This report discusses policy issues raised by Beck, and tracks legislation on the use of union dues for political activities that has come before the 105th Congress.

This document provides estimates of the volume of sludge (1) expected from Integrated Process Strategy (IPS) processing of the fuel elements and (2) in the fuel storage canisters in K West Basin. The original estimates were based on visual observations of fuel element condition in the basin and laboratory measurements of KE canister sludge density. Revision 1 revised the volume estimates of sludge based on additional data from evaluations of material from the KW Basin fuel subsurface examinations and KW canister sludge characterization data. A nominal Working Estimate and an upper level Working Bound is developed for the canister sludge and the fuel wash sludge components in the KW Basin.

This document provides estimates of the volume of sludge expected from Integrated Process Strategy (IPS) processing of the fuel elements and in the fuel storage canisters in K East Basin. The original estimates were based on visual observations of fuel element condition in the basin and laboratory measurements of canister sludge density. Revision 1 revised the volume estimates of sludge from processing of the fuel elements based on additional data from evaluations of material from the KE Basin fuel subsurface examinations. A nominal Working Estimate and an upper level Working Bound is developed for the canister sludge and the fuel wash sludge components in the KE Basin.

This Specific Test and Evaluation Plan (STEP) defines the test and evaluation activities encompassing the upgrade of the 241-AY-0IA Pump Pit for the W-314 Project. The purpose of this Specific Test and Evaluation Plan (STEP) is to provide a detailed written plan for the systematic testing of modifications made to the 241-AY-01A Pump Pit by the W-314 Project. The STEP develops the outline for test procedures that verify the system`s performance to the established Project design criteria. The STEP is a lower tier document based on the W-314 Test and Evaluation Plan (TEP).

Revisions to the waste transfer system piping to be implemented by Project W-314 will eliminate the need to access a majority of interfarm jumper connections associated with specific process pits. Additionally, connections that formerly facilitated waste transfers from the Plutonium-Uranium Extraction (PUREX) Plant are no longer required. This document identified unneeded process pit jumper connections, describes former designated routing, denotes current status (i.e., open or blanked), and recommends appropriate disposition for all. Blanking of identified nozzles should be accomplished by Project W-314 upon installation of jumpers and acceptance by Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Tank Farm Operations.

This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year.It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education. It summarizes the current legislative status of the bill, its scope, its major issues, funding levels, and related legislative activity.

The 105 Congress has been active on issues involving China. This report, which will be updated as developments occur, tracks pending human rights legislation, including bills concerning: prison conditions and prison labor exports; coercive abortion practices; China’s policies toward religion; and more general human rights issues.

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This Specific Test and Evaluation Plan (STEP) defines the test and evaluation activities encompassing the upgrade of the 241-AY-02A Pump Pit for the W-314 Project. The purpose of this Specific Test and Evaluation Plan (STEP) is to provide a detailed written plan for the systematic testing of modifications made to the 241-AY-02A Pump Pit by the W-314 Project. The STEP develops the outline for test procedures that verify the system`s performance to the established Project design criteria. The STEP is a lower tier document based on the W-314 Test and Evaluation Plan (TEP).

The scope of this Design Requirements Document (DRD) is to identify the functions and associated requirements that must be performed to accept, transport, handle, and store immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW) produced by the privatized Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) treatment contractors. The functional and performance requirements in this document provide the basis for the conceptual design of the TWRS ILAW Interim Storage facility project and provides traceability from the program level requirements to the project design activity. Technical and programmatic risk associated with the TWRS planning basis are discussed in the Tank Waste Remediation System Decisions and Risk Assessment (Johnson 1994). The design requirements provided in this document will be augmented by additional detailed design data documented by the project.

This Specific Test and Evaluation Plan (STEP) defines the test and evaluation activities encompassing the installation of the SN-635 transfer line for the W-314 Project. The purpose of this Specific Test and Evaluation Plan (STEP) is to provide a detailed written plan for the systematic testing of modifications made by the addition of the SN-635 transfer line and the tie in of SN-633 to the AY-02A pit by the W-314 Project. The STEP develops the outline for test procedures that verify the system`s performance to the established Project design criteria. The STEP is a lower tier document based on the W-314 Test and Evaluation Plan (TEP).

