a survival baSIS. : MOllt tank trucil: haulers, be add: ed, can pay off esistiag loam bat i eannoc take on new debt to replace .old vehicles. ; The rising age of the avera1e : tut trailer shows juat bow old macll ; of the nation's bull!: commocllti fleet bu become. The federal government's Offll:Jt. of TecbnoloCJ ID. a r-.. cent study of bazardoua materlall tramportatioa, said the average tut : trailer is at least 12 yean old. a.. tortcaJly, many bulil: trailen _. IOld or replac:ed after eigbt ar 10 yean.. Privately, Mr. Ra"ilolt taMI many tank trucil: operators WOllld place the average trailer at.er to 15 years. Older tanten are not neeeaartlf lea sale. Government and iDdallrJ officials agree that guollae tanken, wbea properly maintained, can emly last 20 yean. But Mr. Harvison warned that older, sllorter trailers are lea produetive tbaa new, loapr-wbeelbale Wlila. Today's state-of-the art taail:en are 40 feet to 42 feet long and carry up to 8,900 gallons of bulil: fuel Older model&, which are ff feet to 31 feet lonc, are limited to about 7,600 p.1. 1-. Aging trailers are also subject to more down time and iacreuin1ly e:rpens1ve mamtenance. Many bull!: commodities haulen have been wrestling With low freight rates since the troaing industry wu deregulated in 1980. Unlike the dry freight segment, bull!: commodities transportation ~w few new entranta. But the tank trucil: indastry, a~IIII to analyst& already bad far men capacity tbaa IIIOlt e:rpertl believed. Additloaally, upelllive psollae and cllmDleal trailen, wbicll ed aa entry burier to .., cania'I. lasted far Joacm' tllaa dry frel&II* vua. Aa a resalt, capei:ltf bu not shnmk emir tum aad llafppan lla'ft beea able ta pna far '" trllllpCll'tatioa rat& Moreover, tile tank tneil: secmeat, unlllre tile paera1 cammodi ties indultry, bu -few capei:ityreduciDg. mer1en. aeqatmtiom or "'~-Llw Inc. of All:roa. Ollio did file far protectioa from ill crediton 1IDder Chapter 11 ol tile Federal Baab-uptey Act in June. However, Chemical Leamaa Taal.\ Lina, tbe 1111iioa'1 Jars-t balil: -moditiel llaulc', quiekly boqbt. die company aad picked up llllll'J' of Couta.l'I~ "'nlat deal didn't iDlpllCt tile market at all. Mr. Hanilm-Mid. "Ia fad, it Waa't a blip 1X1 die The to tbe rate problem. be said, "'Will come from a rattomle Witlaia tbe shipper community that says. 'We want tllea PYI to'llw.' "There's no groandawell wlthia OU' owa indultry to 11ft oanelves, be added, "peclally Witbill Ille petroleum ball-." Major petroleum reftan llil:e Moll6J aad llDm --tlllir CIWlt truck ,_.. to del.lwr mada cd tbe p-.llm t11eJ prodDce. Bat tllly still 1'9ly oa for-hire carrien to supplement in-boaa tramportatlaa. "We don't bear aay jlmale-*tbat say tbe carriers are llaviq major problems Witll rac., said Joba Otterbeck, maaa,er of trallllpOrta ttoa economics at Mobil Oil in Fairwc, VL Ia many -. be added, carriers llave DOt tail:a lipiflcant rate inWhen they bave. rate b.iua geaerally have been ia line with ID flation. "We'Ve told carriers that if they come in witla rate iac:reua, they're jeopardizing their busiaea,. be said. Despite low rates, -petrOleum haulers admit privately that 19N wu not a bad year far tile iadultry at large. "But the only tbiag that made tile whole situation palatable wu tbe decllae in fuel prices,. said tile vice prmdeat for i large Southeastern paoliae hauler. "Most of the 1Ddustry bu beea able to retl1D the bene flll of the fuel decline.. But diesel fuel prices already baft started to rise, be added. and il the tread continues, some petroleum baulers could face a serioua proolem later in tbe yur, Price competiiioa is acute for all balil: baulen, but especially so for petroleum tramporten. Jobben, retail-oriented petro leum dlltribaton wbo UN their own tnlClm to deliver guoliae and fuel oil to service statiom and homes. remain the largelt segment of the tut tnic:k indultry. [ncreuin1ly, industry officials say low-overllead jobben charging rates are t."WDg away from tile larger leumllaulen. Some major f1eetl also see large oil compllllJS baulin1 a greater per centage of tbelr own products to 11:eep their trucb u buay, and as productive. as pGIISible. At Mobil. the in-house truck fleet llaall about 60., of tbe compaay's peUo1eam producta. The rest moves bJ COll1IIIOII carrier. However, Mr. Otterbecil: said Mo bil bu launched a campaign to up grade pnvate fleet operatiom and make them more competitive with for-blre camera. Part of tbe plaaa includes "Up-sizilll" traeb to iDcreue capacity and negotiatta1 lower wage rates for --111re driven. Mr. Otterbecil: said Mobil bu no muter plaa to switch business from for.hire camen bacil: to the compa ny's private fleet. But be e:rpects the pereentap of basiaess mOVU1g by Mobil trucb to increase gradually from 60., to about 62% by 1988. Other fleet managers believe many tank trucil: operators are respcxmble for their own fmancial dif. flc:ulties. "I don't t.bi.ak the rate problem steml from ba9U11 a lot of e:rtra capacity in tbe petroleum business, said one industry e:recutive. "Rae.. are low because too many indi'riclaal carriers don't know what their costs are, be added. "They don't !mow wbat they need to replace equipment and they don't lmow what to charge when customen are presaln1 them for lower rat&"
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HOUSTON CHRONICLE HOUSTON, TX DAILY 441,557 NONOAV JAN 19 1987 /lJtgtl,CUC ,2Al ,'/ Lack of data adds to risk of l1azardous materials incidents --~~'1.11_ ___ By KIM COBB Hnu'",11111 Chron1c!o ---+ ----~----~--------Whrn ii comes to 1hr lrurking of ha1ardo11s metm.11, m Tnas. it's what we don't know that ran hurl us Nnhodv ran arrurat<'l,1' rt'port 1hr numher. type and stvrrity of haz.~Ml spills and arridenlal rrlrasrs of ha1ardous materials nltrn don't havr the arlrnnrrd knowlrdge and rquipmrnt it lakes In gel 1hr job donr at minimum risk to thf'm <..:r>h'r!'-: and thr rnvironnwnt TMsr arr somr nf the rondnsions drawn bv a rommitl('f' nl the Texas llousr of Rrprrsrn lalivrs aflrr a srri,'s of puhlir hearings arross 1hr stair I.1st )'Par Hep. David Cain's ('nmtnil trr nn Tr;m"portatum ha!-rrl()asNt an infl'rim rrporl lo (11" iOtli l.rgislaturr Th, nporl's hn,l,n~s mdusl movnnrnl nf hazardous materials berausr of the activity through thr l'orl of llouston In 19ff5. thr llepartmrnl ol l'uhlir Safety rhrrked evrrv lru"k rntrrinR llouston from the rasl for ihrrr da1s llf more than 2MO trucks inspef'led. ahoui 20 prrrrnl had al least nnr violalion ol thr law and ahont 420 wrrr rarrring ha1ardnn" matrn.11. Thr rommillrr plarrs the inlormallon shnrtagr al thr top ol thr hsl of prnhlrms wtlh ha1ardnus ma!f'rials transportation in Tr,as lnf11rm;11111n on quanl1ly :inpart mmt of l'uhlic Safetv. "hlf'h ran srrvr as a rlcarin~ honc;r for inf~nrn.it1on Truck salrty is also high on 1hr list of prohlems pointed out hy 1hr rommiltrr The condi tion or the drrvrr. thr mrmhrr or hours hr or she is on the road. an,I 1hr ronditinn of the 1rhidr arr the hi~~rst lart,,rs aflf'rling trurk salrty At minimum. thr rommillrr rrrommends tlw <.:latr of Tl''{;t-; arlopt 1hr Frrtrr:11 Molo1 (';,rnrr S.1kty Bq.;ul;il1n11'-. for ,hipnwnl ol ha1antouc. m,1!Pr1,11, Th;il wnuhl oul lnw n, tam 1frirrr <1n:1hf11 .1l1nn..:: ,ind r<''l111r' 1 ,-c,l.11 phyqralc. as \\TII ;I'::: 11,11 ~ground c!.!'1 k, fnr r1nvrrs Thr federal rrg11lations also ,rell out pii,Je linfs for arridrnt rrport1n~. and for Jogging a driver's h1Hns of srrv1rt The rommitlrr rrport notrs partirular ,nn rern about 1hr tr,1inmg gi\'Pn to rmrrgrnf'I' l\orkrrs who rr,pond to ha,ardou< materials incident~. ThP majo11ty of those rrspnn,ling arr voluntN'r lirr df'p:irtmrnt mrmhrrs. th" commillN' found. and they grn,rallv don t havP funds for adrqnate training nr '''l'"P men!. And on-srenr health providers are 11,uallv unaware of 1hr raulion nN'drd in appmrdiing a huardots materials incident. The romm1I tee's l'l'('Ommendalion is that the stair tak, more arlive rolr in providing training ,s1w-I r1.1II\ fnr ynJ11nl1'er firr dcpar111wnh. la1,1. i-n fprc ,nwnl .1~1n1w-.. ;rnrt hlil.lllh p, n\ 11kr, Th< lran..,p,11lat111n cn11111111'1f' ;1hn T1Tf1m 11wnd" Iha! nn ~1lt' coordm:1\Jr1n ,11 i11('1d1nt "111., tw pl.in-ti 1,1.1lh 1tw f)J1S ll1h~\:I\' l'alrnl Hn111rn~ nf h,17,111ln11< rnatn1,1J, thniugh !he slat<' J,ss po/iulated arPas rs urgrd 11,;;rful
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,,,.-: Human Error Causes Hazwaste Accidents ~'1..q, y Washington, O.C. Human factors are the most common cause of acci dents, injuries and environmental damage from hazardous materials transpor tation, according to an Office of Tech nology Assessment report. OT A said inadequately trained per sonnel, poor coordination and poor communication, rather than technical shortcomings, are the primary reasons for transportation problems. The report identifies four major policy issues that require congressional attention: Training development of a na tional strategy to provide training for state and local emergency response and enforcement personnel. Key _compo nents includetraining guidelines, ade quate funding and comprehensive information on existing re sources. Federal and State Regula tions -greater consistency in federal, state and local regulations and enforcement. Public Information in creased availability of information, establishment of national guidelines for community right-to-know legislation, better coordination of federal data-col lection activities and federal assistance for state and local information gather ing. Containers better federal co ordination in setting container regula tions. The OT A funds support several other initiatives concerning hazardous material transportation. Last May, the Federal Highway Administration (FHW A) issued an advance notice of rule-making that proposed major changes to the driver qualification re quirements in the Federal Motor Safety Regulations. Both the House and Sen ate arc acting on similar bills that have been introduced. The FHW A notice would require motor carriers to apply more strigent qualifications for drivers, including re striction of drivers to a single operators license; a minimum age of 25 years for drivers; and assurance that each driver is fully evaluated by the carrier in terms of ability to safely operate vehicles. The latter could include requiring a minimum of one year's experience operating a similar type vehicle, ~quiring a road test, knowledge of emergency equip ment and procedures, and receipt of functional knowledge of hazardous ma terials regulations. Several bills in Congress seek to establish a license classification system, minimum written and road test require ments and establishment of a central data clearinghouse within the Depart ment of Transportation. Further information on the OT A study may be obtained by contacting Edith 8. Page, Project Director, at 2021226-2 JI 5. To inquire about the FHW A rule, contact Neil Thomas, Bureau of l'.1otor Carriers Safety, at 2021366-2999. YORLO IMSTES i\TLAHTA, GA NONTHLV 24,500 -_74,2(. JRII 1987 6LfAPP. rAlth ough hazardous waste and nuclear ~aterial get more publicity, gasoline ac cidents result in "more deaths and damage than aJI other materials accidents combined," Uie study said. OT A said 1500 gasoline tanker truck spills reported to the Department of Transportation, approximately 225 of these are overturned tankers resulting in 88 fatalities. Other conclusions of the study: Congress should consider a national driver's license for transporting hazardous cargo. Human error causes 62 percent of hazardous cargo ac cidents. Despite an increase in federal aid to states for truck inspections federal inspections have declined and are ins~ficient to ensure adequate inspection standards. Most gasoline transport is intrastate and subject to state regulations only.'
