The purpose of the ARC78 forecasts and the ways in which they differ from those in the ARC77 are discussed. In a preliminary overview of the projection process, the relationship between energy prices, supply, and demand is addressed. Topics treated in detail include a description of energy-economic interactions, assumptions regarding world oil prices, and energy modeling in the long term beyond 1995. Subsequent sections present the general approach and methodology underlying the forecasts, and define and describe the alternative projection series and their associated assumptions. Short-term forecasting, midterm forecasting, long-term forecasting of petroleum, coal, and gas supplies are included. The role of nuclear power as an energy source is also discussed.

One of the possible options for generating electrical energy from ocean thermal gradients requires the use of a floating offshore platform. The platform would contain all OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) systems and power cycle components and consist of the hull, seawater, station-keeping, platform service, and mission support subsystems. It would be stationed at one of the designated OTEC sites, and would transmit the generated electricity to the shore power networks by means of an electrical transmission cable. The objective of the present study is to investigate the station-keeping subsystem (SKSS) requirements and develop preliminary SKSS designs for the two Modular Experiment Plant (MEP) candidates of 10/40 MW/sub e/ capacity for deployment at a specific site. The two MEP hull candidates are a Barge type platform and a Spar shaped hull with external heat exchangers. The specific site assigned for this study is Puerto Rico. The preliminary SKSS designs are developed for both platforms as follows: (1) an 8-leg spread catenary mooring system for the Spar, and (2) a 12-leg spread catenary mooring system for the Barge. Applicability of these designs to larger capacity commercial OTEC platforms is also investigated.

This volume presents the results of the first phase of the Station Keeping Subsystem (SKSS) design study for 40 MW/sub e/ capacity Modular Experiment OTEC Platforms. The objectives of the study were: (1) establishment of basic design requirements; (2) verification of technical feasibility of SKSS designs; (3) identification of merits and demerits; (4) estimates of sizes for major components; (5) estimates of life cycle costs; (6) deployment scenarios and time/cost/risk assessments; (7) maintenance/repair and replacement scenarios; (8) identifications of interface with other OTEC subsystems; (9) recommendations for and major problems in preliminary design; and (10) applicability of concepts to commercial plant SKSS designs. A brief site suitability study was performed with the objective of determining the best possible location at the Punta Tuna (Puerto Rico) site from the standpoint of anchoring. This involved studying the vicinity of the initial location in relation to the prevailing bottom slopes and distances from shore. All subsequent studies were performed for the final selected site. The two baseline OTEC platforms were the APL BARGE and the G and C SPAR. The results of the study are presented in detail. The overall objective of developing two conceptual designs for each of the two baseline OTEC …

This volume of the report presents the results of the third through the sixth tasks of the Station Keeping Subsystem (SKSS) design studies for 10/40 MW/sub e/ capacity OTEC Modular Experiment platforms (MEP). Tasks 3 through 6 are: (3) complete preliminary designs for one SKSS for each of the two platforms (SPAR and BARGE); (4) development and testing recommendations for the MEP SKSS; (5) cost-time analysis; and (6) commercial plant recommendations. The overall conclusions and recommendations for the modular, as well as the commercial, OTEC platform station keeping subsystems are delineated. The basic design assumptions made during the process, the technical approach followed, and the results of design iterations, reliability and performance analyses are given. A complete description of the preliminary design SKSS concept is presented. The summary cost estimates for each of the alternative SKSS concepts considered are presented and a time schedule for the recommended concept is provided. The effects of varying some of the important parameters used in SKSS design on the performance and cost of the mooring system are investigated and results presented. The tests required and other developmental recommendations in order to verify and confirm the basic design assumptions are discussed. Finally, the experience gained …

The objective of the small-scale group of tests is to demonstrate that sodium will drain from the surface of the fire suppression deck into the catch pan without interference during a spill event, and to demonstrate that burning is terminated following the spill event by the accumulation of combustion products inside the drain pipes. The results of this series of tests will be used to validate the catch pan fire suppression deck design concept based on the criteria that sodium will drain freely from the surface of the fire suppression deck and that burning is terminated in an acceptably short time (less than or equal to 36 h). The objective of the large-scale group of tests is to provide experimental data on the consequences of sodium spills using prototypic leak rates and to demonstrate the effectiveness of a large-scale fire suppression Q-deck assembly.

