A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

This report presents the results of a comprehensive third party needs assessment of the Hanford Fire Department (HFD), conducted by Hughes Associates Inc. The assessment was commissioned with the intent of obtaining an unbiased report which could be used as a basis for identifying needed changes/modifications to the fire department and its services. This report serves several functions: (1) it documents current and future site operations and associated hazards and risks identified as a result of document review, site and facility surveys, and interviews with knowledgeable personnel; (2) describes the HFD in terms of organization, existing resources and response capabilities; (3) identifies regulatory and other requirements that are applicable to the HFD and includes a discussion of associated legal liabilities; and (4) provides recommendations based on applicable requirements and existing conditions. Each recommendation is followed by a supporting statement to clarify the intent or justification of the recommendation. This report will be followed by a Master Plan document which will present an implementation method for the recommendations (with associated costs) considered to be essential to maintaining adequate, cost effective emergency services at the Hanford site in the next five to seven years.

This document presents the natural phenomena hazard (NPH) loads for use in implementing DOE Order 5480.28, Natural Phenomena Hazards Mitigation, at the Hanford Site in south-central Washington State. The purpose of this document is twofold: (1) summarize the NPH that are important to the design and evaluation of structures, systems, and components at the Hanford Site; (2) develop the appropriate natural phenomena loads for use in the implementation of DOE Order 5480.28. The supporting standards, DOE-STD-1020-94, Natural Phenomena Hazards Design and Evaluation Criteria for Department of Energy Facilities (DOE 1994a); DOE-STD-1022-94, Natural Phenomena Hazards Site Characteristics Criteria (DOE 1994b); and DOE-STD-1023-95, Natural Phenomena Hazards Assessment Criteria (DOE 1995) are the basis for developing the NPH loads.

The Hanford Site was founded in early 1943 for the top secret government mission of producing plutonium for the world`s first atomic weapons. A great deal of land was needed, both to separate various Site facilities from each other, and to provide buffer zones for safety and security purposes. In total, 640 square miles were occupied by the original Hanford Site and its buffer zones. Much of this land had been earmarked for inclusion in the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project (CBP). After World War II ended, a series of national decisions led to a long-term mission for the Hanford Site, and area residents learned that the Site lands they had hoped to farm would be withheld from agricultural production for the foreseeable future. A long set of negotiations commenced between the federal management agency responsible for Hanford (the Atomic Energy Commission -- AEC), and the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), Department of the Interior that managed the CBP. Some lands were turned back to agriculture, and other compromises made, in the Site`s far northern buffer lands known as the Wahluke Slope, during the 1950s. In the mid-1960s, further negotiations were about to allow farming on lands just north of the Columbia …

With its portability, ease to add built-in functions and objects in C, and fast array facility among many other features, Python proved to be an excellent language for creating programmable scientific applications. In addition to the two modules presented, there are also other progresses at LLNL in using Python. For example, Python interfaces are being developed for at least three graphics packages, and Python interpreter and applications have been built on distributed platforms such as meiko and Cray T3D.

Activities during this report period focused on testing of additional modified and promoted catalysts and characterization of these materials. Methanol oxidation studies were performed as a method of acid site characterization. Improvements to the product gas analysis system continued to be developed. These results are reported. Specific accomplishments include: (1) Obtaining and interpreting infrared spectra of modified catalysts prepared to enhance surface acidity. (2) Testing of these catalysts in methanol oxidation as a method of acid site characterization and to determine catalytic activity for conversion of this desired product. Catalysts were quite active for methanol conversion to dimethyl ether. Two of the modified catalysts prepared in this work exhibited the highest activity for this reaction, presumably because of their higher surface areas. (3) Determination that acidity modifications had no effect on activity for methane conversion.

The US Department of Energy`s grant to Citizens Fund was designed to support a grassroots organizing campaign, local coalition building and media activity initially focused on getting the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) to acquire clean burning alternative fueled buses (e.g. natural gas). In addition, Citizens Fund through Pennsylvania Citizen Action would become involved in the Philadelphia Clean Cities organization sponsored by the City of Philadelphia through a DOE grant. The city reached out to a substantial number of organizations and community leaders and actively worked to get out the message on the need to promote and use alternatively-fueled vehicles. This report summarizes these activities.