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-,c.:;,..., ,,. L-..... ti ,t,..-..:; ':t.~ r..,,,, --!~ '3tNI-"4r:~1-;-.,,_ : ; .. _Q;J -:~,?6 FEB 23 1~87 Bunnn,rs HAZARDOUS SHIPMENTS: COST VS. SAFET' Picking the best route for transport cing act between public safety ar. help companies and government Abkowitz of Rensselaer Polytec:t aspects-such as accident rate fo population, toxicity and volatilit] in cost. The model comes up with~ the optimum route-based on wl particular combination of the twc Ridge National Laboratories and A bko~ tz said the model is not a p that want to use it. Currently ma computer depending on the sea.It
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f. I' The strongest evidence to date of can nibalism during the Stone Age was gleaned from human and animal remains at a cave in southeastern France. 130:52 The earliest known human occupation in the Americas was found at a 32,000-year-old rock shelter in Brazil. 129:405 Investigators who are deciphering the art and language of the ancient Maya reported that ritual bloodletting and war lare once dominated this Central American culture. 129:360 Archaeopteryx. a 150-million-year-old fossilized bird, was carefully analyzed and then defended against charges that it is a forgery. 129:276 A study of bone weathering among animal remains at several J.7-million-yearold African sites indicated that human ancestors periodically used the sites to cut up and process meat. 129:261 Some of the oldest known tools manufactured by human ancestors, dated at 2 million to 2.5 million years old. were dis covered in a rain forest in Zaire. 129: 149 I Physics I Theoretical physicists were enthusiastic about a theory in which elementary particles are represented by tiny "super strings" as a promising route to the unification of physics. 130: 168 Antiprotons were trapped and nearly brought to rest in an electromagnetic Penning trap. The achievement opens a number of possibilities for precise study of the properties of antimatter. 130:340 DECEMBER 20 & 27, 1986 Atoms were trapped in an arrangement that uses beams of laser light to stop them and _them. This opens a number_ of poss1b1ht1es for precise experiment~ with atoms and other microscopic obiects. )29:388 Experiments appeared to show that quantum mechanical correlations logic-defying relationships between objects widely separated from one another do exist. This reopens hotly debated questions about the nature of reality in the microcosm. 129:28, 70 Experiments observed single quantum jumps in the behavior of atoms. the first such observations claimed. 129:388 The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor pro duced the hottest thermonuclear plasma yet made, 200 million K, which is also the hottest temperature ever achieved in a laboratory and an important st~p on the way to controlled thermonuclear fusion. 130:102 Electric currents that behave in a quan tized way were produced in macroscopic wire rings, a development that seems to point to important changes in both the pure physics of electrical conductance and the design of microcircuits. 129:229 Reanalysis of a 66-year-old experiment produced the claim that a fifth kind of force exists in nature. triggering a con tinuing controversy. 129:38: 130:55 A newly discovered trio of subatomic particles, the U particles, were found to have a structure inexplicable by present theory. 130:55 Protons and anti protons collided in the Tevatron at the Fermi National Acceler ator Laboratory at a total energy of 1,600,000,000 electron-volts, the world's highest energy to date for a particle phys ics experiment. 129: 180 I Science & Society I The EPA administrator said strat ospheric-ozone protection has become so imperative that decisions must be made despite scientific uncertainties ( 129:404 ). U.S. chlorofluorocarbon man ufacturers and users agreed to support a limit on the growth in production ol their products in recognition ol growing evidence of their threat to ozone. 130: 197 The Gramm-Rudman-Hollings deficit reduction law went into effect March 1, cutting roughly S2.5 billion lrom research and development programs. Though the Supreme Court later struck d~n key procedural provision, it did not invalidate the law. 129: 135; 130:22 Threatened closure of the nation's only commercial low-level radioactive-waste dumps was narrowly averted when a con troversial bill was passed, ratifying multistate pacts to develop new radioactive waste landfills and creating sanctions for states that do not establish an individual or regional landfill for the wastes they generate. 129:22, 74 President Reagan named William R. Graham as his permanent science ad viser. 129:372; 130:231 A. White House panel recommended sweeping changes and commitment of at least an additional $10 billion to reverse the declining health of U.S. university re search. 129:328 The Defense Department proposed a rule that not only would speed the review of agency-sponsored unclassified scientific papers but also would restrict the publication of some of this research to special export-controlled sessions (129: 185). In its efforts to speed review of sensitive technologies, the Patent Office created two new classes ol secrecy or ders. 130:230 The federal government's plan to re sume production of chemical weapons met with congressional criticism, fueled in part by a General Accounting Office report that said these bombs cannot yet be counted upon to function as expected or to be used without endangering U.S. crews. 129:389 The World Bank found that as a result of poverty, one-third of the people in the de veloping world (excluding China) lack sufficient nourishment to lead productive lives; nearly half of them are so mal nourished that the health and physical stature of the children among them is im periled. 129: 169 Widespread opposition surrounded plans to conduct what was thought to be the first deliberate environmental release of genetically engineered microbes frost-inhibiting bacteria (129:56). When EPA learned that the company involved had already conducted open-air experi ments with this microbe, it revoked its ap proval ( 129: 148, 198). The Agriculture Department halted sales of a viral vaccin~ upon learning it was a genetically engi neered microorganism (129:228). Such activities focused tighter scrutiny on en vironmental-release experiments. 129: 366; 130:252 ,,. The office of Technology IY11mCP& i,iedld@ that biotechnology will muease agricultural productivity dramat ically over the next 14 years. but will also lead to the disappearance of an estimated I million small or medium U.S. farms. 129:233 405 s d h ;o e!d er an be >id on :re ?S rellC >ill at111 by ,ul 66 in IC la U ,, I( ,. r I
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.. ~-The good and bad of supply management ( j Who wins and who loses the mandatory supply management game? Why is the industry considering this program? By Jean Annexstad Managing Editor S ome light was shed on these questions at Cornell Univer sity's supply management confer ence in November. Last month, Dairy Herd Management report ed a debate by 2 ag economists. This month, we'll probe how quo tas could impact economic effi ciency and equity among produc ers, and what's in store for future dairy policy. Who wins, who loses'! he says. If industry productivity increases, cows and farm numbers must decline. No supply manage ment program will work without this trend. Changes may go far beyond agricultural policy. Jobs in production, processing and marketing that could be lost make more losers than we care to ad mit. S. Consumers: Farmers will probably win and consumers may lose with a quota program. In a sense, consumer taxes pay for current farm programs. If this is cut, but farm price is still enhanced through quotas, consumers will spend more in the store. "Poor people are big losers because they spend a much larger share of their income on food." Whether the implications of a U.S. quota system are fair is what Stephen Kerr, a lobbyist for Northeast cooperatives, address es. He breaks "who wins, who loses?" into 6 categories. His comments aren't necessarily co-op views. Lobbyist Stephen Kerr says future dairymen, deficit regions and consumers may be losers with a quota system. 6. Government: Politicians and bureaucracy win. Production quo tas will need many bureaucrats to allocate quotas, guesstimate pro-1. Dairy farming ,s. other farming: Bases will take on value and be come assets. The only way to cash them in is to sell them, Kerr says. Farms with bases will be more valuable -the winners. Farms with no base will be worth less the losers. Relative winners and losers will depend on age, farm size and number of cows. "A 25-cow pro ducer will be the loser compared to a 75-cow producer, who has 3 times the base." 2. Generations: Those now in busi ness would get a base and would benefit. Those who recently sold out and the next generation would be losers. "We hear the average farm age is 50-55. We are looking at a transfer of farming assets of consid erable magnitude in the not too distant future. If subsequent genera tions have to buy an asset merely to milk cows, will their profitability suffer?" asks Kerr. 28 3. Regions: The winners in the re gional battle appear to be those with surplus production and limiting market share. Losers are regions with deficits and growing market shares. "Regions such as the Northeast, Southeast and California that are currently deficit or have prospects of considerable growth and demand could be denied the opportunity to sell into their own markets ... unless they're willing to buy back from those who are granted that share of the market. The toughest question for farmers is the regional one." 4. Farm numbers: Kerr is not cer tain a supply management program will make rural areas winners. Canada has lost two-thirds of their dairy farmers in 15 years, a period when they've had quotas. This loss is faster than in the U.S. Our rural areas won "t be winners if farm numbers tumble at this rate, duction and consumption and pre vent cheating. Quotas also involve more politics and government than current programs. More of the same? As in the past, the industry will simultaneously strive to help pre serve the family dairy farm, and per mit market forces to establish price levels, says Dr. Robert Jacobson. Ohio State University ag economist. "These two objectives are in con flict. I view dairy policy as a stum bling policy. We'll keep searching for various short-run measures, such as a whole-herd buyout program. that will get us past the current cri sis. We've gotten hooked on short term voluntary supply manage ment." he says. Market forces have esseniially prevailed during the last 35 years. In 1950. there were -405,000 commerDAIRY HERO MANAGEMENT
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7 .....-cial dairy farms; today there's 165,000. Per capita consumption has dropped by 190 lb. to 550 lb. Pro duction per cow has risen 250%. "I doubt that I would have found many people with regrets about the policies that we have used or the changes that have occurred. As we look back, it's been a good thing. As we look ahead, we're scared." He asks, "Is 1986 any different than 1950? "It's possible that we may lock ourselves into mandatory supply management mostly because of our concerns over oncoming tech nology that bruise some of our traditional values. "I suspect that future direc tions for dairy policy will be more of the same. That means estab lishing support prices at some level and then seeing how the market reacts to that price level. If we believe the OT A ( Office of Technology Assessment), the sup port price will be dropped modestly, and we will have another round of a 15-to 18-month milk reduction program," he predicts. Why not mandatory supply management? Because a majority A recent OT A report gives supply management proponents fuel for their case. It predicts: "The most dramatic impact of emerging tech nology will be felt first in the dairy industry as compared to the rest of agriculture. New technologies, adopted by the dairy industry, will increase milk production per cow, far beyond the 2.6% annual growth rate of the past 20 years." Under OT A's most likely condi.... _.,.,. production per cow as we determine total output. A net reduction of 107,000 milk cows, assuming an av erage dairy herd of 63 cows in the U.S., requires the exit of 1,700 dairy farms. When OT A talks about a 3.9% increase -each year in produc tion per cow, the pressure for surviv al on the family dairy farm multi plies." The question for future dairy policy, he explains, is whether society will accept the restructuring of the industry and loss of family farms. New technology, in con junction with the market-oriented dairy policy, will likely bring about these changes. OT A studies conclude that price support policies reflecting the price cutting schedule in the 1985 Farm Bill would work against the survival of family dairy farms. Jacobson summa rized an OT A economic feasibili ty study. Herd size, location and price policies were some of the variable factors. We may lock ourselves into mandatory supply management because of concern over new technology, says Dr. Robert Jacobson. of U.S. milk producers wouldn't approve, he believes. The industry agrees that future dairy policy must do a better job of balancing supply and demand than in recent years. Jacobson called the 16.8 billion lb. surplus in 1983 an em barrassing disaster. There have been too many surpluses in the 10-14 billion lb. range in the '80s, he says. At current support levels, it costs the CCC S 150 million to remove l billion lb. of milk equivalent. "A 52-cow dairy herd in Min nesota has only 74% probability of survival through the 1983-92 period with present policies." The average net worth of this farm would drop from $417,000 to $240,000 in this period and aver age net income would be negative. The study also looked at 300to 1,436-cow dairies. For them, current policy would mean high probability of survival, increasing net worth and positive income level. Those who favor supply manage ment argue that price won't balance supply and demand in the next 5 or even 10 years. "These disciples are convinced that the technology of milk production is coming on so strong that we will continue to see more milk at lower costs, almost irregardless of price level ... It is the fear of yet-to-be-implemented technology that is the banner in front of the supply management school." New technology is: isoacids, bovine somatotropin, embryo trans plants, computerized feeding, 3X milking, DHIA and other record keeping improvements. FEBRUARY 1987 tions, Jacobson says, milk produc tion per cow is expected to increase to at least 24,000 lb. by the year 2000. That's an annual growth rate of 3.9%. "So they are looking at a huge acceleration in what technology is going to do in the industry. I am skeptical of this. We will see the 2.6% at a minimum." He continues, "We're looking at S 13 / cwt. blend prices this fall ( 1986 ). Milk:feed price ratios are at very favorable levels to milk produc tion. There are generally lower inter est rates. We're looking at a lot of things that say things are pretty good right now. "Then why is this thing about sup ply management so strong? We're concerned about the future ... At the present time, it requires a net re duction of 107,000 milk cows in the U.S. to offset every 1 % increase in The model determined how man datory supply management would affect survival probability. For the 52-cow farm, it would increase from 74% to 92%. Net worth and income would still erode, but not by very large proportions. Large dairy farms would perform similarly on survival probability, net worth and income under either scenario. "Since three-fourths of U.S. dairy farms fit the 52-cow herd size model, it's not difficult to perceive the in creasing attraction that supply man agement holds. The implicit objec tive of supply management is to hang onto the structure of dairy farming as we know it. But we know supply management may not save the family dairy farm. Canada's ver sion has hastened concentration." Bl 29 T