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Contract Reform Initiative in 1994 in order to improve the effectiveness and effkiency of managing major projects and programs. The intent of this initiative is to help DOE harness both technical and market forces to reduce the overall cost of accomplishing DOE's program goals. The new approach transfers greater risk to private contractors in order to develop incentives that align contractor performance with DOE's objectives. In some cases, this goal can be achieved through public-private partnerships wherein the govermhent and the contractor share risks associated with a project in a way that optimizes its economics. Generally, this requires that project risks are allocated to the party best equipped to manage and/or underwrite them. While the merits of privatization are well documented, the question of how privatized services should be financed is often debated. Given the cost of private sector equity and debt, it is difficult to ignore the lure of the government's "risk free" cost of capital. However, the source of financing for a project is an integral part of its overall risk allocation, and therefore, participation by the government as a financing source could alter the allocation of risks in the …

This document is the analytical laboratory report for tank 241-TX-118 push mode core segments collected between April 1, 1998 and April 13, 1998. The segments were subsampled and analyzed in accordance with the Tank 241-TX-118 Push Mode Core sampling and Analysis Plan (TSAP) (Benar, 1997), the Safety Screening Data Quality Objective (DQO) (Dukelow, et al., 1995), the Data Quality Objective to Support Resolution of the Organic Complexant Safety Issue (Organic DQO) (Turner, et al, 1995) and the Historical Model Evaluation Data Requirements (Historical DQO) (Sipson, et al., 1995). The analytical results are included in the data summary table (Table 1). None of the samples submitted for Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) exceeded notification limits as stated in the TSAP (Benar, 1997). One sample exceeded the Total Alpha Activity (AT) analysis notification limit of 38.4{micro}Ci/g (based on a bulk density of 1.6), core 236 segment 1 lower half solids (S98T001524). Appropriate notifications were made. Plutonium 239/240 analysis was requested as a secondary analysis. The statistical results of the 95% confidence interval on the mean calculations are provided by the Tank Waste Remediation Systems Technical Basis Group in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (Schreiber, 1997) and are …

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This report discusses in general terms the basic process and time line for banking industry acquisitions and mergers and briefly discusses the May 4, 1998 application by Travelers Group to merge with Citicorp.

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This report considers the agricultural funding allocated in the FY1998 supplemental appropriations bill.

A letter from Margie Desiderato to Julie Anne Abel about all expenses incurred in the printing of the final National Center for Art Museum/School Collaborations financial report between October 1, 1997 and December 31,1997. Attached is a summary of the expenses in the fiscal year 1998, and an email sent to request it.

This report provides background information on the repeal of section 1706 of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, and the possible outcomes of the repeal, otherwise known as S.1924.

This study was undertaken in order to improve understanding of several aspects of the NO-carbon reaction. This reaction is of practical importance in combustion systems, but its close examination also provides some fundamental insight into oxidizing gas-carbon reactions. As part of this study, a comprehensive literature review of earlier work on this reaction has been published (Aarna and Suuberg, Fuel, 1997, 76, 475-491). It has been thought for some time that the kinetics of the NO-carbon reaction are unusual, in that they often show a two-regime Arrhenius behavior. It has, however, turned out during this work that NO is not alone in this regard. In this laboratory, we also uncovered evidence of two kinetic regime behavior in CO{sub 2} gasification. In another laboratory, a former colleague has identified the same behavior in N{sub 2}O. The low temperature reaction regime always shows an activation energy which is lower than that in the high temperature regime, leaving little doubt that a shift in mechanism, as opposed to transport limitations, dictates the behavior. The activation energy of the low temperature regime of these reactions is typically less than 100 kJ/mol, and the activation energy of the high temperature regime is generally considerably in …

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has been conducting a comprehensive program to quantify and assess the air quality impacts of the emissions of ozone precursors, air toxins, and greenhouse gases from alternative fuel vehicles. This program includes both an emissions estimation component and a photochemical modeling component to study three fuels: reformulated gasoline, compressed natural gas, and 85% methanol (M85). This report describes the use of the CALGRID model in the Los Angeles modeling domain using the State-Wide Air Pollution Research Center (SAPRC90) chemical mechanism and an early version of the SAPRC93 mechanism. A variety of conclusions can be drawn from the results of this study, including results from chemical mechanism testing; development of meteorological inputs; model evaluation and comparison; and the analyses of the impacts of the emissions scenarios. The report summarizes the study's major findings in these areas.

This report is intended to provide a brief overview of the various potential restrictions, rules or regulations upon lobbying activities of non-profit organizations.

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