This test plan documents the acceptance testing of the sludge pickup adapter for potential use during PSI Phases 3 and 4 fuel cleanliness inspection activities. The adaptex is attached to the strainer tip of the vacuum wand and used to suction up residual sludge captured in a sludge collection tray. The material is vacuumed into a chamber of known volume in the sludge pickup adapter. The device serves as an aid in helping to determine whether the observed quantity of sludge is within allowable limits (1.4 cm{sup 3} per fuel assembly). This functionality test involves underwater testing in the 305 Building Cold Test Facility to verify that sludge can be successfully vacuumed from a collection tray. Ancillary activities in this acceptance test include demonstration that the sludge pickup adapter CM be successfully attached to and detached from the vacuum wand underwater.

A process monitor is needed by British Nuclear Fuels Limited, Inc. (BNFL Inc.) to measure total {sup 99}Tc levels in column effluents during technetium removal from the aqueous fraction of the Hanford high-level tank wastes. The monitor must achieve detection limits of 1 x 10{sup {minus}8}Ci/mL (0.6 {micro}g/mL). Measurements must be done in near real time, with an analysis frequency of {approximately}15 min. The monitoring technology must be sufficiently simple and robust for unattended continuous operation in the plant settings.

This report is on the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act: Overview of S. 1931 and H.R. 1658, 106th Congress.

This technical report summarizes the research conducted and results obtained during the period beginning October 1, 1999 to March 31, 2000. Heat transfer characteristics study and experimental work were continued using the bench-scale CFB system with the heat transfer probe. A copper tube with thermocouples was used as the heat transfer probe which was convenient to measure the temperature changes at different locations of the bed. The heat transfer coefficient at different locations of the heat transferring surface decreases along the slides down the heat transfer surface; its temperature increase, which reducing the temperature difference between the surface of the tube and the bulk of the bed. The radial variation of heat transfer coefficients showed little increase in heat transfer coefficient near the wall. It is believed that a long heat-transferring surface is located in the core region; a boundary layer develops near the wall of the surface. This may cause clusters or streamers to form which slides down the surface. According to the results, heat transfer coefficients in the core region are not affected significantly by the location of the probe. The wall conduction resistance was eliminated and heat transfer coefficients were measured and calculated at different locations along …

This design analysis has shown that, on a conceptual level, the emplacement of drip shields is feasible with current technology and equipment. A plan for drip shield emplacement was presented using a Drip Shield Transporter, a Drip Shield Emplacement Gantry, a locomotive, and a Drip Shield Gantry Carrier. The use of a Drip Shield Emplacement Gantry as an emplacement concept results in a system that is simple, reliable, and interfaces with the numerous other exising repository systems. Using the Waste Emplacement/Retrieval System design as a basis for the drip shield emplacement concept proved to simplify the system by using existing equipment, such as the gantry carrier, locomotive, Electrical and Control systems, and many other systems, structures, and components. Restricted working envelopes for the Drip Shield Emplacement System require further consideration and must be addressed to show that the emplacement operations can be performed as the repository design evolves. Section 6.1 describes how the Drip Shield Emplacement System may use existing equipment. Depending on the length of time between the conclusion of waste emplacement and the commencement of drip shield emplacement, this equipment could include the locomotives, the gantry carrier, and the electrical, control, and rail systems. If the exisiting equipment …

Excise taxes have long been a part of our country's revenue history. In the field of gasoline taxation, the states led the way with Oregon enacting the first tax on motor fuels in 1919. By 1932, all states and the District of Columbia had followed suit with tax rates that ranged between two and seven cents per gallon. The federal government first imposed its excise tax on gasoline at a one cent per gallon rate in 1932. The gas tax was enacted to correct a federal budgetary imbalance.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on international parental child abductions, focusing on the adequacy of federal response to: (1) problems identified with the federal government's response to international parental child abductions; (2) the Department of Justice's (DOJ) use of the 1993 International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act to prosecute abducting parents; and (3) the actions federal agencies plan to take to address the problems."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the possible connection between depleted uranium exposure and Gulf War illnesses, focusing on: (1) the scientific understanding about health effects from exposure to depleted uranium; (2) whether the Gulf War veterans are experiencing administrative problems with the medical screening program for depleted uranium health effects; and (3) the extent to which the services have implemented programs to train servicemembers to safely operate in a depleted uranium-contaminated battlefield."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the federal government's management of crosscutting program activities, focusing on: (1) an overview of programs with mission fragmentation and overlap in 1998 and 1999; (2) barriers to interagency coordination within the last decade; and (3) potential approaches for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of crosscutting programs."