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i = .... ..IW = ... M> en ;:a,c: to ..... a: tnW $2SO,OOO 14% 86% Source: Office of Technology Assessment And concentration of resources will continue. Phillips noted that 50,000 of the largest farms could market 75 % of all farm products and farm 60 % of the total farmland by the year 2000. At the same time, contracting and vertical integration of large-sc farms will continue. EFFECT ON AGRIBUSINES Emerging technologies also will ha an effect on the way ag's input su pliers conduct business. Among bi tech firms, two types currently pr dominate: the "established cor panies" such as Monsanto, ARC and American Cyanamid and "ne biotechnology firms (NBFs)" !ii Agrigenetics, Biogen and Genentecl There are 52 firms conducting bi, technology research in plant agricu ture -30 established and 22 NBFs. l animal agriculture, 60 firms condui this research, but with a reversed rati -34 NBFs and 26 established. Depending on the needs of ag changing environment, the OTA er visions the possibility of one of thre "structures" developing out of the e5 tablished and NBFs. In the "tight! controlled structure,'' research am development, along with paten rights, are the domain of large agri business firms. These firms will con tract directly with producers, in ef feet, bypassing existing input dealers The result: a tightly controlled, ver tical production and delivery system A "small-firm structure" scenaric would mean that research and devel opment and patent rights would flo,..., from the NBFs. Unlike the tightly controlled structure, technology would be available to all with no con tractual arrangements. And existing input dealers would be utilized for distribution. The third scenario, "franchise-like structure," is, in effect, a compromise between the two structures listed above. Here, large corporations and small firms share a joint role, while a mixed situation of contractual in tegration evolves. Which scenario will dominate? The OTA report has no clear indication of this; it will depend on the specific tech nology being marketed. The study does point out, however, that the delivery (distribution) system will be expertise-intensive rather capital-in tensive. As Phillips pointed out, 'The name of the game is knowledge and who has this knowledge." am 2.5
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1(1~ d l 'l!L' Bu1 ~~~hnological changes put squeeze on U.S. farms By ROBERT ~LEIBY In terms of their importance to agrlfarms clearly lies In the manage-Plant nutrients lerlzed by improved crop quality, ance. Potassium deficiency la char-And DAVID L. DUNBAR culture ment factor. But more often than greater straw streng!b, Increased acterized by reduced plant growth tehigh County Extension Service If fresent trends continue to the not, management has to be willing f Heres a brief dia<;uss1on of the root growth and earlier crop maturiand a yellowing and/or burning of end O this century the number of to accept a relatively low return on unction and deflciencx symptoms of ty. Phoapborus deficiency is lndicatthe leaf edges. Since potassium la American agriculture is undergofarms will continu~ to decline from Invested capital, time and effort. the primary plant nutrients, nitro-eel by reduced plant growth, delayed mobile in the plant, the symptoms ing significant change and stress. 2.2 million In 1982 to 1.2 million In Wltb ever-Increasing edu.catlonal regen, ~hosphorus and potassium. maturity and small fruit set. These appear on the &Ider leaves first. An-Much of the recent change has been 2000. The number of small and 9.i41"8ments associated with farmln11, Nitrogen la a critical component symptoms may be accompanied by other Indication of potassium defl-atlributed to the financial farm crlpart-time farms will continue to de-~re likely will be less willingness of proteins, which control the meta-a pure coloring, particularly In clency Is reduced straw or stalk sis caused mainly by declining agricline, but still will make up about 80 bt successful managers of moderbolic processes required for plant youn11 plants. ~lk_e nitrogen, pb011-strength, which results In lodging cultural exports. However, underlypercent of total farms. The large ate-size farms to accept a lower re1rowth. It Is also an Integral part of phonlll Is mobile m the plant; thereprobleDlll, reduced disease reslsing these financial difficulties are and very large farms will Increase hjrn for their services and for lothe chlorophyll molecule and thus fore, any deficiency symptoms show lance and reduced winter hardiness strong technological and structural substantially In number. Approx!v~ted capital. Another key to the plays a key role in pbotosynthesla. up on the older leaves first. of perennial or winter annual crops. forces that will cause further mately 50,000 of these largest farms ~yrvlval of moderate-size farms lies An adequate supply of nitrogen is Deficiency symptoms are rarely changes and adjustments in Amert-will account for 75 percent of the in !1ccess to stat_e-of-the-art technolasaoclated with vigorous vegetative Potassium la not an integral part clear-cut, 80 It Is important to use can agriculture for the remainder of agricultural production by the year og1es at competitive prices. growth and dark-green color of the of any major plant component, but It both BOil and plant tissue analyses In this century. 2000. The trend toward concentraplant. does play 8 key role In a vast array trylnf to diagnoses suspected nutrition of agricultural resou~ces into Nitro en defici la characterof phyaiologlcal processes vital to tiona problems. These analyses are Congress, concerned about the fewer but larger farms will contln-Dairy hard seminar __ ,. by r'!"uced fil~t rrnwth and a plant growl h from protein syn th esis avall_able th_ rough County Extension nature of these adjustments, asked Ith h th d f """' "" -lo maintenance of plant water balSe ff !he Office ll/ Iecboalogy .Assi:ssment ue, a oug e egree O concenDairymen and veterinarians are pale-green or 'le low color. This yelrvice O ices. 1 tration will vary by region and com~vlted to partici at a eel lowing pner u t th f f to ana yze the underlying technologmodity. pemn uca-a y oa a e 1r, o ical, structural and political forces tlonal event that will emphasize nu-the leaf and /oa do o the midd e of that make an impact on American trltion and mastltis control as Im-the leaf. ll e 4eflcle:1'. ia severe, !'llost Likely Projection of Total Number of U.S. Farms ~grieulture and to determine the in-Moderate-size farms will decline rertant aspects of dairy herd the affected aNa of the eaf eventu-in the Year 2000, by Sales Class ustry's probable direction. in number and in proportion of total alth-management programs. The ally turna brown dies. Since ni-farms, and will have a small share aeminar will begin with registration trogen Is mobile In the plant, older 1982 2000 Some of the study"s findings are of the market and a declining share at 9:30 a.m. and continue through 3 leaves show the first symptoms of Value of Number Numbe, summarized below. of net farm income. These farms lt,m. Feb. 12 at the Holiday Inn, nitrogen deficiency. farm prod. comJ'rtse most of the farms that dethlehem. Small and part-time farms no pen on agriculture for the majority Phosphorus is a critical composold of farms %of of farms %of longer can depend on the farm to of their income. Dr. James Jarrett, author of nenl of nucleic acids, BO It plays a Sales class annually thousands all farma thousands all farms rovide an adequate income. "Cowside Practice" In Hoard's Dair-vital role in plant reproduction, of Small& .arge-scale farms dominate agriculTraditionally highly productive, yman, will join Dr. Charles Gardner which grain &:"oducbon is an impor~rt-time $100,000 1,936.9 86.0 1,000.2 80.0 iure. Moderate-size farms have a efficient, moderate-size, full-time and Dr. Charles Rinehimer, both tant result. nsldered essential to oderate $100,000-small share of the market and a farms have been the backbone of representing Ackermanvllle Veter!seed formation, this mineral is often 250,000 180.7 10.0 75.0 6.0 ~tagnant share of the net farm inAmerican agriculture. It Is still true nary Hospital, to make presentafound In lar~e quantities In seed and Large & come. As the moderate-size farm that a moderate-size, technolofically fruit. Pboap oms is essential to the disappears, it leaves small and lions. biological energy transfer processes, very large $250,000 121.7 4.0 1750 14.0 up-to-date, and well-managed arm Total 2,239.3 100.0 1,260.2 100.0 part-time farms clustered at one with good yields is highly resilient. which are BO vital to life and end of the farming spectrum and A S28 registration fee will Include growth. SOURCE: Office of Technology Assessment lunch. Call 588-3121 for more details large farms clus\fred at the other, One key to the success of these and a registra lion form. Adequate phosphorus Is charac/ \
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HOUSTON POST HOU!'lTON, TX 'ION!IAV Jh'.'I, 30:S HAR 8 1987 1!!!!1._~ C!g1yd ,hangs over campaign against new acid rain bills' N. ew bill,; to !'Ontrol add rain are being cost utllltles and Industries stoo butlon to .. H' ~-. w The biggest contributor at Sl.5 million ent messages to dls!ilJL'!e thl'lr common rl'lldled In the new Congress -and thl' do a Job the CIPan Air Act was already I !t' ; atiio&ld waa American Electric Power Service origin. put,ilc can only hope thpy esra(N' the fate doing. ,~-.. U ~-. Corp., a utility holding company and ma The "executive director" of CSCAR was ol la.,;t year's HR 4567. One congressional aide called the ,, ,1 .. t-1 t-' ,.,117 ,. Jor sulfur dioxide polluter. American Elec-Thomas L. Buckmaster, who turned out to Th bill w Introduced In the House C..'lCAR effort a "massive disinformation" j 1 ffl. Irle hlUI a years-long rerord of fighting be a vtre president of Fleishman-Hillard. at as h I campaign. any and all pollution controls. Among utll- la~t April with brig t hopes o resolving Actually, a study by the congressional Illes, It could be ranked Ill! the environ Asked about CSCAR R reputed 150,000 the bitter Interregional warfare that had OUk:c..Rll:edinDIDIO' ~Clll projl'!'t ___ ~.., ment's Publl E N 1 citizen members, BuckmMter said they d'1!troyed earllPr control pffort.,;. ed a cost to utilities and Industries of $26 .-vvn Yl'Vn...., ,' c nemy 0 were "volunteers around the country who 'The HR 4567 legislation had broad bl billion to S50 billion, spread over 20 years. ---- Doing 11<>me digging of IIJI own, The recelvf'd our Information, digested It, partisan support, from con...ervatlve Re-The bill Itself set a maximum 10 perrent Washington P0&t located a New Jersey agreed to It and volunteet;ed to get lnpuhllcans to liberal Democrats. More than cap on residential rate lncrea.'11'!1, and the Its envelope!! had a noturn addrea In Arplumber, C.J. Kremer, wh09I! name was vo\ved to .~1st us. We don t ask them to 179 House members ultimately added OTA etudy predicted an average nationllngton, Va. The material listed no phone on an anti-HR 4567 mallgram l'll'nt to Rep. pay dues. their names to the bill as co-eponsors. wide rate lncrellllf' of 2 perrent to pay for number, and Washington Information op-Mauhew J. Rinaldo, R-N.J. Plumber Kreml'r said he did not con,;ldBut a very unfunny thing happened to acid rain control~. erators said thPy had none. "Counting on your help to stop this un-er himself a member or volunteer of HR 4567 on Its way out of the Hou!II' ComBut the damage was done. The !andFinally, the Audubon staff In Waahlng-necessary blll," the mallgram read. CSCAR. merce and Energy Committee. mark leglslallon languished and died In ton found the en.-er to Its questions by Kremer told the Post he got a phone Queried about the use of the word "cltl Thousands of letters, mallgrams, J)Ofltthe Hou"" committee, and Its backers say checklnii lobbying reporlll !lied with the ,call one night laat July from CSCAR, ask1.en" In CSCAR's name, Buckmaster told clirds and phone calls oppofllng the bill CSCAR playf'd a subAtantlal role In Its clerk of the House. Ing If he agreed that $100 bllllon was too the Post his corporate clients were "Just ~an pouring In to commlt!Pf' members demise. The CSCAR didn't really have any cltl-much for the government to spend on con-as much citizens BJJ members of the board rrom th(' residents of their dlstrkt.,;. SomeSo Just what wM CSCAR''Who were Its zen volunteers. Not a one. It wBJJ being run trolling acid rain. of directors of the Sierra Club." thing called Citizens !or Senslblr Control reputed y,o.ooo rltl1.en volunteer m('mout of the orrtces of Fleishman-HIilard, a He lald CSCAR 91't'med like a group out Buckmaster said the word "cltl1.en" ol Acid Rain lutd cranked up Its comput-hers? WRBhlngton public relations consulting to "pn,tl!Ct the Interests of citizens." So WRB not Intended to mislead people who. ert9 end l!l'nl out 600,000 direct-mall packTh(' National Audubon Society, In the and direct mall firm. 'WIien CSCAR offered to send In a mall got CSCAR's mall packets. ('ffl urging cltl1.ens to opJ>08P HR 4567. latt>St Audubon mRgazlne, tells how II It WRB financed hy contrlbutlona from pm awr his name, Kremer said he de-The Sierra and Audubon groups 'fhe CSCAR materlRI shamPlt'llSIY mis-playrd dptertlve and tried to find out. three utlllllPs and two major coal compacitied to "Rland up and be counted." charged that CSCAR was really "a nke-representl'd thP bUI, claiming II would The CSCAR l('lterhPads borr a Connectnles somPthlng the mall material never An f'llRmlnatlon of the mall-Ins showed sounding front for a bunch of bad pollnt hlkr home Plertrtc bills hy :io (N'r~ent and kul Avrm1r addrP!I.~~ In Washington. but mentlonl'd. CSCAR u..-d variations of about 20 dllrPr-r,~." 1
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fag.Lt am) iear.an WICHITA, KANS. D. 123,075 SUN. 188,238 DEC 29 1986 Hqr,
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-23:7 MAR 5 1987 BUHRELLP$ Rationalize grou~_wat~r..m>licy L::,.:,:~~ hen a~ .the nation seems poisect1or~~ll-out attack on groundwater po!luti_on. the effort is imperiled bv current legislative complications. The congressional Office of Tech nology .-\ssessment savs 16 federal laws deal -\rith'~ground~ water protection to some extent and I I federal agencies are involved m addressmg the problem. Some of the statutes are conflicting. In addition, manv states have standards of their own. '.'!ow it seems that the Senate Environment and Public Wo~ks Committee will seek _comprehensive legislation (see p. b). At the same llme Environmental Protection Administrator Lee \-1. Thomas-in a switch of conviction-has called for consistencv in the federal approach to groundwa ter. That will not be easv to accomplish. particularlv since the \\'hite House has indicated that it does not favor anv major new environmental measures. But certainlv some comprehensive approach on the federal level is necessary. Part of the problem involves water lving under more than one state and part of it is caused by pollutants that flow across borders. It is verv difficult to coordinate federal and state requirements and responsibil ities for protection and cleanup. At the same time. it is not necessarv for Congress to establish a grand new program with exacting standards. Fortv-six states either have or are developing programs to govern groundwater qualitv .. -\nd private companies seem increasinglv convinced of the wisdom of avoiding releases of hazardous material so they can avoid being taken to court later .. .\11 Congress needs to do is weave grass roots etf orts into a rational framework bv setting guidelines and assigning responsibilitv to meet them.
