Materials from an OTA Senior Management Retreat including memoranda, summaries, and discussion points for previous or upcoming studies and programs. The retreat was held from November 12-14, 1986.

This report includes statements by the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the board, TAAC Chairman, and the director of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). The report discusses the year in review regarding the work in progress, organization and operations of OTA.

An assessment by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that "analyzes the scientific, regulatory, economic, legal, and ethical considerations involved in alternative technologies in biomedical and behavioral research, toxicity testing, and education" (p. iii).

A background paper by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that "outlines how data can be used in maintaining biological diversity: describes primarily the Federal institutions that collect biological data; provides an overview of existing Federal biological databases; discusses technical aspects of collecting, storing, and retrieving biological data; and suggests ways to improve biological databases so that they can be better used to help maintain diversity of this Nation's plant and animal life" (Preface).

A background paper by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) over the mental health problems of children and adolescents and the need for appropriateness of mental health services.

This report is an assessment of health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives who are eligible for medical and health-related services from the Federal Government. The Federal agency that is responsible for providing these services is the Indian Health Service (IHS), a component of the Public Health Service (PHS) in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

This report examines the impact of recent and anticipated advances in communication and information technologies on the intellectual property system. It focuses primarily on the Federal copyright system, and on the continuing effectiveness of copyright law as a policy tool in the light of technologies such as audioand videorecorders, computer programs, electronic databases, and telecommunications networks.

The report addresses five major areas: 1) management of information technology, including strategic planning, innovation, procurement, and the information resources management (IRM) concept; 2) information systems security and computer crime; 3) information technology and decision support; 4) management of government information dissemination; and 5) opportunities for using information technology in conducting congressional oversight.

A report on fuel cell technology is one of the most promising of the new electric power technologies currently undergoing development. Fuel cell power systems have attracted attention because of their potential for high efficiency, low emissions, flexible use of fuels, and quietness. The Federal Government and the private sector have been funding fuel cell R&D for more than 20 years. The state-of-the-art has advanced to the point that fuel cell manufacturers hope to begin marketing fuel cells in just a few years. Full-scale demonstration plants are currently being designed.

This background paper describes the current state of research and development in microelectronics by examining the range of R&D efforts and the sources of Federal and private support for R&D. It also presents potential policy concerns that stem from existing arrangements for direct Federal support and from changes underway in microelectronics R&D.

This memorandum is part of a larger assessment which will address the impact of advanced structural materials on the competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing sector, and offer policy options for accelerating the commercial utilization of these materials.

A report on the primary purpose of this report is to provide OTA with specific information that can be used in forming general conclusions regarding broader policy issues.

This assessment of ocean incineration includes consideration of the adequacy of regulations; risks to human health and the marine environment relative to the risks of comparable activities; existing and emerging alternatives; the capabilities and limitations of ocean incineration in managing hazardous wastes; and how its use might affect efforts to develop superior waste treatment and reduction practices. Particular attention is addressed to areas of intense public concern over the use of this technology.

Three major areas are covered in this Staff Paper: 1) a review of the studies of health effects related to passive smoking; 2) a review of current Federal, State and local, and private sector workplace smoking policies; and 3) a discussion of factors to consider in an analysis of the costs and benefits of implementing a workplace smoking policy.

A report on medicare coverage of physician services for elderly and disabled. The report also discusses the payment methods that have also fueled increases in expenditures for physician services, which are now one of the most rapidly growing parts of the Federal budget.

This report concentrates on the problems of displaced blue-collar and nonprofessional white-collar workers. This report gives an overview of Federal programs that provide such services, and evaluates the extent to which both private and public programs are meeting the needs of displaced workers.

This report addresses the longer run issues that technology and certain other factors will have on American agriculture during the remainder of this century. It focuses on the relationship of technology to: agricultural production, structural change, rural communities, environment and natural resource base, finance and credit, research and extension, and public policy. This report is a first step toward understanding these interrelated problems and identifying policies to ameliorate them.

This special report is part of a larger OTA project that analyzes the effects of technological change on the structure of the domestic economy, on international trade, and on options for public policy. Home construction’s importance to the study stems from the fact that although housing accounts for over 27 percent of personal spending, ownership of attractive residences remains beyond the reach of many American families.

The special report in this volume was prepared after the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs requested separate publication of OTA’s estimates of the impacts of services trade on the Nation’s balance of payments.

A report on the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, passed in 1975, is the primary Federal law governing this transportation. Largely unchanged in the past dozen years, the Act will be scrutinized carefully by Congress in the near future as it comes due for reauthorization.

A report on hazardous materials that are transported. This special report, Transportation of Hazardous Materials: State and Local Activities, is the first of the two. It summarizes Federal programs and identifies three major areas of State and local government concern: prevention and enforcement activities, emergency response and training, and planning and data gathering. The report outlines related issues, describes methods by which jurisdictions are responding to them, and documents the concerns that the Federal Government could address.

This report responds to a request from the House Committee on interior and Insu- Iar Affairs to assess the ability of current mining and reclamation technologies and methodologies, and of Federal programs and policies, to meet the statutory mandates for environmental protection in reclaiming the surface of Western coal mined lands.

This report suggests that Congress need not wait for the completion of the current governmental negotiations in order to begin an examination of the legal issues resulting from space station development and operation. In the near term, Congress could: 1) begin to identify those Federal and State laws which already apply to space station activities and those that Congress believes should apply; 2) begin to resolve questions of power sharing between Federal and State laws and Federal and State courts as they relate to space station activities; and 3) monitor the space station negotiations to ensure that the final space station agreements protect the fundamental rights and interests of U.S. citizens and support U.S. policies, including those related to commercial activities in space.

A report on heritable mutations, permanent changes in the genetic material that can be passed on to succeeding generations, are the cause of a large but currently unquantifiable share of embryonic and fetal loss, disease, disability, and early death in the United States today. The methods now available to study heritable mutations, however, offer relatively little information about the kinds of mutations that can occur, their frequency, or their causes.