In accordance with EM guidance, the TFA conducted a Midyear Review to validate and document the maturity and progress of the projects in its portfolio. The initial phase of the review took place February 2-4, 2000, in Las Vegas, NV. This technical review focused on assessing the completeness and adequacy of the TFA's technical strategy in response to user needs. The second phase of the review was held on March 7-8, 2000, also in Las Vegas, NV. This review included the participation of key program, technical, and advisory personnel, focusing on reaffirming project relevance and providing a status on the progress of each technology toward meeting end user requirements, including readiness to advance to the next stage of development. The third phase of the review took place in Atlanta, GA on April 25-27,2000, at the Environmental Management Science Program National Workshop. This workshop provided an opportunity for the TFA to review completed and ongoing basic science research and evaluate its potential applicability to TFA's customers. This report provides an explanation of the TFA review process, an overview of the TFA program, and highlights the results of the FY 2000 Midyear Review. A brief overview of each project reviewed is provided, …

In accordance with EM's office of Science and Technology (OST), the TFA is committed to assessing the maturity of technology development projects and ensuring their readiness for implementation and subsequent deployment. The TFA conducts an annual Midyear Review to document the status of ongoing projects, reaffirm and document user commitment to selected projects, and to improve the effective deployment of technology by determining and documenting the readiness of selected projects to move ahead. Since 1995, OST has used a linear technology maturation model that spans through seven defined stages of maturity, from basic research to implementation. Application of this Stage/Gate model to technology development resulted in prescriptive and somewhat cumbersome review procedures, resulting in limited and inconsistent use. Subsequently, in February 2000, OST issued revised guidance in an effort to streamline the technology tracking and review process. While the new OST guidance reinforces peer review requirements and the use of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for independent reviews, it also implements a simplified Gate model. The TFA is now responsible for providing auditable documentation for passing only three stages of technology maturity: ready for research (Gate 0); ready for development (Gate 2); ready for demonstration (Gate 5). The …