This report provides information about The Introduction of Congressional Appropriations Process. Congress has developed certain rules and practices for the consideration of appropriate measures, referred to as Congressional Appropriations Process.

The Rotary Mode Core Sampling Trucks (RMCSTs) currently use a footclamp that utilizes a wedge design to secure the drill string. On June 18, 1998, a problem occurred while core sampling operations were being conducted. Approximately 28 ft. of drill string was inadvertently dropped into tank 241-SX-102. The root cause of this occurrence was determined to be inadequate or defective design of the footclamp being used. The footclamp in use during this occurrence relied on a wedge-type design that gripped the drill string tighter as the weight of the drill string was increased. The MAXIDRILL Model 3030 Footclamp does not rely on a wedge effect to hold the drill string; it uses spring force to engage the jaws with the drill string. The use of the MAXIDRILL Model 3030 Footclamp should eliminate any further problems of this nature and allow corrective action 2 in section 26 of the related occurrence report (RT-PHMC-TANKFARM-1998-0064) to be completed. Modifications of the base of the MAXIDRILL Model 3030 Footclamp are necessary to decrease the possibility of an injury due to the exposed jaws. Also, the plan for sampling tank 241-2-361 calls for a footclamp that will allow for total containment when the footclamp is …

We report new direct measurements of the Z{sup 0}-lepton coupling asymmetry parameters A{sub e}, A{sub {mu}} and A{sub r}, with polarized Z{sup 0}'s collected by the SLD detector at the SLAC Linear Collider. The parameters are extracted from the measurement of the left-right-forward-backward asymmetries for each lepton species. The 1996, 1997 and 1998 SLD runs are included in this analysis and combined with published data from the 1993-95 runs. Preliminary results are A{sub e} = 0.1558 {+-} 0.0064, A{sub {mu}} = 0.137 {+-} 0.016 and A{sub {tau}} = 0.142 {+-} 0.016. If lepton universality is assumed, a combined asymmetry parameter A{sub l} = 0.1523 {+-} 0.0057 results. This translates into an effective weak mixing angle sin{sup 2} {theta}{sub W}{sup eff} = 0.23085 {+-} 0.00073 at the Z{sup 0} resonance.

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For about four decades, radioactive wastes have been collected and calcined from nuclear fuels reprocessing at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC), formerly Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP). Over this time span, secondary radioactive wastes have also been collected and stored as liquid from decontamination, laboratory activities, and fuel-storage activities. These liquid wastes are collectively called sodium-bearing wastes (SBW). About 5.7 million liters of these wastes are temporarily stored in stainless steel tanks at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Vitrification is being considered as an immobilization step for SBW with a number of treatment and disposal options. A systematic study was undertaken to develop a glass composition to demonstrate direct vitrification of INEEL's SBW. The objectives of this study were to show the feasibility of SBW vitrification, not a development of an optimum formulation. The waste composition is relatively high in sodium, aluminum, and sulfur. A specific composition and glass property restrictions, discussed in Section 2, were used as a basis for the development. Calculations based on first-order expansions of selected glass properties in composition and some general tenets of glass chemistry led to an additive (fit) composition (68.69 mass % SiO{sub 2}, 14.26 mass% …

The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) amended the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, governing U.S. registration, sale, and use of pesticide products, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, under which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets allowable pesticide residue levels for food (tolerances). The FQPA directs EPA to ensure a "reasonable certainty of no harm" due to pesticide exposure and requires reevaluation of 33% of existing tolerances against this new safety standard by August 1999, 66% by August 2002, and 100% by August 2006. The Act direct

The 6th International Conference on Biophysics and Synchrotron Rdiation was held at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, from August 4-8, 1998, with pre-conference activities on August 3. Over 300 attendees and 65 presenters participated in the conference that was collaboratively hosted by the University of Chicago, Center for Advanced Radiation Sources and the Advanced Photon Source.

This document is the final report for tank 241-U-102 grab samples. Five grab samples were collected from riser 13 on May 26, 1999 and received by the 222-S laboratory on May 26 and May 27, 1999. Samples 2U-99-3 and 2U-99-4 were submitted to the Process Chemistry Laboratory for special studies. Samples 2U-99-1, 2U-99-2 and 2U-99-5 were submitted to the laboratory for analyses. Analyses were performed in accordance with the Compatibility Grab Sampling and Analysis Plan for Fiscal year 1999 (TSAP) (Sasaki, 1999) and the Data Quality Objectives for Tank Farms Waste Compatibility Program (DQO) (Fowler 1995, Mulkey and Miller 1998). The analytical results are presented in the data summary report. None of the subsamples submitted for differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), total organic carbon (TOC) and plutonium 239 (Pu239) analyses exceeded the notification limits as stated in TSAP.

Underground storage tanks made of mild steel are used to contain radioactive waste generated by plutonium production at the Hanford Site. Corrosion of the walls of these tanks is a major issue. Corrosion-related failure of waste tank walls could lead to the leakage of radioactive contaminants to the soil and groundwater. It is essential to monitor corrosion conditions of the tank walls to determine tank integrity and ensure safe waste storage until retrieval and final waste disposal can be accomplished. Corrosion monitoring/control is currently provided at the Hanford Site through a waste chemistry sampling and analysis program. In this process, tank waste is sampled, analyzed and compared to a selection of laboratory exposures of coupons in simulated waste. Tank wall corrosion is inferred by matching measured tank chemistries to the results of the laboratory simulant testing. This method is expensive, time consuming, and does not yield real-time data. A project to improve the Hanford Site's corrosion monitoring strategy was started in 1995.

This report discusses the primary steps for drafting a bill in the House. Ideas and recommendations for legislation may come from private sources, such as ordinary citizens or interest groups; executive branch agencies and the White House; state and local initiatives; and, of course, individual Members, committees and other work groups, and party and chamber leaders. Any or all of these entities may also participate in drafting legislation (resolutions as well as bills).

This report describes the annual appropriations cycle from the President’s submission of his annual budget through enactment of the appropriations measures. It describes the three types of appropriations measures—regular appropriations bills, continuing resolutions, and supplemental bills. It explains the spending ceilings for appropriations bills that are associated with the budget resolution and the sequestration process, including a description of the mechanisms used to enforce the ceilings. It also explains the authorization appropriations process, which prohibits certain provisions in some of the appropriations bills.