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Legal immigration to the United States has increased sharply in recent years, and shows no signs of slowing down. The question of why immigration has grown so rapidly and the implications of this growth for the future are expected to be issues in the 105th Congress. Primarily because of legislation enacted in 1980 and 1986, the numerical restrictions of the basic family and employment-based immigration preference system became less significant. The growth in legal immigration during the past 15 years came in three groups admitted outside these numerical limits -- legalized aliens, refugees, and numerically exempt immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. For example, about 2.8 million illegal or undocumented aliens were "legalized" between 1981 and 1995.

Wetland protection is controversial because the federal government regulates activities on private lands and because the natural values at some of these regulated sites are being debated. This controversy pits property owners and development interests against environmentalists and others who seek to protect the remaining wetlands. Mitigation banking, which allows a person to degrade a wetland at one site if a wetland at another site is improved, has been identified as a potential answer to this shrill and seemingly intractable debate.

The National Civil Aviation Review Commission was established by Congress to make recommendations on how best to finance and reform the budgeting ofthe Nation’s aviation programs. The Commission’s purpose, in part, is to developa consensus on how much funding is actually needed over several years for development and operation of the Nation’s air traffic control system, the safety and security programs of the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as airport capital development, and how best to secure a dedicated, stable, and adequate source of funding for these programs.

This report briefly discusses recent political, economic, and security issues in Turkey, especially relating to Turkey's relationship with Greece, the European Union, and the United States.

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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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.

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.

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.

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether the State of Texas is exempted from paying filing fees and other court costs prior to judgement; reconsideration of Attorney General Opinion MW-447A (1982) (RQ-943)

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether a common-law conflict if interest rules prohibit a bank that employs a Texas Agricultural Finance Authority board member from participating in the linked deposit program (ID# 39160)

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification;Whether a county commissioner may also serve as a reserve deputy sheriff(ID# 39419).

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a county attorney may simultaneously serve on the board of directors of a county hospital.

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a municipal judge may request that a body be transferred to an approved forensic agency for an autopsy and related questions.

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether the inspection of an elected official's name is permitted on county-owned vehicles (ID# 39652)

This document is provided as a Quarterly Technical Progress Report for the program entitled 'Identification and Evaluation of Fluvial- Dominated Deltaic (Class 1 Oil) Reservoirs in Oklahoma', covering the reporting period of October 1 - December 31, 1996. Work is progressing as expected for the project. The FDD computer facility is fully operational. During this quarter, there were 37 industry 'visits' to use the facility. The Cleveland and Peru Plays workshop was completed on October 17, 1996 with 85 attendees. The Red Fork Play workshop is scheduled for March 5 and 12, 1997. The Red Fork text was submitted for editing, and all figures, maps, and plates were submitted to cartography for drafting. The Tonkawa workshop is scheduled for June, 1997 although the exact time and place have yet to be determined. Regional work and field studies for that play are in progress. This project is serving an extremely valuable role in the technology transfer activities for the Oklahoma petroleum industry, with very positive industry feedback.

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A final hazard categorization has been prepared for the 300 Area Fuel Supply Shutdown (FSS) facility in accordance with DOE-STD-1027-92, ''Hazard Categorization and Accident Analysis Techniques for Compliance with DOE Order 5480.23, Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports'' (DOE 1992). Prior to using the hazard category methodology, hazard classifications were prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Westinghouse Hanford Company (Westinghouse Hanford) controlled manual, WHC-CM-4-46, ''Safety Analysis Manual'', Chapter 4.0, ''Hazard Classification.'' A hazard classification (Huang 1995) was previously prepared for the FSS in accordance with WHC-CM-4-46. The analysis lead to the conclusion that the FSS should be declared a Nuclear facility with a Moderate Hazard Class rating. The analysis and results contained in the hazard classification can be used to provide additional information to support other safety analysis documentation. Also, the hazard classification provides analyses of the toxicological hazards inherent with the FSS inventory: whereas, a hazard categorization prepared in accordance with DOE-STD-1027-92, considers only the radiological component of the inventory.

This procedure describes the formulation and make-up of Simulated Cement-Modified Waters (SCMW), which are aqueous solutions to be used for Activity E-20-50 Long-Term Corrosion Studies. These solutions simulate the changes to representative Yucca Mountain water chemistry because of prolonged contact with aged cement. The representative water was chosen as J-13 well water [Harrar, 1990]. J-13 well water is obtained from ground water that is in contact with the Topopah Spring tuff, which is the repository horizon rock.

Column biooxidation tests with Kentucky coal confirmed results of earlier shake flask tests showing significant removal from the coal of arsenic, selenium, cobalt, manganese, nickel and cadmium. Rates of pyrite biooxidation in Kentucky coal were only slightly more than half the rates found previously for Indiana and Pittsburgh coals. Removal of pyrite from Pittsburgh coal by ferric ion oxidation slows markedly as ferrous ions accumulate in solution, requiring maintenance of high redox potentials in processes designed for removal of pyrite and hazardous air pollutant (HAP) precursors by circulation of ferric solutions through coal. The pyrite oxidation rates obtained in these tests were used by Unifield Engineering to support the conceptual designs for alternative pyrite and HAP precursor bioleaching processes for the phase 2 pilot plant. Thermophilic microorganisms were tested to determine if mercury could be mobilized from coal under elevated growth temperatures. There was no evidence for mercury removal from coal under these conditions. However, the activity of the organisms may have liberated mercury physically. It is also possible that the organisms dissolved mercury and it readsorbed to the clay preferentially. Both of these possibilities are undergoing further testing. The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory�s (INEEL) slurry column reactor …

This document provides a discussion of the technical progress on DOE/PETC project number DE-AC22-92PC91338, "High Efficiency SO Removal Testing," for 2 the time period 1 October through 31 December 1996. The project involves testing at six full-scale utility flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems, to evaluate low capital cost upgrades that may allow these systems to achieve up to 98% SO removal efficiency. The upgrades being 2 evaluated mostly involve using performance additives in the FGD systems. The "base" project involved testing at the Tampa Electric Company�s Big Bend Station. All five potential options to the base program have been exercised by DOE, involving testing at Hoosier Energy�s Merom Station (Option I), Southwestern Electric Power Company�s Pirkey Station (Option II), PSI Energy�s Gibson Station (Option III), Duquesne Light�s Elrama Station (Option IV), and New York State Electric and Gas Corporation�s Kintigh Station (Option V). The originally planned testing has been completed for all six sites. However, additional testing has been planned at the Big Bend Station, and that testing commenced during the current quarter. The remainder of this document is divided into four sections. Section 2, Project Summary, provides a brief overview of the status of technical efforts on this project. …

Task 3 experimental tests were concluded this quarter. Second-stage testing of first-stage distilled filtrates and of a Wilsonville resid from Run 263 were completed. The first-stage filtrates were found to have higher reactivity than the Wilsonville material. Task 4 experimental testing was initiated. First-stage microautoclave tests were made at reduced catalyst loading and reduced solvent to coal ratio without negatively affecting coal conversion. Lower severity second-stage catalytic upgrading tests were begun. The single-pass resid conversion obtained in the first completed second-stage test was high (67-69 %).

The Hanford Low-Level Tank Waste Interim Performance Assessment examines the long-term environmental and human health effects associated with the disposal of the low-level fraction of the Hanford single and double-shell tank waste in the Hanford Site 200 East Area. This report was prepared as a good management practice to provide needed information about the relationship between the disposal system design and performance early in the disposal system project cycle. The calculations in this performance assessment show that the disposal of the low-level fraction can meet environmental and health performance objectives.