When the Advisory Committee began work in April 1994 we were charged with determining whether the radiation experiments design and administration adequately met the ethical and scientific standards, including standards of informed consent, that prevailed at the time of the experiments and that exist today and also to determine the ethical and scientific standards and criteria by which it shall evaluate human radiation experiments. Although this charge seems straightforward, it is in fact difficult to determine what the appropriate standards should be for evaluating the conduct and policies of thirty or fifty years ago. First, we needed to determine the extent to which the standards of that time are similar to the standards of today. To the extent that there were differences we needed to determine the relative roles of each in making moral evaluations. In Chapter 1 we report what we have been able to reconstruct about government rules and policies in the 1940s and 1950s regarding human experiments. We focus primarily on the Atomic Energy Commission and the Department of Defense. In Chapter 2 we turn from a consideration of government standards to an exploration of the norms and practices of physicians and medical scientists who conducted research …

This frankly personal account is based on my involvement in negotiations, design, and development for international bibliographic systems to support three different missions: fostering the peaceful uses of atomic energy (International Nuclear Information System, or INIS); supporting research, development, and better practices in agriculture (International Information System for the Agricultural Sciences and Technology, or AGRIS); and improving economic and social conditions in poorer countries (Development Sciences Information System, or DEVSIS). All three designs were based on the concept of decentralized operation: each country reports the information produced in its own territory; the merging of this input and the overall management are in the hands of an organization in the United Nations system; and all participants have equal rights to exploit the entire database. INIS began in 1970 and is still in steady operation; AGRIS started in 1975 and showed quantitative and qualitative growth for more than twenty years but has been in disastrous decline since its peak in 1996; and DEVSIS, unfortunately, was not launched on a global scale. Attempts are made to identify the condition -- political and technical -- likely to favor or frustrate efforts to obtain cooperation among countries for the construction of large, essentially comprehensive databases …

In an age of citizen distrust of government and intense NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) activity when waste management facilities are proposed, the potential of citizen advisory groups (CAGs) to aid the decision-making process is worth exploring. This paper reviews findings from case studies by the author and others to assess the various purposes, pitfalls, advantages and outcomes of CAGs in influencing decisions about controversial waste management actions and facilities. Advantages and disadvantages of the CAG are evaluated as one of several public participation mechanisms. We outline ways in which CAGs can aid the waste management decision process and develop minimum requirements for the successful functioning of citizen advisory groups in decision processes with significant technical components, such as those involving nuclear and hazardous wastes. 18 refs., 1 tab.

This is a study of Citizen Advisory Boards (CABS) undertaken for the Department of Energy (DOE) to draw practical insights from the accumulated experience of CAB members and agency officials who have worked with these boards over many years. Hence the main research tool is in-depth interviews of these individuals. In addition, the study relies on field observations of CABs at work, historical documentation of individual boards, and a large body of academic, professional, and government literature. The DOE is in the process of establishing Site Specific Advisory Boards (SSABs) at most of its major facilities in order to provide for community involvement in the DOE environmental restoration and environmental management programs, but these boards initiated by DOE do not yet have enough of a track-record for a study of this type. Consequently, the study focused on CABs at six other federal agencies which have had substantial experience with boards that are similar in composition and purpose to the SSABs. The study examined common problem that confront virtually every CAB in its organization and its decision-making process. For example, each board faces difficult issues in defining its goals and representational responsibilities, selection of members, selection of issues, reaching agreement on …

Each utility licensee for a nuclear power reactor is required to minimize the adverse effects from an accidental radionuclide release into the atmosphere. In the past the ability to forecast quantitatively the extent of the hazard from such a release has been limited. Now powerful atmospheric modeling techniques are available to assist nuclear reactor site officials with greatly improved assessments. Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLL) has developed a prototype system called the Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability (ARAC) which is designed to integrate the modeling with advanced sensors, data handling techniques, and weather data in order to provide timely, usable advisories to the site officials. The purpose of this project is to examine the ways and means of adapting ARAC for application to many nuclear power reactors widely dispersed across the nation. The project will emphasize the management aspects, including government-industry relationships, technology transfer, organizational structure, staffing, implementing procedures, and costs. Benefits and costs for several alternative systems will be compared. The results will be reviewed and evaluated by the management and staff of the ARAC project at LLL and also by selected staff members of the sponsoring government agency.