This volume contains appendices to the Station Keeping Subsystem design study for the 40 MeW Modular Experiment OTEC platforms. Appendices presented include: detailed drag calculations; sample CALMS computer printouts for SPAR and BARGE static analyses; sample time domain computer printouts (Hydromechanics, Inc.) program; extreme value and fatigue load calculations; anchor design calculations; deployment calculations; bottom slope plots; time domain analysis report by Hydromechanics Inc.; detailed cost analysis; control systems study report by Sperry Systems Management; cost estimates for model basin tests; and hydrodynamic loading on the mooring cables. (WHK)

Integral experiments performed at the Institute for Reactor Development at Juelich, West Germany, have raised doubts about the adequacy of current nuclear data and calculational methods in predicting neutron multiplication and leakage from beryllium assemblies bombarded with 14-MeV neutrons. Experimental values of inferred neutron multiplication were reported to be less than calculated values by approx. 25%. We have performed calculations of the experiments using the TART Monte Carlo code. The ratio of measured leakage multiplication to our calculated leakage multiplication is 0.85 for 8-cm-thick beryllium and 0.99 for 12-cm-thick beryllium. However, much uncertainty exists in the procedure leading to the stated experiment values of apparent multiplication. We also performed calculations for a series of experiments done at LLNL from 1955 to 1956. A 14-MeV neutron source was placed in the center of a cylindrical beryllium assembly 8 in. in radius and 24 in. in height. The beryllium assembly was encased in an aluminum can surrounded by a manganese bath. The ratio of experimental to calculated neutron leakage multiplication is 0.88. Much uncertainty exists in both series of experiments.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In carrying out its mission to ensure that securities markets are fair, orderly, and efficiently maintained, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relies extensively on computerized systems. Integrating effective information security controls into a layered control strategy is essential to ensure that SEC's financial and sensitive information are protected from inadvertent or deliberate misuse, disclosure, or destruction. As part of its audit of SEC's fiscal year 2007 financial statements, GAO assessed (1) the status of SEC's actions to correct previously reported information security weaknesses and (2) the effectiveness of SEC's controls for ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its information systems and information. To do this, GAO examined security plans, policies, and practices; interviewed pertinent officials; and conducted tests and observations of controls in operation."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "According to senior State officials, the overarching U.S. policy goal in Yemen is to create a stable and secure state. To achieve that goal, the U.S. assistance strategy has for years included both a security element focused on counterterrorism activities and a civilian element focused on development activities. In 2009, in response to the increasing economic, social, and political challenges facing Yemen, the U.S. government undertook a comprehensive review of its policy toward Yemen. This review led to a whole-of-government strategy that still includes both security and civilian assistance, but that, according to U.S. officials, is more integrated than in prior years. The strategy seeks to simultaneously address security needs as well as the underlying economic, social, and political grievances that can lead to violent extremism. U.S. officials told us that assistance activities under this strategy have had to adjust to the changing security situation on the ground. Further, officials told us they have recently begun reviewing the strategy itself in light of the political changes under way in Yemen."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In accordance with 36 U.S.C. 2103, GAO is responsible for conducting audits of the agencywide financial statements of the American Battle Monuments Commission (the Commission). GAO audited the financial statements of the Commission for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2007, and 2006. The audits were done to determine whether, in all material respects, (1) the Commission's financial statements were presented fairly, and (2) Commission management maintained effective internal control over financial reporting and compliance with laws and regulations. Also, GAO tested Commission management's compliance with selected laws and regulations. The Commission was created in 1923 to commemorate