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THE cmrnER(L\L .-\PPE.U. MEMPHIS. TENN. D. 230.666 SUN. 289.005 DU l6 l~Xh lffllfffO j Fears ~f job lo;ses follow data overseas By Kenneth B. Noble :.=-i 7Y WASHINGTON -Several times a week, a plme arnves in China carrying financial statements. mailing lists and other paperwork from several dozen American companies. In Beijing and other Chinese cities. about 500 keypunch operators, most of whom have no knowledge of English. transfer the information to computer tapes or disks. The electronic data then are flown to the United States. While the salary and benefits for an American doing equiva' lent work might be $6 to Sl2 an hour, the Chinese worker earns about $6 a day. A growing number of companies in the United States are transfemng their routine data processing and other ser vice jobs to Asia, the Caribbean. Ire land, md other places where people can be hired at low cost. Not surprisingly, the trend IS rais ing concern among labor organiza tions. The service sector has been regarded as a lifesaver for the Americm economy as many sem1sltilled manufacturing jobs in industries from footwear to automobile part, have moved abroad in recent years. "WE'VE WATCHED FOR IIWlJ years 1111 factory jobll moved ove~ and we were told. 'Don't worry about lt because the United States is becoming a service economy anyway,' said Dennis Chamot, associate director of tha AFL,ClO's professional employees partment. "But now to watch service= sector Jobs go overseas is very disquiet ing to say the least." Stati.stlcs are hard to come by because many American companies are reluctant to disclose the extent of their oveneu data-processing operations. Industry sources say the biggest export er of information services may be Mead Data Central Inc .. a supplier of computer data such as NexiS. The company estimates that about 20 percent of the material it uses ta.ken from trade Journals. newspapers and other sources is key-punched in South Korea, the cartbbean. and elsewhere abroad. But the company declined to disclose how many workers are employed or how much they earn. Pacific Data Services of Dallas has been subcontracting computer work in China since 1981. Despite the language b'1'rler, the company says it can guarantee its American clients 99 percent accuracy in the work done there. A December 1985 report by the~ gressional Office of Technology Assess-_ ment estimated tliai American compan ies employ about 2,JOO people at a dozen sites in the Canbbean. Mailing listS for sweepstakes companies are keypunched in Jamaica. magazine sub scription lists are compiled in Haiti, and airline tickets are processed in Barbados. Worldwide, the technology office esumates. about 5.000 workers are entering information into computers for American companies. still a small percentage of the 325,000 data-entry workers in thlS country. But many analysts believe that the actual nuibers may be higher than government statistics indicate. Nor man Bodek, president of Productivity Inc., a Stamford, Conn .. consulting com pany that specializes in offshore data services, estimates that more than 80 American concerns are conducting such operations overseas. And. he said. "It will double within a year. I'm sure." In the view of some government offic1als, the creation of jobs -in the Cari bbean, at least ls not unwelcome. The aim of the Reagan administration's Canbbean Basin Initiative is to bolster the region's economy. Manufacturing and semiskilled clerical jobs are not the only ones being sent abroad. Engineers in the overseas offices of American companies, for ex ample, can, through computers. gain in stantaneous access to the same material their colleagues have at American headquarters. This, some analystS say, tn1ght encouragt compllllies to hire m-fonign ell$Joyees. "For an indindulll com:i,.n,.,-it may be a very sensi ble decision," said Harvey Shai.ken. a proteaar of Jaflot reJed---_.. verstty of Califomill at San Diego. "But lb& the countrf a whole it's far less desirable.~ Many countries are eagerly trying to draw business. Ireland. for example, has for years tried to lure foreign capi tal with generous incentives, including loan guarantees, interest subsidies, and a maximum corporate taX rate of 10 percent. India has established four tax-free zones for foreign electronics companies. Perhaps the most ambitious project is in Jamaica. where the government plans to build a telecommunicauons and data-processing complex m a 57 acre tax-free zone set aside for expon businesses. The project. scheduled to begin next year. is expected to employ more than 10,000 people eventually, said Diane Edwards, senior regional manager for the Jamaican National In vestment Office. "Lower salaries are certa1nly an attraction that we have to offer," she said. INDEED. THE Office of Technology Assessment study found that hourly wages for key-punchers in other countries are one-fourth to one-fifteenth those paid to American workers. Union leaders say the companies are exploiting foreign workers. But Bodek con_ .. u.s senice industries profiting Between 1977 and 1982 the U.S. service industry revenue grew by 89 percent overall. Com putera and data processing .. services showed the highest growth, 191.7 percent ,n the five-year span. The biggest drop In the service sector 20 percent was suffered by drivein motion picture theaters. 10 TOP SEllYICE lmusTRES a U.S. Change ,n PCent: -~ ~-UTAl"IKEssal mi;w.:~~~~1~ 191.71 C I ~i~~1.i:.11" 3 .,,,w-w .. CMll.lWI. .....CIIUtWa !!~~1':fflt.O.O E_...IIIITAL ~~~'~128.5. Sllll:a1'AACT..,. .... f~'ir~~121.3 EWUIYallT lllllC'I zi ~m.J 1;, I DmCT IWL Almlnsal ~106.7 1111KT1 I PIIIITEC1M --.~ fjl~j106.1 ~., ACCaaml B100.2 f:lj I I I I j I 0 100 125 150 175 200 'I -,, .J 3 IIIIUSTIIY LOSERS Changes in percent: IIIIWI-II-TIUTIII .2 a&JAII-., --7.9 .. ..... V --5.4 : \ I I I I I I 0 .5 -10 .15 lntoCnupt.1<1, V ';. C) NeWI Arnenca Syndicate, 1911 ~ -~ sow,ca, u.a. c--,. tends that with a few exceptions the conditions of most overseas operanons are comparable to those here. And, he said, the workers "are nor!DJIIIY paid as well or better than others of the same class or educational background." KeD.Ileth B. Noble 1s a reporter for The New York Times. I I I l
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Al1RfCAH HEOICAL HEIJS CHICAOO, IL JAN 9 1967 WJ/J,_Ei.LFS Allied health staff kept from full potential, study says .. I A study from the congressional Office of Technology Assessment indicates that although nurse practitioners (NPs), physicians' assistants (PAs). and certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) play an impor tant part in national health care, current third-party payment and coverage poli cies prevent tlwm from realizing their full potential. NPs, PAs, and CNMs have been ac cepted in many different locales with many different types of payment systpms, and have had a positive influence on health c,ire, thr study said. 0irrct paymrnt and extended cover age to NPs and CNMs would encourage these practitioners to develop private practices, dqwnding on state regulations. Although this would put them in compr tition with private practice physicians, the study said it would have little effert on their employment and use by health maintenance organizations or by hospi tals for inpatient ,are. II the Ni's' and CNMs' income remained lower than that of the physicians, the study said third-party payer's costs might decrease. It also said patients might benefit from a decrease in service fees from the groups. With an increase in ser vice availability made possible by the extended coverage and direct payment practices, patients would have a wider choice of health care providers and great er access to primary-care services. The study said extending coverage to NPs, PAs, and CNMs would help patients in areas where health care is inadequate or inaccessible. Currently, there are approximately 15,400 NPs, 16,000 PAs, and 2,000 CNMs practicing in the United States. n,o .. n.L..,nn 11Ul'\~C. KANSAS CITY, HO HOHTHLV 182,400 FEB 1987 l!lff?f?E!,ff___:f -34='--------------------------------------------Capttal Commentary O"'f ~, Report Discusses Quality, Costs of Care ( \ \ \ By Virglinia L. Bauknecht report continues, the number of "These practitioners have been ANA Washington Office Ni's and CNMs engaging in inaccepted in a wide range of setA report on the quality and cost dependent practice is likely to re-tings under many different effectiveness of care delivered by main small because of the schemes, have the potential to re-nurse practitioners (NPs), physidifficulties in obtaining malpracduce health care costs and clearly cian assistants (PAsl and certified tice insurance and high costs of play legitimate roles in the health nurse midwives (CNMsl was isstarting such a practice. However, care system," the report concludes. sued in late December by the direct payment would give pa-It suggests that "federal thirdCongressional Office of Technol-tients the choice of a wider range party payers could be more in step ogy Assessment. of providers. with new and evolving payment Prepared in response to a re-The advantage of extending practices by liberalizing coverage quest from the Senat Committee coverage for services of NPs, PAs and payment restrictions." Direct on Appropriations, the report also and CNMs is especially apparent payment for the services of NPs looks at the extent to which varin certain settings, for certain and CNMs would further remove ious federal health care programs populations and where there are barriers to practice, the report and private third-party payers pay shortages of trained personnel. continues, for the services of NPs and CNMs. Extending coverage for NPs to "It seems clear that coverage for Of particular interest to the comprovide primary care to elderly the services of NPs, PAs and CNMs mittee were the issues of coveragL nursing home residents would alin at least some settings could imfor these services and direct payleviate a demonstrated shortage of prove health care for segments of ment to NPs and CNMs, trained personnel for that popu-the population that are not being Within their areas of compe lation. The report notes the growth served adequately," the report tcnce, the report says, NPs, !'As of the elderly institutionalized concludes. "How coverage would and CNMs provide care of a qua!population and the fact that few affect costs is unclear, but the longity equivalent to that of physiphysiciansaretrainedingeriatrics. term result could be notable cians_ Ni's and CNMs are more Coverage for the services of NPs savings." adept than physicians at providand PAs could also be advanta-The effect of direct payment on ing services that depend on comgenus for homebound elderly pacosts is less certain, the report says, munication with patients and tients and for enabling pediatric but it might enable NPs and CNMs preventive actions, according to Ni's to care for chronically ill chi!to practice in unserved and un-the report. dren at home. CNMs could be derserved areas to expand access Given these findings, the report covered for the maternity care of to health care. concludes that "using NPs, PAs pregnant disabled women in cases ANA supplied extensive inforand CNMs rather than physicians where the disabling condition did mation to the Office of Technolto provide certain services would not complicate the pregnancy. ogy Assessment for use in preappear to he cost-effective from a Another area where coverage paring the report and reviewed and societal perspective." would be advantageous, the re-commented on draft documents However, the report notes, these port suggests, is in rural areas as they were developed, practitioners have not been used where there is a persistent lack of Copies of the report, Nurse to their fullest potential, a major health care personnel. Practitioners, Physician Assist-ohstaclc heing that most third-The report concludes that NPs, ants and Certified Nurse Midparty payers do not cover their PAs and CNMs have made imporwives: A Policy Analysis (Health services. Where their services are tant contrihutions to meeting the Technology Case Study ,'.!7', will covered, payments are most often nation's health care needs by imbe available for $7.50 each prepaid indirect to the employing physiproving the quality and accessifrom Publications Orders, ANA, cian or institution rather than dihility of health care services and 2420 Pershing Road, Kansas City, rect to the practitioner. increasing the productivity of Mo. 64108. Request publication Even with direct payment, the medical practices and institutions, #OTAI.