This report contains reports prepared for the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board Task Force on Radioactive Waste Management, from experts in the United States. The contents of the report focus mainly on public opinion, and government policies as perceived by the public.

This reports contains documentation of presentations given at the United States of America Department of Energy Environmental Management Advisory Committee Public Meeting held December 14--15, 1993 in Alexandria, Virginia.

This report is a transcript of the public hearing of the US DOE Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Advisory Committee held in Golden, Colorado June 16--18, 1993.

`LLW Notes` is distributed by Afton Associates, Inc. to Low-Level Radioactive Waste Forum Participants and other state, and compact officials identified by those Participants to receive `LLW Notes`. The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Forum (LLW Forum) is an association of state and compact representatives, appointed by governors and compact commissions, established to facilitate state and compact implementation of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980 and the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985 and to promote the objectives of low-level radioactive waste regional compacts. The LLW Forum provides an opportunity for state and compact officials to share information with one another and to exchange views with officials of federal agencies and other interested parties.

This report has highlighted many of the possible fundamental research areas that will help our country avoid a future energy crisis. The report may not have adequately captured the atmosphere of concern that permeated the discussions at the workshop. The difficulties facing our nation and the world in meeting our energy needs over the next several decades are very challenging. It was generally felt that traditional solutions and approaches will not solve the total energy problem. Knowledge that does not exist must be obtained to address both the quantity of energy needed to increase the standard of living world-wide and the quality of energy generation needed to preserve the environment. In terms of investments, it was clear that there is no single research area that will secure the future energy supply. A diverse range of economic energy sources will be required--and a broad range of fundamental research is needed to enable these. Many of the issues fall into the traditional materials and chemical sciences research areas, but with specific emphasis on understanding mechanisms, energy related phenomena, and pursuing novel directions in, for example, nanoscience and integrated modeling. An important result from the discussions, which is hopefully apparent from the brief …

`LLW Notes` is distributed by Afton Associates, Inc. to Low-Level Radioactive Waste Forum Participants and other state and compact officials identified by those Participants to receive `LLW Notes`. The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Forum (LLW Forum) is an association of state and compact representatives, appointed by governors and compact commissions, established to facilitate state and compact implementation of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980 and the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985 and to promote the objectives of low-level radioactive waste regional compacts. The LLW Forum provides an opportunity for state and compact officials to share information with one another and to exchange views with officials of federal agencies and other interested parties.

The Northeast states face several near-term barriers to the expanded use of biomass energy. Informational and technical barriers have impeded industrial conversions, delaying the development of a wood energy supply infrastructure. Concern over the environmental impacts on resources are not well understood. Public awareness and concern about safety issues surrounding wood energy use has also grown to the point of applying a brake to the trend of increases in residential applications of biomass energy. In addition, many residential commercial, industrial, and commercial energy users are discouraged from using biomass energy because of the convenience factor. Regardless of the potential for cost savings, biomass energy sources, aside from being perceived as more esoteric, are also viewed as more work for the user. The Northeast Regional biomass Program (NRBP) is designed to help the eleven Northeastern states overcome these obstacles and achieve their biomass energy potentials. The objective of this program in the current and future years is to increase the role of biomass fuels in the region`s energy mix by providing the impetus for states and the private sector to develop a viable Northeast biomass fuels market. This paper contains a management report, state program summaries, technical project status report, and …

`LLW Notes` is distributed by Afton Associates, Inc. to Low-Level Radioactive Waste Forum Participants and other state, and compact officials identified by those Participants to receive LLW Notes. The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Forum (LLW Forum) is an association of state and compact representatives, appointed by governors and compact commissions, established to facilitate state and compact implementation of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980 and the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy amendments Act of 1985 and to promote the objectives of low-level radioactive waste regional compacts. The LLW Forum provides an opportunity for state and compact officials to share information with one another and to exchange views with officials of federal agencies and other interested parties.