Numerous investigations have demonstrated that intense plastic deformation is an attractive procedure for producing an ultrafine grain size in metallic materials. Torsional deformation under high pressure and equal-channel angular extrusion are two techniques that can produce microstructures with grain sizes in the submicrometer and nanometer range. Materials with these microstructures have many attractive properties. The microstructures formed by these two processing techniques are essentially the same and thus the processes occurring during deformation should be the same. Most previous studies have examined the final microstructures produced as a result of severe plastic deformation and the resulting properties. Only a limited number of studies have examined the evolution of microstructure. As a result, some important aspects of ultra-fine grain formation during severe plastic deformation remain unknown. There is also limited data on the influence of the initial state of the material on the microstructural evolution and mechanisms of ultra-fine grain formation. This limited knowledge base makes optimization of processing routes difficult and retards commercial application of these techniques. The objective of the present work is to examine the microstructure evolution during severe plastic deformation of a 2219 aluminum alloy. Specific attention is given to the mechanism of ultrafine grain formation as …

As part of a program intended to replace the present evaporative coolant at the gaseous diffusion plants (GDPs) with a non-ozone-depleting alternate, a series of investigations of the suitability of candidate substitutes is under way. This report summarizes studies directed at estimating the chemical and thermal stability of three candidate coolants, c-C{sub 4}F{sub 8}, n-C{sub 4}F{sub 10}, and c-C{sub 4}F{sub 8}O, in a few specific environments to be found in gaseous diffusion plant operations. One issue concerning the new coolants is the possibility that they might produce the highly toxic compound perfluoroisobutylene (PFIB) in high-temperature environments. Two specific high-temperature thermal environments are examined, namely the use of a flame test for the presence of coolant vapors and welding in the presence of coolant vapors. A second issue relates to the thermal or chemical decomposition of the coolants in the gaseous diffusion process environment. The primary purpose of the study was to develop and evaluate available data to provide information that will allow the technical and industrial hygiene staff at the GDPs to perform appropriate safety evaluations and to determine the need for field testing or experimental work. The scope of this study included a literature search and an evaluation of …

This Environmental Program Plan was developed in support of the Integrated Environment, Safety, and Health Management System Plan (ISMS) (RPP-MP-003), which establishes a single, defined environmental, safety, and health management system that integrates requirements into the work planning and execution processes to protect workers, the public, and the environment. The ISMS also provides mechanisms for increasing worker involvement in work planning, including hazard and environmental impact identification, analysis, and control; work execution; and feedback/improvement processes. The ISMS plan consists of six core functions. Each section of this plan describes the activities of the River Protection Project (RPP) (formerly known as the Tank Waste Remediation System) Environmental organization according to the following core functions: Establish Environmental Policy; Define the Scope of Work; Identify Hazards, Environmental Impacts, and Requirements; Analyze Hazards and Environmental Impacts and Implement Controls; Perform Work within Controls; and Provide Feedback and Continuous Improvement.

This report describes the results of an independent review team brought in to assess CH2M Hill Hanford Group's readiness and ability to support the RPP's move into its next major phase - retrieval and delivery of tank waste to the Privatization Contractor

This Acceptance Test Report (ATR) provides the test results for the inspection and testing of the new Pumping Instrumentation and Control (PIC) skid designed as ''P''. The ATR summaries the results and provides a copy of the ATP and inspections in the Appendix.

This Waste Encapsulation Storage Facility (WESF) Dangerous Waste Training Plan (DWTP) applies to personnel who perform work at, or in support of WESF. The plan, along with the names of personnel, may be given to a regulatory agency inspector upon request. General workers, subcontractors, or visiting personnel who have not been trained in the management of dangerous wastes must be accompanied by an individual who meets the requirements of this training plan. Dangerous waste management includes handling, treatment, storage, and/or disposal of dangerous and/or mixed waste. Dangerous waste management units covered by this plan include: less-than-90-day accumulation area(s); pool cells 1-8 and 12 storage units; and process cells A-G storage units. This training plan describes general requirements, worker categories, and provides course descriptions for operation of the WESF permitted miscellaneous storage units and the Less-than-90-Day Accumulation Areas.