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Guidepost March 5, 1987 7 Childhood mental disorders often remain undiagnosed The Office of Technology Assessthe traditional family, but a viable ment estimates that 7.5 miJJion chilsubstitute for that kind of support is dren in the United States suffer from crucial," he said. a mental heal~h problem sever_e The report states "particularly enough to require tr?atment. Their lacking in children's mental health recent report also estimates that becare are community-based services, tween 70 and 80 percent of these case management and a coordinated children are not receiving adequate system of care throughout the counmental h~alth care_. try." The report also calls for imPaul C1borowsk1, who heads the proved outpatient treatment. American Mental Health Counselor The re ort d d h d P recommen s re ucmg ~ssociation s task force on c 1 ren, restrictions on mental health bene-c1ted many reasons for the madef' 'd' d t tr t t 1 d' f d 1 f. its, prov1 mg mcrease access to qua e ea men me u mg e era 1-. l tb k th outpatient treatment and more fundnanc1a cu ac s e mcrease m f mg or commumty-based programs. smgle parent and dual career homes, It also call f b tt t t l d th l k f h s or e erassessmen oo s. an e ac o a compre ens1ve childcare system in this country. The A~CD task force is working on "The United States is the only inseveral different levels. Members are dustrialized nation that doesn't have actively lobbying Congress for pasa standard childcare system," he said. sage of bills pertaining to children's "Our approach to it is haphazard at ca!~ and mental health. They are also best. Most children who need help ra1smg the awareness of counselors are not served on a regular basis." He who deal with childhood mental disadded that the government cannot orders. Through books and workdecide on childcare priorities and shops, Ciborowski is trying to mentioned a program for children set d~rnonstrate strategi_es and tech-up six months ago that is now in danmques for troubled children. ger of being cut. For more information on the pubChildhood depression is one of the lications and workshops, contact Paul most common mental health disorCiborowski, Center for Study of the ders affecting children under 18. It Changing Family, 109 Willett Ave., often goes untreated, Ciborowski said. Port Chester, N.Y. 10573. For a copy He pointed out that single or working or synopsis of the OT A report, conparents are often too busy to see the tact Jean McDonald or Ellen Mika, danger signs, and treatment usually Office of Technology Assessment, occurs only in crisis situations. "I Washington, D.C. 20510-8025, (516) don't necessarily advocate a return to 821-9696. .. ----
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Rocky Mountain News DENVER, COLO. D. 317.638 S. 366.005 FEB 19 1987 ---1 nd ian health system faces doctor shortage (.p~'17i by the Office of Technology Assessment, a reinefficient. By DAVID PHELPS search brancfof Congress, for lfie health sub"Scholarships are not the best way to get Minneapolis Star and Tribune committee of the House energy and commerce doctors," said William Aspden of the Public WASHINGTON The federal Indian Health Service, principal medical provider for a million American Indians, faces a severe physician shortage within the two years, according to a congressional study. Indian health officials say the shortage could force the service to close one-third of its hospitals and clinics. The study, to be released this month, con cludes that "a potential exists for serious clini cal staffing shortages itJ the service in the near future and these shortages could severely limit the service's ability to deliver health care to American Indians and Alaska natives." After reviewing the study's findings, the National Indian Health Board, a private tribal organization, says as many as 40 facilities, out of 117, will close unless the service acts to attract new doctors and keep the ones it has. The strength of the service's 650-doctor staff is threatened because of sharp reductions in medical scholarship and tuition programs that provide the service with 60% to 80% of its physicians. Draft versions of the study have caused alarm among Indian organizations and some in Congress who say the service already is under staffed and underfunded. "It's shocking to me that we're going back ward instead of forward," said Rep. Morris Udall, D-Ariz., chairman of the House interior committee. The congressional report is being prepared committee. Health Service. "There's a sixor seven-year Most doctors in the Indian Health Service are delay from the time you award the scholarship part of the National Health Services Corps, until you have a doctor. And doctors_ change which provides them with medical school tutheir minds and don't want to go to d1sadvanition in exchange for service in needy areas taged places and isolated areas. Their value~ upon graduation. change, their specialties change." However, the program is being phased out by In addition to the loss of health_ corps phy~1-the Reagan administration. The number of ciaos, the service is sharply cuttmg a special It's shocking to me that we're going backward instead of forward, Rep. Morris Udall, interior committee chairman scholarships funded by the corps gradually has been declining and the number of doctors as signed to duty with the service is shrinking. The last doctors from the program will be available in 1990. The program is important to the servic~, which has difficulty recruiting non-corps physi cians to work in areas that often are geographi cally isolated and where living conditions are harsh. About 150 corps doctors will be assigned to the service this year, down from 200 five years ago, and by 1990 it will receive just 10. Officials for the corps say the program is being phased out because it is expensive and scholarship program for Indians who want to enter health care professions. Dr. Everett Rhoades, the service's director, said the reduction in scholarships "reflects one of those difficult and painful decisions" in a period of a tight budget. Rhoades said he hopes to avert a physician shortage by allocating approximately $1.3 million for recruitment programs. But people familiar with Indian health care say it will take more than that. "I don't t!iink the problem is recruitment. I think the problem is retention," said Dr. Emery Johnson, a former director of the service and a member of Office pf Technology Assessment's Indian health care advisory pqnel. "If you paid more attention to retention, recruitment would take care of itself." Past studies show that only 5 % of health corps doctors remain on the res ervation after their required duty has expired. "Out of 350,000 physicians in this country we're only looking for 600," Johnson said. "I can't believe there aren't 600 out there with a social conscience who want to share their ex pertise for five or six years." Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.
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Missiles and Aviation ,,a. .. ========~====================================~';, {'<:::'--=-= &;J.. 977 The Future of Ceramics and Advanced Composites Ernn those accustonmd lo dm1lirtM with tlm snphistic:alr.d wnrlcl, nf c;t! ra111i1:s and a1ha111:1!cl _c:0Y.111mdlt! ,1rut.111ms will find s111111:lhinM tlwy 1.,111 UM! in th1! 72-11111(1! lm:hnil:ill 11mmoranch111\ 1J1sl issued bv tlm Ccmr,;rnss11111,1I Offic:1! of T1!ch1111lo~v :\sstlss-p:n F ... .,....,.. Ih1! lillti: "Nt!w Slruc:lural :\l,1!1!rials T1!c:h1111lu1-ti1!s: Opporlunilies for lhe Use of Advanced Ceramics and Composites." Of particular interest to long-ran1,1e plann11rs: the Department of Defense now funds some JS percent of federal research and development efforts in the field of structural ceramics: the r:omparable figure is 70 p1!rccnl for pol~ml!r m,1lrix c:ompositm1. :\l11r1!on!r, 1111! rnport's sumrn,1ry -.,~s: "In tlw futuw. dmnaml for hi1-th 1mrf11rnmnt.H lllilh!rials in suc:h appli-1 .itiuns as aircraft. missiles, and space-based weapons systems will increase. making these amon11 the fast est l(rowinR applications of structural ceramics and composites." The long-term applications of these techniques will dramatically affect the U.S. economy and are just begin ning to be reorganized. Viewed strict ly on a per-pound basis. cost is not only high but is expected to stay that way. even with economies of'scale. However. says the report. cost may actually be viewed as an odvonloge "rather than a barrier ... if the 'sys tem costs,' including materials, manufacturing, and life cycle of a structure. are all taken into account. Like multidisciplinary research and integrated design, a systems approach to costs is implied by the holistic nature of advanced materials." Take the case of ceramics. Accord ing to the American Ceramics Bulle tin, the world market for advanced structural ceramics was $250 million in 1983. with the Japanese market making up half. The federal govern ment spent about S60 million in I !Jl:l6. Figures for private industry in this 12 country were roughly comparable. Thal is expected tu c:h,mge U)' the year 2000, when the market in this country alotll! is prnjec;teti lo be! lmtwmm St billion mul S5 billion. Had1111ws ancl inframd winclows. l11,,1rin~s for missilt!s anti md,o,I nm~zlt,s (c:arbm1-c.irhon c:ompm,ili,s ;11ul curamic-c:nalml n.1rl>on-carhun com posites( am amonl( rmar-term 1-trowlh markt!IS. Turbine tmJ,tinus will hi! part of that t!Xc:iting fulum. Now in wide spread use for aircraft propulsion, auxiliary power units. and related ap plications. the report claims ceramics have the potential to enal>le advanced lurl>ines to achieve a large increase in performance. Projected improvements indude as much as 40 percimt more power. and 30-fiO percent fuel savings with th11 additional lmnefils of luwl!r Wllighl. inc:mas1,cl rang, .. and tlm:mas1!d crili-1.,11 cross sm:tiun anti dl!lt:t.1;1bility. The 1mlyrnur r:umposilt!S sid11 of tht: picture is equally intriguing. Produc tion in this category in 1984 was 22 million pounds. mostly in this country. Yet, less than 2 percent of the material is used in the advanced composites for high-tech applications such as aircraft and aerospace. The report says, "It has been estimated that advanced polymer composites will grow at the relatively high rate of about 15 percent per year in the next few years. with the fastest grow ing sector being the aerospace industry at 22 percent." By the year 2000. it adds. consumption of advanced poly mer composites is expected to be 200 million pounds with a value of $12 billion. There are indications that composites may account for up to 40 percent of the structural weight of the Ad-The author is a contributing editor of NAno:-:AL OF.n::-:sE. He is a former ci vilicm employee of the Air Force. and has had a lifelong interest in aerospace matters. Wale Lang vanc:cd Tec:hnology Fighter. In addition. the superior performance ad\'antagcs of composites in military aircraft mom than cornptms,1tc for tht! high t:OSI. F11111rn military lwlil:opli,rs, tilt! :\rmys I.IIX and lht! :'\avys lilt-rotor \'-:a "Osprny" ,1rnon1,1 tlwm. ha\'e spi:cific:ations that seem likHly lo force desi1,1ners to c:onsidt:r composites. which may comprise up to KO p1m:l!nl of 1111! structural w1dght. The report says. "~laterials sut:h as graphite/epoxy are likely lo be used in the airframe. l>ulkheads. tail booms. and vertical fins, while the less stiff glass/epoxy composites will be used in the rotor systems." All in all, it is an assessrmmt of the future of these technologies that lhosti in the missilu and aviation c:1111111111ni1y will not want lo nverlcM>k. ; HATIONM. DEfEHsE MlINaTOH .., .... 10-TI11SfYEM .. ,o.ooo DEC 11986 -4643 Bu~
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IHOUSTRIAL NIHERALS LONDON, EN 11QNTHLY DEC 1986 aa,yu.a -3ffl US sees need for new materia~s 'o;9 l y' In a report issued by the Congressional Office of Technology :1::ase,~t near ~he ena of September at an overs~g~t heann~ ~Y the White House's national cntical maten s il it was recognised that the USA counc h I low-cost needs to develop new big -vo ume, manufacturing technologies for new ma~nals such as ceramics, polymers, and composites. The Office of Technology Assessment stressed that although the USA baa a technological lead in the development of ~me advanced materials, especially those req~ in military applications, it is often slow m developing such products commercially. CHEHICAL ENGINEERING PROGRESS HEW VORK, HV MONTHLY 50,000 -,~,&. JAH 1987 llu(f(lffff1 Caramica and Composites The ~nlJ;/u,nal Office of Technolop Assessment has released a tecfuilcal memorandum, "Opportun1 ties for the Use of Advanced. Ceramics and Composites," which has 1mpl.1ca.t1ons for chemical engineers. The memorandum 1s an interim report in OTA's ongoing study, "New Structural Mater1&18 Technologies." It concludes that by the year 2000, large markets for cera.m.10 and composite products will be found in mill ta.ry, aerospace, automotive, medical, and construc tion applloat10ns. ''In order to rea.l.1.ze the promise repra sled by the new mater1&18, U.S. policymakers in 4)1!$b""'91l1i, Universities and industries will have to oomaitoeether to define feasible goals and mater1als appJta#itims, coordinate research and development efforts toward these goals and, espec:lally, focus on reducing the barriers to commercial introduction of advanced cera.m.10 and composite products," a.ccording to the report. "An important policy objective for the future could be to encourage industrial investment in research, development and commercial1zat1on of ce ramic and composite materials.'' I PLASTICS EHGIHEERIHG SROOKFIElO, CT "ONTHLV 26,000 HOU 1986 u.s. com111aunness IH'8dlcted The c\~~t2s.kal.Offi<;~_of_ Tecil.nologt~~~:ss_!11e11r. ( OT AJ. has issued an interim report which predicts char the new structural materials such as polv mers, ceramics. and metals, mav renew U.S. international competitive.ness JO manufacturing. The scudv, "New Structural Materials Technologies Opportunities for the Use of Advanced Ceramics and Com posites," was conducted at the request of the House Science and Technology S_ubcommittee on Transportauon. Av1a t1on, and Materials. An OTA spokes man said that the agency plans to scudv and later make recommendations co Congress on ways the federal govern ment and private sector can take prac tical advantage of new structural materials. The OTA report points out that JO the next 10 to 15 ~ears, military appli cauons are likely to grow very rapidly, as will commercial applications for bi ologically compatible materials which can be implanted in the body. Oppor tunities in aerospace. automotive. JO dustrial. medical. and construction industries also will grow rapidly in the next 25 years. OTA predicts. The study says that the U.S. cannot rake for granted chat it will capture these markets since other industrial ized countries are competing for the large commercial and military markets. Call SPI's Federal Government Affairs Dept. at (202) 822-6700 for a copv of/ the study.