The role of responding to emergencies at nuclear power plants is often considered the responsibility of the personnel onsite. This is true for most, if not all, of the incidents that may happen during the course of the plant`s operating lifetime. There is however, the possibility of a major accident occurring at anytime. Major nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island have taught their respective countries and communities a significant lesson in local emergency preparedness and response. Through these accidents, the rest of the world can also learn a great deal about planning, preparing and responding to the emergencies unique to nuclear power. This bibliography contains books, journal articles, conference papers and government reports on emergency response to nuclear power plant accidents. It does not contain citations for ``onsite`` response or planning, nor does it cover the areas of radiation releases from transportation accidents. The compiler has attempted to bring together a sampling of the world`s collective written experience on dealing with nuclear reactor accidents on the sate, local and community levels. Since the accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, that written experience has grown enormously.

This third biennial Report of the Nevada Commission on Nuclear Projects has been prepared in fulfillment of the requirements of NRS 459.0092, which stipulates that the Commission shall report to the Governor and Legislature on any matter relating to radioactive waste disposal the Commission deems appropriate and advise and make recommendations on the policy of the State concerning nuclear waste disposal projects. Chapter One of the Report presents a brief overview of the Commission`s functions and statutory charges. It also contains a summary of developments which have affected the overall nuclear waste disposl issue since the last Commission Report was published in November, 1988. Chapter Two contains a synthesis of Commission activities and reports on the findings of the Commission relative to the geotechnical, environmental, socioeconomic, transportation, intergovernmental and legal aspects of federal and State nuclear waste program efforts.

This report is a compilation of Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) resource documents prepared to provide the technical basis for the US contribution to the International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Evaluation. The eight separate parts deal with the alternative fast breeder reactor fuel cycles in terms of energy demand, resource base, technical potential and current status, safety, proliferation resistance, deployment, and nuclear safeguards. An Annex compares the cost of decommissioning light-water and fast breeder reactors. Separate abstracts are included for each of the parts.

The major accomplishment of the past year in the Roundtable`s continuing work on issues of concern to the academic enterprise is the preparation of two documents - Science and Technology in the Academic Enterprise: Status, Trends, and Issues and Perspectives on Financing Academic Research Facilities: A Resource for Policy Formulation. The significance of these two publications is that they both organize a large amount of complex and often controversial material in a way that is useful for further discussions and, in some cases, action by the government and higher education communities. The test for the Roundtable now is whether it can stimulate these follow-on activities. The model in this regard is the Federal Demonstration Project, where the Roundtable stimulated specific government-university joint actions in streamlining research grant administration. All of these activities are described below in greater detail.

For nearly 20 years, biosphere reserves have offered a unique framework for building the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems. The 12 case studies in this volume chronicle many of the cooperative efforts to implement the biosphere reserve concept in the United States. Considered together, these efforts involve more than 20 types of protected areas, and the participation of all levels of government, and many private organizations, academic institutions, citizens groups, and individuals. Biosphere reserves are multi-purpose areas that are nominated by the national committee of the Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB) and designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to serve as demonstration areas for cooperation in building harmonious relationships between human activities and the conservation of ecosystems and biological diversity. Each biosphere reserve exemplifies the characteristic ecosystems of one of the worlds biogeographical regions. It is a land or coas%arine area involving human communities as integral components and including resources managed for objectives ranging from complete protection to intensive, yet sustainable development. A biosphere reserve is envisioned as a regional ''landscape for learning'' in which monitoring, research, education, and training are encouraged to support sustainable conservation of …

