None

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is responsible for developing new and environmentally acceptable energy technologies that will offer the nation safe options for energy supply and efficient systems for energy use. Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., (Energy Systems) operates ORNL under a management and operating contract. The purpose of the audit was to review and evaluate the effectiveness of site development planning activities at ORNL. A site development plan is a long-range master plan for the acquisition, development, utilization, and disposal of land and physical facilities at a specific US Department of Energy (DOE) facility. ORNL did not have a current site development plan and had not submitted updates to the old plan. This condition existed because the DOE Field Office, Oak Ridge (OR), and ORNL management had not implemented their responsibilities set forth in applicable DOE orders for site development planning. As a result, DOE had no assurance that ORNL real property holdings would be planned and developed economically and efficiently.

Radiological dose to the offsite maximum individual or the 50-mile population is often estimated assuming that operational atmospheric releases originate from the geographical center of the Savannah River Site. Historically, meteorological data collected from instrumentation on the H-Area tower have been utilized to estimate atmospheric dispersion from centrally located releases.'' This paper examines the effect on dose predictions using meteorological data from seven onsite towers located at A, C, D, F, H, K, and P areas to describe meteorological conditions at the central release location. Maximum individual dose estimates using both annual and short-term average air concentrations are well within 20% of the mean prediction. Population dose estimates are also within 20% of the mean prediction. Population dose estimates are also within 20% of the mean except for two-hour doses using H-Area meteorological data, which is less than the average estimate by about 30%.

The production of hydroxyl radicals by the radiolytic decomposition of water vapor following alpha decay of {sup 222}Rn can be used to produce an ultrafine sulfuric acid aerosol in the presence of SO{sub 2}. In the past, the production of this aerosol appeared to have a limiting threshold in as much as sufficient conversion of SO{sub 2} to SO{sub 4} must be attained to achieve the concentration required for nucleation. This appeared to occur when the bulk average acidity reached an adequately high value. The threshold curve for the onset of the sulfuric acid aerosol formation is a function of the H{sub 2}O, SO{sub 2} and Rn concentrations. The hydroxyl radical formation is dependent on the H{sub 2}O and Rn concentrations. The mass conversion rate of SO{sub 2} to H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} has been studied by measuring the airborne H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} concentration by ion chromatography after it has been collected on a filter and leached into solution. 39 refs., 9 figs.

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO analyzed materials from the American Health Care Association (AHCA) to determine whether any cases reflected the actions of an overly aggressive regulatory process."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the health insurance tax credit proposed in H.R. 2261 for individuals who purchased private health insurance, focusing on both the number of people who would potentially be eligible for a tax credit or deduction under this proposal and the potential value of these credits and deductions."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Defense Security Cooperation Agency's (DSCA) decision to lower the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program's administrative fee from 3 percent to 2.5 percent, focusing on how the: (1) FMS program recovers its costs, as required by the Arms Export Control Act; and (2) projected sales levels made through the program will affect cost recovery in the future."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) implementation of the mutual recognition agreement (MRA) between the United States and the European Union, focusing on the: (1) progress FDA has made in developing a plan for assessing equivalence of European Union member states' pharmaceutical good manufacturing practice (GMP) regulatory systems; (2) amounts FDA spent, from October 1994 through March 1999, on negotiating and implementing MRA and the amount FDA plans to spend on making assessments of equivalence; and (3) status of the European Union's efforts to coordinate with FDA to implement MRA."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the actions taken by the Department of Defense (DOD) to improve the accuracy of its cost reporting for contract services."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on 8(a) contracting activities for fiscal years (FY) 1996 through 1998 in certain offices within the Department of the Treasury, focusing on: (1) a comparison of Departmental Offices' 8(a) contract goals with Treasury's departmentwide 8(a) contract goals; (2) the total number of Departmental Offices' contracts and 8(a) contracts as well as the percentage of total Departmental Offices' contract expenditures used for 8(a) contracts; (3) the distribution of Departmental Offices' 8(a) contracts by dollar value and type of goods/services procured; and (4) whether five Departmental Offices' 8(a) contracts adhered to regulations that limit the amount of work that can be subcontracted."

Guidance issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This August 13, 1999, edition of the Government Auditing Standards has been superseded. This document outlines standards that contain requirements for auditor reporting on internal control."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Department of State's efforts to coordinate rule of law assistance programs at the Washington, D.C., headquarters level, focusing on: (1) the status of State and the Department of Justice's efforts to resolve issues raised about Justice's International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program, which provides police training and related assistance; and (2) issues related to Justice's role in planning police training and certain personnel matters that may have adversely affected the program's activities."

A statement of record issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) information management initiatives, focusing on the: (1) status of EPA's efforts to create a central office responsible for information management, policy, and technology issues; and (2) major challenges that the new office needs to address to achieve success in collecting, using, and disseminating environmental information."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on how census operations and data accuracy could be affected if the Bureau of the Census were to include a coverage improvement program known as Post Census Local Review (PCLR) in the 2000 census."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) delivered the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms' (ATF) Trans World Airlines (TWA) flight 800 crash report to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO discussed its February 1999 report on the Department of Defense's (DOD) Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses (OSAGWI), focusing on: (1) DOD's progress in establishing an organization to address Gulf War illnesses issues; and (2) the thoroughness of OSAGWI's investigations into and reporting on servicemembers' potential exposure to chemical or biological agents during the Persian Gulf War."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Air Force Reserve Command's completed competitions for contracts recently won by the private sector for functions at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, and Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, New York, focusing on the: (1) Command's process for conducting the competitions, including the development of the performance work statements; and (2) estimates of expected savings and cost to conduct the studies, and the likelihood that base operating efficiency can be expected to improve."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed a proposal to have a Korean contractor perform depot-level maintenance of U.S. Forces Korea helicopter engines on the Korean peninsula, focusing on the Army's plans to: (1) increase U.S. Forces Korea engine war reserve stocks and improve their management within the Korean theater; (2) increase aviation repair and maintenance capabilities on the Korean peninsula; and (3) continue performing complete T700 series engine overhauls in the United States."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army's Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) program, focusing on: (1) the causes and effects of the contractor's delays in delivering acceptable trucks; and (2) the Army's actions to mitigate corrosion problems on FMTV trucks."

A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the factors causing the federal payroll to increase while the number of federal employees decreased during downsizing, focusing on the extent to which each major factor contributed to the increase in the federal payroll during fiscal years (FY) 1993 through 1997."

A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Forest Service's progress in improving its accounting and financial reporting, focusing on Forest Service's efforts to: (1) achieve financial accountability; (2) become more accountable for its performance; and (3) better align its budget with its strategic goals and objectives."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed proposals for reorganizing the Department of Energy (DOE), focusing on: (1) longstanding weaknesses in DOE's management that GAO has identified over the past several years; (2) the effect that the proposals to deal with national security weaknesses would have on addressing these weaknesses; and (3) a framework for evaluating DOE's missions and possible reorganization."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Department of Health and Human Services' Independent Living Program (ILP) and the needs of youths leaving the foster care system, focusing on: (1) the problems faced by foster care youths once they leave care; (2) what is known about the extent of services provided by ILP; and (3) what is known about the effectiveness of ILP."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the status of efforts to implement the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996, focusing on: (1) the importance of the 1996 amendments; (2) the actions taken to implement them; and (3) ways in which the refinements will continue to evolve and benefit future single audit efforts."