the sacrifices and achievements of U.S. Armed Forces where they have served overseas since April 6, 1917, and locations within the United States as directed by Congress. The Commission designs, operates, and maintains 24 American military cemeteries on foreign soil and 25 federal memorials, monuments, and markers, 22 of which are on foreign soil, that were financed from appropriated funds. The Commission was also responsible for designing and constructing the national World War II Memorial on the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C., and for maintaining seven nonfederal memorials …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on a wide variety of topics related to the permanent provisions (phase II) of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, focusing on: (1) statistics on background checks, denials, and appeals; (2) enforcement actions; (3) the National Instant Criminal Background Check System's (NICS) operations; and (4) pawnshop issues."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of State's (State) Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) program's objectives are to provide partner nations with counterterrorism training and equipment, improve bilateral ties, and increase respect for human rights. State's Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism (S/CT) provides policy guidance and its Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Office of Antiterrorism Assistance, (DS/T/ATA) manages program operations. GAO assessed (1) State's guidance for determining ATA priorities, (2) how State coordinates ATA with other counterterrorism programs, (3) the extent State established ATA program goals and measures, and (4) State's reporting on U.S. international counterterrorism assistance. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed State documents and met with cognizant officials in Washington, D.C., and four ATA program partner nations."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Catastrophic disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, may result in trauma and other psychological consequences for the people who experience them. The federal government provides states with funding and other support to help them prepare for and respond to disasters. Because of congressional interest in these issues, GAO examined (1) federal agencies' actions to help states prepare for the psychological consequences of catastrophic disasters and (2) states' experiences obtaining and using grants from the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP) to respond to the psychological consequences of catastrophic disasters. CCP is a program of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). GAO reviewed documents and interviewed program officials from federal agencies and conducted additional work in six states with experience responding to catastrophic disasters: Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Texas, and Washington."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Many forms of identification (ID) that federal employees and contractors use to access government-controlled buildings and information systems can be easily forged, stolen, or altered to allow unauthorized access. In an effort to increase the quality and security of federal ID and credentialing practices, the President issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) in August 2004, requiring the establishment of a governmentwide standard for secure and reliable forms of ID. The resulting standard is referred to as the personal identity verification (PIV) card. GAO was asked to determine the progress selected agencies have made in (1) implementing the capabilities of the PIV cards to enhance security and (2) achieving interoperability with other agencies. To address these objectives, GAO selected eight agencies that have a range of experience in implementing smart card-based ID systems and analyzed what actions the agencies have taken to implement PIV cards."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since the Deepwater Horizon incident, the oil and gas industry has improved its capabilities to respond to a subsea well blowout—the uncontrolled release of oil or gas from a well on the ocean floor—in the Gulf of Mexico. In particular, operators have formed two new not-for-profit organizations that can quickly make available well containment equipment, services, and expertise. Among the equipment that these organizations can provide are capping stacks—devices used to stop the flow of oil or gas from a well. This improved well containment response equipment consists primarily of existing technologies that have been modified to support well containment, according to industry representatives."