None

An investigation was conducted by the Environmental Planning Group, Inc., to provide an overview of the structure of government environmental and energy programs in the Russian Federation. The investigation was undertaken to provide a baseline of information to the US Department of Energy (DOE), so that technologies applicable to DOE environmental restoration and monitoring programs can be identified, tested, and transferred. Data for the report were collected through a network of Russian and American sources knowledgeable about environmental and energy programs in the Russian Federation. Sources of information included both US and Russian government personnel, nongovernmental organizations, private consultants, and experts from the academic and scientific communities. The peculiarities of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) remain prevalent in the structure of the Newly Independent States, especially in Russia. The legacy of communism is visible in all aspects of society, most particularly in the extreme environmental degradation that has resulted from careless central planning and policies of forced industrialization. Reforms initiated under Mikhail Gorbachev during the period of Perestroika were aimed at shifting power from the party to the respective government organs. In 1992 the Commonwealth of Independent States was created, joining 11 of the 15 republics into a …

Examines the successes and difficulties that Denver, CO, and Austin, TX , experienced implementing citywide energy plans.

This document reports on the results of a peer review and evaluation of studies made of potential uses of assets from the terminated Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) project. These project definition studies focused on nine areas of use of major assets and facilities at the SSC site near Waxahachie, Texas. The studies were undertaken as part of the effort to maximize the value of the investment made in the SSC and were supported by two sets of grants, one to the Texas National Research Laboratory Commission (TNRLC) and the second to various universities and other institutions for studies of ideas raised by a public call for expressions of interest. The Settlement Agreement, recently signed by the Department of Energy (DOE) and TNRLC, provides for a division of SSC property. As part of the goal of maximizing the value of the SSC investment, the findings contained in this report are thus addressed to officials in both the Department and TNRLC. In addition, this review had several other goals: to provide constructive feedback to those doing the studies; to judge the benefits and feasibility (including funding prospects) of the projects studied; and to help worthy projects become reality by matching projects with …

This document reports on the results of a peer review and evaluation of studies made of potential uses of assets from the terminated Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) project. These project definition studies focused on nine areas of use of major assets and facilities at the SSC site near Waxahachie, Texas. The studies were undertaken as part of the effort to maximize the value of the investment made in the SSC and were supported by two sets of grants, one to the Texas National Research Laboratory Commission (TNRLC) and the second to various universities and other institutions for studies of ideas raised by a public call for expressions of interest. The Settlement Agreement, recently signed by the Department of Energy (DOE) and TNRLC, provides for a division of SSC property. As part of the goal of maximizing the value of the SSC investment, the findings contained in this report are thus addressed to officials in both the Department and TNRLC. In addition, this review had several other goals: to provide constructive feedback to those doing the studies; to judge the benefits and feasibility (including funding prospects) of the projects studied; and to help worthy projects become reality by matching projects with …

In July 1994, the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), under a contract from U.S. Department of Energy`s (DOE) Environment Management Office of Science and Technology (OST, EM-50) published a report entitled {open_quotes}Integrated Thermal Treatment System Study - Phase 1 Results{close_quotes} (EGG-MS-11211). This report was the culmination of over a year of analysis involving scientists and engineers within the DOE complex and from private industry. The purpose of that study was {open_quotes}to conduct a systematic engineering evaluation of a variety of mixed low level waste (MLLW) treatment system alternatives.{close_quotes} The study also {open_quotes}identified the research and development, demonstrations, and testing and evaluation needed to assure unit operability in the most promising alternative system.{close_quotes} This study evaluated ten primary thermal treatment technologies, organized into complete {open_quotes}cradle-to-grave{close_quotes} systems (including complete engineering flow sheets), to treat DOE MLLW and calculated mass balances and 20-year total life cycle costs (TLCC) for all systems. The waste input used was a representative heterogenous mixture of typical DOE MLLW. An additional study was conducted, and then, based on response to these studies, additional work was started to investigate and evaluate non-thermal treatment options on a footing comparable to the effort devoted to thermal options. This report attempts to …