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.. -----'1/ /~RIALS Whisker composites provide added toughn~ss to ceramic materials THE REW~}~ ~developing ceramic matrix with silicon carbide whiskers. products are recognized to be great; bow-The work is part of Oak Ridge Nat ever, the stumbling blocks to be overional Laboratory's Ceramic Technology come in moving ceramics technology Project, which is funded through the from R&D stages to marketable products Dept. of Energy. Its goal is to develop are just as great. prototype ceramic engines. The Congressional Office <.?!. Tech nology Assessment_ (OT A)nas echoed thissentiment in a recent report, which states that ceramics and other advanced materials (polymers, metals, and compos ites) have the potential to renew U.S. in dustrial competitiveness in manufacturing (R&:D October, p 9). But, OTA adds, the U.S. should not assume that it will capture a major share of market because of its current techno logical lead. Many nations have launched major efforts to develop these materials and will provide stiff competition. In one recent technological develop ment concerning advanced ceramics, re searchers at GTE Laboratories, Stam ford, CT, have developed a ceramic composite material that bas exhibited sig nificantly higher resistance to fractures and breaks than other known ceramic ma terials. The material is a silicon nitride RESEARCH & DE1JELOPMENT 9NUtIN&TON. IL NJNTHLY ua.oao -rn, DfC 1986 9a,,. Use of ceramic parts in an auto mobile engine could provide many advan tages, according to Dr. J. Thomas Smith, director of GTE Lab's Ceramics & Metallurgy Technology Center. For instance, it could operate at tem peratures as high as 2500 F-about twice that of conventional engines--which would reduce fuel consumption and pol lution. Ceramic engines also would be lighter, more resistant to wear and corro sion, and would transfer less heat than conventional engines. ~: .~ ,/' Yet a' ~ajor problem is that ad-t vanced ce~cs tend to crack and brea.l ~der certain conditions. This brittlenesii is what the GTE researchers are working to overcome. reduced the brittleness of silic~!1 mtnde ~atrix ~eramics by adding the silicon carbide whiskers to it. The whis kers m~e the composite 40% more resistan_t to mtemal cracking and 25% more res~tant to breaking than monolithic ce ramics. "1:iie improvements that we found with t~s material are solely derived from the whiskers,''. Smith told R&:D. "The im proved <:Cranuc composite is significantly more s~ta~le for specific high-tempera ll:'re, high-impact, and high-abrasive en vironments" such as automobile engines. Tes~. of the m~terial were "apples to-appl~s compansons--the whisker composite vs a monolithic ceramic of the ~e makeup (silicon nitride with 6% yttnwn and 2 % aluminum). Smith said that th~ researchers soon will be performing fangue_tests on the material. With the promising results from the first round 0! t~sts, GTE researchers have begun m~ng an injection molding Pi:ocess 50 it can be used to fabricate pans Wlth 30% (vol.) of whiskers, Smith said. ~e Parts, which include pistons, pis ton liners, and rotors, will be made at GT_ and the~ shipped to Oak Ridge for additional tesnng.-Skip De"a 0 I f t
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-. -!ILWAUKEE SElVJlNEL MILWAUKEE, WISC. womenstilt-fino--roactbtocks----, . in sci~nce, engineering fields o. 183,620 W1 thpn. r-i~ _'J_Y SenJDr women scientlata and But Frankel says these problems come in the coatut eqineen often receive lower salaries than their male or dramatic gains made In the last decade, and wblcli JAN 5 19 8 7 couaterparts. although both sexes entered their pro,-. appear to be continuing. sions at the ame wage level, sa}'I a government anal)'IL From 197 2 to l 982. tbe percentage of women wbo BURRS,U,S "Newly blrecl women have salaries closer to men," said received a science or engineerin1 baccalaureate increued Eugen1fFrankel of the Office of Technolo:}i ~t. from 28% to 36%; those who got a master's degree weat >men pegged ering careers "The difference in salaries widen u seiilo ty mcreues. from 18% to 28%; and doctorates rose from 15% to So, as women climb higher and hi&her in the corporue 29%, he said. hierarchy, equal treatment drops away." Frankel's OT A report also said that women are being discouraged from seeking science and engineering jobs because of gender-stereotyped career expectations and a smaller chuee of promotion than men. The non-partisan analytic:af agency wu uked by tbe House Committee on Science and Tecbnolou's tuk fon:e oa science policy to examine the long-term clemognpldc trenu on the sctentiftc and eagilHllnn& wot tfun:e. In the procaa, OTA wu uked, to COlllider' ttie bmien to, and future trenda in. participation of womea and minorities in tboae occupatiODL "Before 1972, science and engineering WU not I i legitimate career for women," said Frankel. "But changes In women's self-perceptions were brought about by the women's movement and by tbe elimination of formal discrimination." He restated, however, that tbe dual factors of salary dilcrimiutioll aad job promotion remain an illbibitiq fon:e iD their careen. In a 1914 survey of coUece freshmen, the OT A Slid 20tJI or tile men questioned listed engineering u their field of choice, wblle oaly 34'1', of tbe women picked tba& CIINl'objecdft. "Women's salaries are sipiflcaatly lower thla mea's in almost all fields of science, la every employmat By camrat. the arA saicl Gilly ~ of the men, but j sector and at comparable levell of ezpertenca," OT A IIMl 21 of tbe womm. U.. adllcation, nuniq or occupa, : In its l~page report. tlonal and physical therapy their preferred major. I "In academia, men are far more llltely than womea to Ownll, OT A fGUDd that two sipiftcant demop'apldc J hold tenure-track posittou, to be pcomote4 to teaure. 1111& COllld affect _die future supply of ICiendlts 1111111. to achieve full profeuorshipa, tbe report said. -.---"Tbe diffenatlal treatmmt of women fa the wart~ There will be a decliM In tbe college-age populatlcm l force most directly violates the pr1nctple ol ..-, el "" tta nat decide. TIie muaber of 18-to 24-year-oldl/ opportullity becawl& it affects people wbo lllve -.. wtU cb'ep fnMD a ,-II of 30 millon ia 1982 to about 24, DIiled. by virtue of olaildn1 aa acmnc:ed desree, die milHon la 1995. Labor markef sperialla eaUmate tlitl ript to punue a sdentiftc or ~I career blllll t1dl decline could lead-to a drap ID colle1e emollmelltl at 9*ly Oil tile quality of thetr W'CJ!'k. llill tH report. U'Jr. to 15,L. -I .. lt allo bu a sipiftaat dllcour'lllnl effect OIi female ". Secoadly, then will be an lDcreue in tile fracUoa GI: aadents in tile eclucatiCllllil pipeUlle. wllo .. tile flltme, 'tile 18-to-24-year-olu tbat will be. drawn from minoritJI benefits of their investment In ICiftce and ........ populationa, iJldadln& tucts, H11panica and AlianAmtr education erodN by pateaUal unemplDyment and under-icans. These p-oaps. witb the exception of-Aaian-Amm utlllm1on In tile work force,~ lt Niel. cans, have historically participated lea actively ID m ADotber crucial imped!,_, to woaaen's parttdpatloa ence and engineering educatioll than whites, said tlli. ill science aDcl enpneeriq ii the feeling tllat tta.. OTA. career* may be "mea'work. "Some busiUS8ea are very supportive of gettiDg mar "As loq u women Ul*t to alllliae. tbe major role ill boulekeepma. uut childreubl&. 111d to sacrifice their professional interests to tbole of tbeir buaband. they will be lea likely thu mee to lllect occu,atiou like scieaca &ad engineering that require major educational uut labor ton:e commitments," said the women in science and engineering because they see tlli decline in the college-age population and reallzethey wii : be drawing from a smaller pool, said Frankel. 1 But Frukel said ODce thole bright young women entl the field they still might have trouble moving up di ladder, if mind-lleltremain the same. L-;, r;,7 / The aerospace and defense industries can e I by cultivating women and rapidly ns_ure astmg pool of technical talent high school, according to an OTXrowm~ m+ior1ty groups while they are still in country's engineers and scientists ar{JPO 1 e Pf I of talent from which the high school, more people move out of th rawn is arg~ y f~rmed in high school. After giving women better than e ual tr e pool than !nto it. T~e study also says that family life easier will bring ~ore w::it:ee:t ~nd takmg ci:eat1~ s~eps to make their and defense industries, and keep them the~.neers and sc1ent1sts mto the aerospace HACHIHE DESIGN CLEVELAND, OH 28-TIHES/VEAR l66,SJ 7 JAN 8 1987 BUHREUFS -4054 ---
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Indifference is blamed for the spread of AIDS lt, I 1 / Editor', DOif': In thf' lttODd of this two-part lf'rlf'I, writer Robert Sd1eer nplalna wby the ttarch for an AIDS care "81 only rettntly begun to rf'cf'lve nf'f'ded funding. By ROBERT SCHEER Los Angeles Times 5 AN FRANCISCO In Jay Levy's dingy, crowded laboratory, the AIDS virus does not seem so formidable. "Here they are," said the youthful and ener11etlc Universi ty of Callfomla, San Francisco, medical researcher, pointing to some Innocuous-looking little flasks In a battered incubator. Second of two parts "If we had the space and the equipment I could have isolated this virus In '82," said Levy, who was one of the first to accom P,lish that awesome feat in 1983. 'We had the patients, but we just couldn't get enough financial sur,port lo do the work. 'If we had the virus and test earlier, we could have warned and educated the gay community sooner. We would have cleaned up the blood supply, and saved many hemophiliacs and otben." It Is In Levy's world the capital-intensive world of modem biomedical researcll -tbat homophobia 's role In 1hapln11 America's response lo the AIDS crisis is most clearly visible. Amon11 leadln11 researchers, there Is wide agreement that their inability to obtain adequate government fundin11 during the epidemic's early stages will eventually result in thousands of deaths that could have been pre vented. Many attribute that early official mdifference to the fact that the first American vic tims of AIDS were homosexuals. "We be11an research In 1981," Levy recalled, "but were limited by funds. We had absolutely no money, a11d worked In a room so small that we weren't allowed to deal with blood because that would violate state health stand arcls." While Levy was sluaglng It out with bureaucraL, and vlrulf'S In California, his counterpart in the federal AIDS research program was living a similar tale of woe. "We were sending screams for help that were not being heard In the executive branch," said Donald P. Francis, the physician who led the Centers for Disease Control's pioneering AIDS re search, in recalling the first years of the eridemlc. "Because o rising defense ell pendltures, COC wu being cut," Francis recalled. "Then, sudden ly there comes an outbreak of a I. ,. ~' __, __ ,.. LA Times photo Grant writer Robert Whirry confers with Pa"a Van Ness of AIDS Project Los Angeles on a fund-raising plan. new disease among primarily gay men who did not elect this administration. But an outbreak Uke this requires money for peo ple, supplies and travel, none of which existed." In June 1981, "Dr. Mike Gottlieb, from Los An11eles, called the COC to report the first AIDS c89f'S," Francis said. "It wun'I unUI July of 1983 that Reagan finally signed a blll for money. Those two years In between were the m01Jt difficult period." ThOIIC! were tbe years wbeD governmental and lDf!llleal IMtreaucractes comf~ thmll!lves with the tut AIDS WU In lllllea-flilllllllar lo homosexaals. Franits;. alon1 with Ha"ard'1 M:,ron I. Essex and James W. Curran of the CDC, wrote tbe firat article 1u1-gest1n1 that a transmissible agent was behind the emergln1 epidemic. But, at the time, no one llatened; It wu lea threat enln1 to think of AIDS as an ell clmlvely py dlseue. Lack of funds made It difficult for doctors al the CDC to take even the mO!Jt obvious steps in controlling this emerging epi demic. "When I first went lo Atlanta I wanted a new book on retro viruses, a two-volume book at ,so a volume. I was told by the CDC administrative office that we couldn't spend that money," said Francis, who Is now on loan from the CDC to the California State Department of Health, re calbl. "And that shows how strapp<>d for funds we were I.Ike Levy in San Francisco. the CDC researchers had to jury rig their most crucial piece of laboratory equipment, an incu bator in which to grow !hf' virus. Lacking the ,s,ooo to buy a mod ern incubator, Francis' team had to make do with leftovers from the 1940s. CDC's research team ran into similar problems when it needed to purchase equirment required for uperimenta inoculation of animals with the AIDS virus. "It look six months to get the neces sary $15,000 for Isolators and protective clothing to do It right," Francis said. At that point, the govern ment's "cheapness" led him Into a critical mistake. Francis used marmosets instead of chimpan zees as subjects for the Inocula tions because the former cost a couple of hundred dollars apiece and chimpanzees are '15,000 each. The chimps, as he suspect ed, were susceptible to the human AIDS virus and the mar mosets were not. As a result. "valuable time was lost in order to save money." These difficulties were being uperienced not on the dubious scientific fringes of the medical .,search world but at the very .earl of the government's effort to stop this epidemic durln11 I ts critical take.ff years. "There was no high-level government interest until early 1983 when It wu established that AIDS could be transmitted though ordinary blood transfu sions, _putting everyone at risk," Francis remembered. That was the magic moment in the epi demic's history becaute plenty of heteroselluabl President Continued on rage B-4<::.