This report discusses air quality initiatives (such as the Ozone Transport Rule) that primarily focus on reducing and enforcing emissions from coal-fired electric generating utilities in the Midwest and South.

Recent events surrounding the Presidential election have led to increased scrutiny of voting procedures in the United States. This report focuses on the constitutional authority and limitations that might be relevant to attempts by Congress to standardize these and other procedures.

Seven proposals to reform the Electoral College system have been introduced to date in the 107th Congress. H.J.Res. 3 (Representative Green of Texas), and H.J.Res. 5 (Representative Delahunt) would eliminate the electoral college, substituting direct popular election of the President. H.J.Res. 1 (Representative Clyburn), H.J.Res. 18 (Representative Engel), and H.J.Res. 37 (Representative Clement) would incorporate the “district” method of awarding electoral votes, and H.J.Res. 17 (Representative Engel) would provide for proportional award of electoral votes. H.J.Res. 25 (Representative Leach) is a hybrid plan. These measures have been referred to the House Judiciary Committee and await further action.

This report provides background and analysis of the Federal Income Tax and the treatment of married couples.

This report addresses legal issues after the United States signed the Kyoto Protocol to the UnitedNations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The protocol is not yet in effect internationally and cannot be legally binding on the U.S. unless and until the Senate gives its advice and consent.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report reviews the department of Defense's (DOD) implementation of computer incident response capabilities and identifies challenges to improving these. GAO found that during the last several years, DOD has taken several steps to build incident response capabilities and enhance computer defensive capabilities across the Department, including the creation of computer emergency response teams and incident response capabilities within each of the military services as well as the Defense Information Systems Agency and the Defense Logistics Agency. DOD also created the Joint Task Force-Computer Network Defense (JTF-CND) to coordinate and direct the full range of activities within the Department associated with incident response. GAO identified the following six areas in which DOD faces challenges in improving its incident response capabilities: (1) coordinating resource planning and prioritization activities; (2) integrating critical data from intrusion detection systems, sensors, and other devices to better monitor cyber events and attacks; (3) establishing departmentwide process to periodically review systems and networks for security weaknesses; (4) increasing individual unit compliance with departmentwide vulnerability alerts; (5) improving DOD's system for coordinating component-level incident response actions; and (6) developing departmentwide performance measures to assess …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The computer systems that support the Department of Energy's (DOE) civilian research and development programs house enormous amounts of data. Although unclassified, some of the information in these systems is nevertheless sensitive and must be protected from inappropriate access or disclosure. For this reason, DOE property management regulations require the agency to clear the hard drives of all computers before they are transferred into the excess category for reuse or disposal. GAO found that DOE lacks standardized instructions, verification procedures, and training for agency and contract employees on how to properly clear excessed computers. DOE also does not ensure that procedures used to remove all software, information, and data from systems are effective. As a result, some of the excessed computers GAO inspected at DOE headquarters had information still stored on the hard drives."

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The Alternative Fuels Field Test Unit (AFFTU) is a portable laboratory designed specifically to provide on-site evaluation of potential feedstocks for processes that produce alternative fuels from indigenous raw materials such as coal, natural gas or environmentally disadvantaged carbonaceous feedstocks. Since conversion of these raw materials into feed gas streams can produce a variety of bulk gas compositions, which furthermore can contain a myriad of trace components, it is necessary to evaluate each new feedstock on an individual basis. While it is possible to prepare blended gas mixtures to simulate the bulk composition of a known feedstock, it is neither possible nor cost-effective to simulate adequately the variety of trace chemicals present in that feedstock--some of which may not even be detected by routine analysis. Additionally, the transient composition of the gas during upsets or routine process changes may have an impact on the proposed process that is not foreseen in standard design. To address these concerns, the AFFTU was constructed with the following experimental capabilities: (1) A state-of-the-art gas chromatograph system to perform semi-continuous monitoring of both bulk composition and the concentration of key trace poisons down to one part per billion (ppb). (2) A 30-mL reactor system that …