A statement of record issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Department of Defense's (DOD) fiscal year (FY) 2001 budget as it relates to readiness needs, focusing on: (1) identifying the aggregated differences between the amounts Congress initially designated for the operation and maintenance (O&M) subactivities and those DOD reported as obligated for the same subactivities; (2) identifying those O&M subactivities where DOD obligated funds differently than congressionally initially designated in each year of the 5-year period GAO examined (1994 through 1998); and (3) assessing information available to Congress to track DOD's movement of funds among O&M subactivities."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Even though FDA met all medical device performance goals for 510(k)s, the elapsed time from submission to final decision has increased substantially in recent years. This time to final decision includes the days FDA spends reviewing a submission as well as the days FDA spends waiting for a device sponsor to submit additional information in response to a request by the agency. FDA review time excludes this waiting time, and FDA review time alone is used to determine whether the agency met its performance goals. Each fiscal year since FY 2005 (the first year that 510(k) performance goals were in place), FDA has reviewed over 90 percent of 510(k) submissions within 90 days, thus meeting the first of two 510(k) performance goals. FDA also met the second goal for all 3 fiscal years it was in place by reviewing at least 98 percent of 510(k) submissions within 150 days. Although FDA has not yet completed reviewing all of the FY 2011 submissions, the agency was exceeding both of these performance goals for those submissions on which it had taken action. Although FDA review time decreased slightly …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "On September 28, 2007, GAO issued a report detailing our findings of improper and abusive premium class travel governmentwide. The audit was performed at the request of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, and Senator Grassley, Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate. As part of the audit, we tested premium class transactions at the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). While our report provided recommendations to the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the purpose of this letter is to report on specific matters identified during our audit that relate to weaknesses in internal controls at MCC. This letter contains three recommendations that warrant management's consideration."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO analyzed the potential budgetary and economic effects of Nick Smith's proposal to reform Social Security."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program's goals are to enhance the security of U.S. citizens and visitors, facilitate legitimate travel and trade, ensure the integrity of the U.S. immigration system, and protect the privacy of visitors. It is to use biometric and biographic information to control and monitor the pre-entry, entry, status, and exit of foreign visitors. GAO was asked to determine (1) whether DHS has defined and economically justified a strategic solution for meeting US-VISIT goals; (2) the biometric technology options DHS has considered and the basis for the selected options; and (3) DHS's efforts to define, manage, and coordinate the relationships between US-VISIT and other immigration and border management programs. To accomplish this, GAO assessed key program documentation against relevant criteria and examined available biometric research."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "While the most recent national data show instruction time for PE decreased from 2000 to 2006, officials GAO interviewed stated that school sports opportunities have generally increased in recent years. Specifically, the percentage of schools that offered PE at least 3 days a week decreased from 2000 to 2006, but the percentage of schools that required students in each grade to take some PE increased during the same period. For example, the estimated percentage of schools that required PE in ninth grade increased from 13 percent in 2000 to 55 percent in 2006. Moreover, states, districts, and schools appear to have increased emphasis on the quality of PE programs, such as helping students develop lifelong fitness skills, according to national data and GAO interviews. Data on high school students show that participation in PE varies by grade level but not by gender or across racial groups. In addition, most state, district, and school officials GAO interviewed said opportunities to participate in interscholastic sports have increased, particularly for girls, and that many schools have responded to increased demand by adding new sports teams over the last few …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the reasonableness of the Customs Services' underlying costs supporting its merchandise and air and sea passenger processing user fee."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA), the federal government provides millions of dollars annually to assist schools that have not met state academic goals. In the 2006-2007 school year, over 10,000 such schools were identified for improvement. NCLBA requires states to set aside 4 percent of their Title I funds to pay for school improvement efforts. GAO was asked to determine (1) the extent to which states have set aside these funds and used other resources for school improvement, (2) which schools received improvement funds and the extent funds are tracked, (3) the activities states and schools have undertaken and how activities are assessed, and (4) how Education supports states' improvement efforts. GAO administered a survey to state education officials and received a 100 percent response rate, matched survey data to an Education database, and conducted site visits to five states."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "For decades, GAO has assisted Congress in its oversight role and helped federal departments and agencies with disparate missions to improve the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of their operations. GAO's work provides important insight on matters such as best practices to be shared and benchmarked and how government and nongovernmental partners can become better aligned to achieve important outcomes for the nation. In addition, GAO provides Congress with foresight by highlighting the long-term implications of today's decisions and identifying key trends and emerging challenges facing our nation before they reach crisis proportions. For this hearing, GAO was asked to (1) highlight governmentwide issues where it has made a major contribution to oversight and could assist the intelligence and other congressional committees in their oversight of the Intelligence Community, and (2) comment on the potential impact on GAO's access to perform audit work on personnel security clearances if the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) were to assume management of this issue from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Given historical challenges to GAO's ability to audit the Intelligence Community's programs and activities, this testimony also …