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r AC ONA NEUS JRIBUHE TACOM, WA OIID.V I 54\T 10,, 100 I/JI TtlCSOIIV JAN 6 1987 Bv!t_~ AIDS Continued from Page B-3 c.,, Reagan Included had reeelved possibly contaminated blood transfusions. Suddenly, government money beun to flow. r.No money came," Francis nld, "unUI Reagan 1lped off on It In July 198S. Before then we put the program to1ether by stealing from vther proar1ms. We slipped the AIDS research program lotlether using bubble pm and ballng wire. If anytime durtn1 thJs epidemic there had been I Manhattan Project-type approach, we would have gone like crazy. l11Btead we spent 111 of oar time In constant turmoil revising budgets. "Could we have found the cause earlier? Certainly. And once we had, we could have moved in I IIIOn systematic way to preventiea." Francis' complalla are not simply a matter Ill blndalpt, 1lnce be prod...a innnerous memos urglna ..-funding early on. In one 1111:!a document, written April 12, 1113, to bis then-superior at CDC, Walter Dowdle, Francia complained that "our government's response to this disaster has been far too little." Dowdle, who currently coordi nates the AIDS proaram for the COC, admitted that the admlnit tration paid little attention to the emerging epidemic, but blamed It on apathy among the general public. .. The problem is In the later part of '81 and Into '82 we couldn't get anybody Interested In this disease," Dowdle said. "It was practically impossible to get the press Interested In this disease. The medical community felt like It wasn't a real disease. There's a certain amount of conservatism in science and medi cine, people are not just willing to jump, particularly when it might be drug associated or re lated to a certain lifestyle." This last response suggests what Jeffrey Levi, a Washington lobbyist for grass-roots AIDS or ganizations, refers to as an "in stitutional homophobia." Dowdle agreed and added that most people "felt that since this was a disease being reported primarily among gay groups, 'It is not my problem.' Anthony S. Fauci, who is In charge of AIDS research for the National Institutes of Health, ac cepts that "homophobia was a factor" In Washington's response to the epidemic "insofar as It wu, unfortunately, present in the general population. The dis ease didn't at first get the atten tion It deserved to have gotten." A report by the congressional Office of Technolo sse per aps e mos ex aus-1 ve history of the AIDS epidemic thus far, was far more critical of the Reagan adminis tration's early role. "The admin istration did not acknowledge r the need for funds speclfic11ly for AIDS until May 1983," ac cording to the 1985 OT A report. Despite a lick of admlnlatra tlon Interest, Coqn!a did manage to 11loc1te relatively 1111111 amounts to the Centers for Dis ease Control for AIDS research In 1982 and 1983, according to the OTA, "baaed on material prepared by CDC but not offi cially presented to Congress" by the admlnlstratloo. Meaning that the CDC needed the money, sent I request up though Its par ent Public Health Service bu reaucracy and then leaked the request to 1ympathetlc members of Congress. Despite 1dmlnlstratloo resist ance, ConKfea has steadily inmost of his colleagues, he agreed it is far easier for the federal government to spend money for biomedical research than on more controvenial sex educa tion programs. "The good news la spermicide kills the AIDS virus within 80 seconds and It can't penetrate a condom," said UC San Francis co's Levy with more than 1 touch of black humor. "The bad news is we can't get government money to educate people to use the condoms.'' In fact, government at all lev els is currently spending ned to nothing on AIDS educational programs aimed at lite general public. Moat edacation bas oc curred In Ute ~xual comcreased AIDS fundlna and USO munity, wbere It bu beell run million was appropriated for flt-primationsrll_y by ar-roota_ CJl'lan-cal year 1987. lzatioi Fauci believes tbat .. Studies conducted oa lite efnow ample money for z .,. fectlveness of tlloee campaigns cal research and that It la are very encouralinl, with signs spent wisely. "_Right now,._..,. that significant modification of isn't a restramt but hlil seual behavior bu occurred as more breakthroughs In treata result. Education prosrama ment and education, which is of aimed at drug users have been great importance lo preventing less successful; those for the further spread of the disease." general population are virtually He notes that the public apnon-existent. parently has greater faith in the AIDS Project Los Angeles' diability of scientists to come up rector, Paula Van Ness, said, with a vaccine and a "magic hut-"Up until the last year there was let" cure for AIDS than do the almost no money for direct so-scientists working on the probcial services to AIDS patienta," lem. she said. "Our first social work"Tbe vaccine of today is edu-er was not funded by 1overncatlon," Fauci said. And, like ment but by the Episcopal church. Until March of 111841 none of our social service pl'Ograms were subsidized by gov ernment. The funding all came out of the pocket of people In the community who cared. "There hasn't been fundln1 to provide mental health care aer vlces to people with AIDS and their families. We have people who are suicidal, who are alone and scared, whose families have shunned them. whose employen pushed them out of their Johll, whose friends don't call and who are facing a terminal illness without any government help. "The president likes to talk about the public and private sec ton' working In partnership, but damn It, tlte public part has been mlalllng. And it's missing be cause this disease affected mostly gays." Dowdle of the CDC said, "Un til people recognize that AIDS la also a heterosexual problem, It's difficult to generate the same amount of concern as there was for, say, legionnaire's disease." ''There are many people In government circles who have grandchildren or other relatives who have gotten involved with drugs, so that explains the na tional campal~n on that as op posed to A IDS, he added. "They are In the right social strata to be bit hard by cocaine, but they lon't know people affected by .' \IDS.'' Not yet.
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.. :. l I ;! I .I ,-i i i l '' ; I ; l 1 i '' ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH ST. LOUIS, "O DAD.Vt MT 308,279 SATURDAY FEB Z11987 8Ulflf.EU.E'S -/ The~P~wrw--,gon's Polygraphs t (:l',-"\1)' EDITORIAL The Defense Deparf11H!ftlt-w1Mtt!M6 earry out 10,000 polygraph tests a year. Congress has remained unwilling, and if a report on a trial program of lie detector tests for 4,000 department employees carries any weight. Congress will remain unwilling. What the Defense Department seeks is to expand these tests to allow widespread -screening of personnel, rather than limit= ing polygraph tests to people who are un, der suspicion of crimes or security viola-:.. tions. Instead of allowing that, Congress called for a testing of the tests. Now the : congressional Office of Tec.ltnQJ~~Ass.=: DWllJays the pilot program has been con r,c1ucted in a way that makes it impossible to 1~udge the validity of testing to detect lies. The Pentagon responds that of the 4,000 tests, 11 produced "instances of deception" .,'and four indicated espionage, though no~Y bas been charged with spying. ~ 1 Lie detectors record a pe~on's heartbeat. blood pressure and other physical signs of stress, which are not the same as lies. Polygraph operators contend that they can detect a pattern of lying. Many scien tists, however, say that there is no physio logical response that necessarily indicates deception, and that people can be trained to lie to lie detectors In any event, polygraph results are not accepted as evidence in court, for good reason. They can, however, be used for harassment. and even as an excuse to re move employees. Columnist William Satire has written of a case in which an official was dismissed, apparently because of fear be might reveal aspects of the secret Iran Contra arms deal. If that happened, the lie detector was used not to detect a lie but to suppress the truth. Congress should block the Pentagon's grandiose idea of mass polygraphs tests for employees not even suspected of wrongdoing.
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SAH JOSE HERCURV NEUS SAN JOSE, CA DAILY 261,670 THURSDAY FEB 19 1987 BU(J.~FlLFS 619 Polygraphs called inconclusive for screening (,.. d C) ') 1,/ By David Ansley DoalhertY, a ~loglst who Mercu,y Nnn Sdmtt & Medicine Edltur worb for tJie QUI CHICAGO Three years after A--rte$a ljiokea tfieaiiiiual the Defense Department began meetiiigof the American Assoclausing Ile detecton to expose lion for the Advancement of Sci emrloyees leaking leCl'els, there ence. sW ls no evidence that the polyPoly.,..aphs record a subject' graph macblne ls good for such e screening, two psychologists heartbeat, breathing and sweatifll w while the eumlner asks a series of reported ednellday. questions. Some questions are In fact, one said the machine can innocuous controls, intended to be fooled with a little coaching, record the penon's actions when and that If you believe you can they're under no stress. U the sub beat the test, you probably will ject reacts more nervously to more The Defense Department has put probtnc questions, It suggests he or 4,000 employees through threelhe ls under stress and pcmlbly hour eumtnatlons and found four l:,tn1. whom It IUlpfJds of lying about atvtna blformatlon to foreipen, said l'Mllle.~.. a Congret-slonal ....i,at. Bat ._._.. no evtdent-e on how well It WCJl'b for ICl'eelllng peo ple," lhe said, became there's no telllng bow many employees evaded detection. One eltlrriate ls that 2.S million polygraph ezams are conducted annually In the United States, for crime bmltlpUons and for genenl employee ICl'eeblnl-Both the Ametlcan .)fedlcal As9oelatlon and the ~can Psychological Auoclatlon say the machine should not be med for mus screening. Five yean ago, the Department of Defense proposed Just such a me, to eumlne employees apply inl for jobs Involving highly sensi tive lnfonnatlon. Congress asked the Office of Technology Assessment, Its research and analysis agency, to look into the polygraph's mefulness. The reply, according to Dou gherty, was "there was no 1clen tlflc basis for ll" Congress nevertheless permitted the department to start testing. Last year, Congress asked OTA to revislt the question. And a Just-finished study reached tbe same conclusion, Dougherty said: The Defense Department sWJ bas provided no evidence of the test's rellabWty. L Boston Unlvenlty ~bolo.tbt, Leonard Saxe said what s~les .. have been done show that "It ls l'lot able to tell whether a person honest or dishonest." "It's poalble to beat by simple training,'' he said. For instance, by tightening one's sphincter while answering an Innocuous question, a. penon may briefly lncreue per spiration and heart rate. Then similar reactions to the weighted ques-,. tlons won't look 90 suspicious. Sue recently conducted a study that found an even simpler trick. He set up a mock crime stu dent subjecta were given a chance to steal mone, from a desk ud. then divided the 10 pllty ones Into: two ..,. for polygraph eums. ,..._ 1iili .. t the enmlnati~'. wa1 to catch anyone: wen rein.a IDd went undetected. ''11 lllbtem don't believe the test' will catch tllem," Sue concluded, I "100 percent of subjects can avoid appearing deceptive." I
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Polygraph Study Fails, OTA Says 2-Year Test Project 1 By Defense Dept. Is Summarized By R. Jeffrey Smith W"ington l'tl9I Staff Wrfltt CHICAGO, Feb. 18-The congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) has concluded that a two-year effort by the Defense Department to determine the va)ue of widespread polygraph screening produced no useful data, an OTA researcher told scientists assembled here todaf. The experiment "has not been conducted so that Congress will know anything about the validity" of using lie detectors to screen employes for sensitive positions, said Denise Dougherty, a psychological researcher who examined the effort for OTA. In addition, Dougherty said, a Pentagon program of scientific re search on polygraphs ordered by Congress in 1984 "hrut not been started." Dougherty, who spoke at the annual meeting of the American As sociation for the Advaqcement of Science, explained that the goal of the polygraph experiment was to help Congress evaluate the "validity and general utility" of a 1985 DOD proposal to use polygraphs r?utinely. iri interviews of job applrcants. While that i1I a longstanding practice at the Central lntelliRence Agency, and the National Securit:r Aencv. Defense has mainly confif,ed its use of polygraphs to investigations. An earlier OTA report found "no scientific foundation" for the Pen tagon's proposal, but Congress 'agreed to authorize a three-year test of 14,000 employes under consideration for assignment or promotion to sensitive jobs. It also authorized $590,000 for a separate scientific research program. i A polygraph exam, which can last up to 3 hours, mohitors blood ptessure and skin temperature dur~ ing intensive questioning. The goal is to isolate false responses by recording subtle and fleeting phy~iological ,hanges. Roughly 2.5 m1l liori polygraph exa!11s are conduc~ed annually in the Umted States for JQb screening and criminal investigations, according to congressional testimony last year. The Defense Departmeht reported in January that due to a shortage of trained polygraph examiners, only 4,000 exams were actually conducted under the tes! pr?'" gram in 1985 and 1986, a period m which 7,000 were planned. (Ac cording to a study last fall by the General Accounting Office; an additional 13,800 polygraph exams were conducted by the department outside the program in 1985.) In addition, only $100,000 was actually spent, Dougherty said, :' circumstance the Pentagon attri butes to difficulties in hiring officials for its new Polygraph Research Institute in Ft. McClellan, Ala. In its January report to Congress, the Pentagon called the test program a success be~use it result~ in the discovery of inadvertent dis closures by eight people who had earlier access to classified information, as well as discovery of pote~ti11l spying by four others. In add1-tipn, nine candidates either were not hired or were reassigned because they refused to be polygraphed or because the re8ults were Inconclusive. Do~gherty and Leonard Saxe, an associate professor at Boston University who chaired the previous OTA study, criticized the Pentagon for inadequate efforts to verify the accuracy of the tests by checking independently what the "cleared" subjects said during the polygraphs. On the basis of his own studies and his review of the literature Saxe said polygraph tests are "nei~ ther reliable nor valid for protecting national security," partly because those subjected to polygraphs can readily employ deceptive "countermeasures." These include "tightening the sphincter muscle" during key questions, Saxe said, a technique that increases blood pressure and is not readily detected. In general, Saxe said, the polygraph is prone to error whenever the person being examined is skeptical of its effectiveness and therefore is not nervous. No one from the Defense Department participated in the meeting today, but the use of polygraph exams for job screening was defended by NSA General Counsel Elizabeth Rindskopf. "Is the polygraph flaw less?" Rindskopf asked. "Indeed it is no~." But she said that the NSA, which conducts 12,000 polygraph exams a year "f its employes, contractors and job. applicants, was able to "elicit pertinent information."
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THE NEW YORK TIMES, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1987 I' ---,-----t------...,-------------,.,. ,~ ,. ,.,. tReport Faults Pentagon on Polygraph Test Project ~:r:s~n~r;:;:;:~~~gp::i:ic~:::~~I~~ )., ~. ... . such as the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security By JAMES GLEICK tlnue or expand Its experimental pr~ lion of espJonage." No charges have Agency, were specifically exempted 1Jpee1a1 to The New vm Timeo gram for screening of employees been~ In any of the calies the offl from the Congressional restrictions. CHitAGO, Feb. 18 -A pilot prowhich otherwise would ena In bctober.' clal said-' Nationwide, the use of such tests by aram tn wltlch the Department of DeAmid conflicting assertions abo. ut Those r~sponslble for the testing probusinesses and law-enforcement agen tene has J>een using polygraphs to the.ability of polygraptis to catch eJthe gram dlsJjUted the report as mislead cles has grown rapidly to a level estlec~n applicants for sensitive security trained t,ples or untrathed security tng and untiUr saying that the procemated at more than two million a year, clearance has been conducted In a way violators, Congress has so far redures had been designed In consulta even though polygraph results gen that makes It impossible to Judge the malned unwllll'IR to allow the broad uon with the Armed services Commiterally cannot be used as evidence In validity of the testing to detect Iles, acprogram of 10,. f)olygl'aph tests a tees of Congress. They argued that recourt. cording to a draft report requested by ~r that .the Olf~nse .pepartme9t cent espionage cases, Including that In-SclentlS t s have repeatedly quesCon@ress. ; .. wa~ts tp carry C)UI, lNfhe C:ongresslon-volvlng the spy ring of John A. Walker tloned the tests, showing, for example, 1be Defense Department Js seeking ally mandated trlal~rogram, nearly Jr., showed that "Soviet handlers" that people can be trained to defeell to expand Its use. ()f su~ tests 90 as to .4.~ departmental e loyees, all with warned their agents to avoid polygraph them and that the attitude of the e'( lltow widespread screMtng ot persm testing and that the deterrent value amlner can bias the results. A new nel, rather than limiting Its use mainly alone made the scientific controversy 8 study at Boston University described le people who an, already under,suspi-Plans to s-c'reen side Issue. here today found that subjects who did etoll of crimes or security vlola*'1s, as "They're trying to put the cart be not believe In polygraph tests were ln,tlle past. . ,.. ; .. p' ersonne~I ~t' l,,. at fore the horse," Dan L Jacobson, the of!~" able to lie successfully lut Congress, ~ncerl1ed tlbcfut _the a c Defense Department program manSuch tests are going to be correct ,_blllty and p~rlety or such broad ager for the polygrapfl testing said In only when there ls a great deal of other ,Oly9raph screehfng, has tnstetd ,reJSSUe. an Interview. "We're follo~lng a Information already available," said quired the Defense ~artment to steady quality program a step at a Leonard Saxe, an author of the study. evaluate the approach by dhdertaklng ------time.'.' The Pentagon's experimental pro limited, experimental ,,pnwrim of gram tested nearly 4,000 employees tests. : toi)-secret clearanc~li underwent poly-Validity of PolYlraphs seeking Increased security clearance. Jn a highly critb1 lttlatz::tili~ Of~ graph Interrogation ~vet the last two Polygraphs record a persoo's heart Because of a lack of trained polygraph nee of Techtiology A,9eU 1UJ ad-y~rs. beat, blood pressure and other physical operators, the number was far less vlsory arm of congress, tias cor1cluded DerilfJe Dougherty, an analyst with signs In an attempt to read evidence of than the total of 7,000 tests Congress lltat the program has failed to follow the assessment office 1'11o Is an autho tension or stress that can be assoclatecJ had authorized for the last two years. tclentlflc procedute9 necessary for of the report, said at the annual meetwith lying. Scientists have shown that Of the 4,000 tests administered, Just an evsluatlon, according to an auIng of the American Assqclatlon for the no physiological response uniquely In 11 produced "Instances of deception," of the report and officials who Advancement of Stren~ .. he~e today dlcates deception, but those who Ad according to a report on the testing ,-_~ seeh It. The draft report Is under that the trial program provided no way minister polygtaph tests say that a program by the Department of De mie'N 11y the military and by lnde-ot chlkklng how often the polygraphs experienced questioner c:an gauge th fense. Most of these Involved employ-~nt scientists. provided false accus'-tlons against Inoverall pattern with reasonable ac ees who had disclosed classified lnfor--. ; : ....:.......a~ ~.ll t people or failed to catch real de curac:y. matlon to spouses or friends, the report 'me reporps certain to ln~y the ct!pUOl_1. "We Just don't know what The screening program represent said, Six other employees refused to ~ng Mate over the ~Vern-th91fit figures me~" she said. only a small portion of the use of poly submit to the tests and were either Silent u~ .o, ~~y-.graph, or ll~etec 1'fte testing produced four cases that graphs by the Defense Departmen reassigned to le&s sensitive positions or tor, l~ts ... I_ aga\nst espfona1~ ,are now under Investigation, Including More then 25,000 tests were admlnls were simply denied the Increased ~ress ".hill 1 decide this I tear bi1t! crlbed by a Defense l}eparttered In 1985 most of those In specif! clearance. ~er to all'! the military to con-ment official as "without doubt a sltua Incidents of ~uspected crimes, rather But four cates proved serious, ac1 ; 1 cordtff& to the ctepertrnent's figures. All foul' ll(volved. the dblctosure of secret, tnfonnatlon t~ lorel8fl nationals. tbe draft report contends that the pilot progn,m was designed to carry out the screening without verlfyln9 the effectiveness of the polygraph testing. In the meantime, lnl(estlgators con tinue to pursue the four cases turned up by the screening. In the Incident described as probable espionage, the sub ject being Interrogated gradually admitted to speaking with Soviet nation als and finally proved to have disclosed eecrets to a lover who was from the Soviet Union. ____ _,_ __
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MRC TIHES DALLAS, TX ttONTHLV HAR 1987 BtmRELLrC.f Senator Hateh Endorses Home Care Over tht. past several years the A.ARC has worked closely with members of Congress to promou: the henet'its of home health care 011 C:1pitol I/ill. During thut time one of the Associution 's biggest supporters in this area has been Senator Orrin Hatch. (R-UT). The tcJJ/owing comments have been excerpwd lrom Senator Hutch's ke_nwtc address given at the .-\ARC Co11n.:11tio11 held in Du/las last Son:111ber. ''In a climate where cost-control pressures are dictating so many health care decisions, it's incomprehensihle that Congress retuses to alter Medicare and Medicaid reimhurscment policies to include more reimhursement for home health care. It makes no sense to require that patients who could he treated successfully at home remain in an expensive hospital setting simply because Uncle Sam won't pick up the tab for their medical expenses if they're not in a hospital. That's especially true in light of the forecast that the population of people 65 and older is expected to more than dcmble by the year 2020. As you know, senior citizens are the largest consumers of health care -85 percent of them are afflicted by at least one chronic illness. A high percentage of those ailments involve respiratory problems .. That's why the AARC has encouraged Congress to get its head down out of the clouds and face reality -to make some tough decisions. I'm pleased to report we've made some headway. ln the closing days of this Congress, S1249, the Home Respiratory Care Act of 1986, passed as part of the Budget Reconciliation Bill. It allows states the option of providing Medicaid coverage for respiratory patients treated in their own homes. It's a start. But only a start. We have a long way to go to ensure future availability of quality health care at a price Americans can afford. That's why in the last Congress I introduced S1181, legislation that incorporated some of the recommendations of the AARC's report on 'The Health ~eeds of the Elderly' (see story page 68 ). It would have set aside grants of loilOO million annually for a period of three years for home care of senior Americans. Another bill I introduced, SI 79.3, was structured much the same as Sll81, only it applied to technology-dependent children. Under current law, parents who want their children treated at home have to cut through a jungle of bureaucratic red tape. And, as is the case with many of our federal programs, an independent waiver of Medicare policy is often slow in coming. But the legislation I introduced would set up an independent grant of S20 million for the purpose of providing home care for technology-dependent children. Now, in my book, that in itself justifies the passage of S1793. But the bill contains another important provision it calls for an OT A study that would statistica1restablish the cost-effectiveness of home health care. If passed, the study would be only one of several being conducted -five are currently authorized under the 198..1 Orphan Drug Act. These combined studies should soon provide documented e\idence that substantiates the cost-effectiveness of home health care. That may sound pretty optimistic. hut I don't think it takes a genius to recognize the financial as well as psychological advantages of caring for a patient in his own home when it's medically feasible. Borne health care is the kind of common sense reform we need to allow us to get more health resources to more people. It cuts down on the need for expensive acute care resources it cuts costs -and most important. it helps people feel better."
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.,: ; 5 =-Future Directions for Information Technology Policy By Dr. John H. Gibbons, Director. Office of Techn~!o.gy Assessment, United States Congress Because information and communications tech nologies have political and social as well as eco nomic significance. governments have always had to attend to the policy issues engendered by them. Fully appreciating their revolutionary po tential. for example. the Chinese Emperor in 213 B. C. burned all the books in his kingdom and buried alive every scholar he suspected of having memorized them. In counterpoint, governments have also fostered the development and deployment of information technologies. believing them to be critical to social and economic growth and national security. In sixteenth-century Europe. for exam ple. where printing was viewed as the growth industry of the times. nations competed to grant patents to foreign prmters in the hopes that with such inducements immigrant printers would set up industries in their lands. In the United States. too. government has taken an active interest in the development of information and communication technologies. The Founding Fathers believed that these technologies were necessary tools for nation-building. They looked to them to establish communication links; to develop a unified. competitive market; to forge and sustain a common culture; and to build a democratic polity. Recognizing that government might have reason to influence the development and use of these technologies. they provided a Constitutional basis for such a role. Accordingly. the U.S. Constitution not only requires Congress to protect First Amendment rights; it also empow ers Congress to regulate interstate trade. grant intellectual property rights and establish post of fices and postal roads. It 1s precisely because the new technologies loom so large that they give rise to many critical new policy i~sues: whether to use the new technologies to monitor data about people s activities. for purposes of achieving efficiency or preventing fraud. when the public s right to privacy is at stake; how to assure equal opportunity. given the impact of technology on educational institutions and on the nature of literacy; how 10 define government's role in the area of research and devel;pment. given the Joint inter est of academia. industry and the government in information technologies; how to maintain academic freedom. given the role of the new technologies in national de fense; and how to define the role of government in providing the communications infrastructure for an information age. The dividing lines between information and communications businesses and markets are also breaking down. It is now commonplace. for ex ample. to find a large media conglomerate involved simultaneously in the production of books, vi deos. television. teletext. videotext. computer software and assorted databases. And this same conglomerate might also own a range of media. such as movie theaters. television stations. cable companies and satellite networks. Moreover. just as technologies and markets are converging. so too are policy areas and policy issues becoming Joined. making it all the more difficult to sustain a diversified approach to infor mation technology policy. With the electronic distribution of information. for example, the notions of what constitutes intellectual property and of what constitutes mass media are radically changing. and intellectual property issues and telecommunications issues are beginning to look the same. The pursuit of a diversified approach to information technology policy is also made more difficult by the fact that the new technologies are now so powerful. pervasive and prominent in our lives. They have become ess~ntial to the economy. critical to the national defense. and the new information and communications technologies can also be used to enhance the political, social and cultural aspects of individuals lives. To take best advantage of such potential, government will have to adopt a more comprehen sive approach to information technology policy. For as we have seen. information and communi cation technologies have converged and now permeate our lives. creating a whole new set of interrelated issues to be resolved. What is needed in this new context is not a series of independent information technology policies but rather an overall information policy. a policy that will take into account the multitude of changes that the new technologies have wrought. What is needed is an information policy that recognizes that. in an information age. policy decisions about infor mation technologies are not simply deci sions about technology. Given the impact of these technologies on society. they are rather decisions about the nature of society itself. John H. Gibbons -
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