Building an Effective Environmental Management Science Program Final Assessment (1997) / Chapter Skim
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F: INITIAL ASSESSMENT REPORT
F: INITIAL ASSESSMENT REPORT
Pages 87-147
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From page 87... ...
APPENDIX F INITIAL ASSESSMENT REPORT BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SCIENCE PROGRAM: INITIAL ASSESSMENT Committee on Building an Environmental Management Science Program Virtual Commission on Environmental Management Science National Research Council NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS Washington, D.C.
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Additional copies of this report are available from: National Research Council Virtual Commission on Environmental Management Science 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., HA 456 Washington, DC 20418 202-334-3066 Copyright 1996 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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CHAMOT, Intern* Board on Radioactive Waste Management tBoard on Chemical Sciences and Technology iii
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MURRAY, University of North Carolina, Chapel Eh11 Staff STEPHEN RA1lIEN, Executive Director The Committee on Building an Environmental Management Science Program is a joint activity of the Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems, Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources; Commission on Life Sciences, and Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications.
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Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
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The department announced this program in a Federal Register Notice in February 1996 and received more than 800 proposals from researchers at universities, national laboratories, and industry. The department is in the final stages of proposal review and expects to make award decisions in July 1996.
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Appendix F Initial Assessment Report F.9 CONTENTS SUMMARY INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND THE DOE CLEANUP MISSION THE VALUE OF RESEARCH TO TIIE CLEANUP MISSION UTILIZING THE CAPABILITIES OF THE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE Attracting the Best Researchers, 13 Obtaining the Best Research, 16 Transferring Research Results to Potential Research Users, 18 COORDINATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL AND NONFEDERAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS 1 s 8 10 13 8 FY 1996 PROGRAM PRIORITIES AND SOLICITATION 19 FY 1997 PROGRAM IX 22
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F.10 Building an Effective EMSP: Final Assessment x Building an Effective EM Science Program FUTURE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE 24 REFERENCES APPENDIX A: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SCIENCE PROGRAM APPENDIX B: EMSP PROGRAM NOTICE APPENDIX C: MEETING AGENDAS APPENDIX D: BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND CONSULTANTS APPENDIX E: ACRONYMS 25 29 32 42 45 51
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Given the size, scope, and long-term nature of the cleanup mission DOE estimates that this effort will cost $230 billion and require 75 years the committee views the establishment of this mission-directed, basic research program as both an urgent and a prudent investment for the nation. Although the EMSP will not solve all of EM's cleanup problems, a properly structured and managed program could help address many of EM's technical challenges by stimulating the development of new waste characterization, remediation, and management technologies or reducing the uncertainties in the application of current technologies; by enabling the development of new methods to reduce the volume or toxicity of secondary wastes; and by providing a better understanding of risk to help prioritize cleanup activities and reduce hazards to people and the environment.
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The committee offers the following advice to DOE as it completes the review process: . In making award decisions in this first round, DOE should focus first on scientific merit and then on potential relevance to the cleanup mission, and should place less emphasis on the C'anticipated" institutional funding allocations announced in the program notice.
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In particular, it will be important for DOE to establish a focus for the EMSP that builds on, but does not duplicate or divert funding from, existing ER programs in order to improve the usefulness of the research to the long-term cleanup mission. To ensure the program's long-term success, the committee recommends that DOE · with the advice of the research and research-user communities, prepare concise written technical summaries of the critical barriers to the solution of cleanup problems and basic research needs for wide circulation to the research community; · postpone until later this year the release of the 1997 program notice until it has had time to identify and incorporate the "lessons learned" from the FY 1996 proposal competition and to think more carefully, using the advice of this committee where appropriate, about how the program should be structured and managed, and · seek to increase the budget for this program to FY 1996 levels, recognizing that the additional funds are likely to be reallocated from existing programs within DOE-EM, in order to provide level funding, which is necessary to establish a stable, long-term research program.
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The importance of basic scientific research to the cleanup mission has been established in several reports, most recently the report of the Galvin commission, entitled Alternative Futures for the Department of Energy National 'Public Law 10446, 1995. The text is from the conference report that accompanied H.R.
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. could lead both to reduced cleanup costs and smaller environmental impacts at existing sites and to the development of a scientific foundation for advances in environmental technologies.
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Grumbly requested the assistance of the NAS in advising DOE on ways to increase the effectiveness of this research program. The Committee on Building an Environmental Management Science Program was established under the auspices of the National Research Council (NRC)
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. The department's cleanup challenge is huge in scope and includes3 3,700 contaminated sites in 34 states and territories; more than 100 million gallons of radioactive and mixed wastes stored in 322 tanks; 3 million cubic meters of radioactive or hazardous buried wastes; 250 million cubic meters of contaminated soils from landfills and plumes; more than 600 billion gallons of contaminated ground water; and about 1,200 facilities that require decontamination and decommissioning.
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Based on the use of existing technologies and cleanup approaches, DOE's current estimate of cleanup costs is $200 billion to $350 billion, with a midrange estimate of $230 billion, over 75 years (DOE, 1995b) .4 Of this total, DOE estimates that $112 billion will be spent for waste management, $65 billion for environmental restoration, $22 billion for nuclear material and facility stabilization, $12 billion for technology development, and the remainder for activities such as program management and planrung and annual monitoring (DOE, 1995b)
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A research program could add significant value to EM's cleanup mission by producing new knowledge that will stimulate the development of technologies and methods to improve the effectiveness and lower the costs and risks of cleanup. As noted in the introduction of this report, Congress directed DOE to develop a science program that would utilize the "existing basic research infrastructure within the Department and the Office of Energy Research" and would take "advantage of [federal]
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The program is "mission-directed" in that research will be supported only in certain highpriority areas dictated by DOE's cleanup challenges. The program is "basic" in that it is focused on the investigation of fundamental physical, chemical, geological, and biological processes and phenomena, with no specific technology in mind and no established time horizon for payoff.5 The committee believes that a properly structured and managed mission-directed, basic research program can produce knowledge that would add significant value to EM's technology development efforts.
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The committee believes that the Department of Energy and the nation should view funding for the EMSP as a long-term investment that will provide payoffs over the life of the cleanup mission in terms of both lower risks (to workers, the public, and the environment) and costs and of improved effectiveness.
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research community lies in the depth and diversity of its talent and its institutions; this is particularly true in the disciplines relevant to DOE's cleanup mission. DOE, however, faces at least three significant challenges in bringing this considerable talent to bear in the EMSP and obtaining research that has long-term value to its cleanup .
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The nation's best scientists can be found in a broad spectrum of research institutions universities, industry, national laboratories, and other federal agencies and these researchers and their institutions have unique strengths that can be tapped for the EMSP: · National laboratory researchers: Many national laboratory researchers are familiar with the weapons complex and the cleanup mission, and they possess specialized knowledge, equipment, and analytical and monitoring capabilities. Many of these researchers also are experienced in worldng in large teams that may be useful to address certain types of multidisciplinary problems.
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In addition, other nations are dealing with radioactive waste and chemical cleanup problems, and the international research community has expertise in both generic basic research and site-specific, problem-oriented research of potential value to the EMSP. The long-term success and effectiveness of the EMSP will depend to a large extent on the degree to which the program is able to tap into this community of researchers, and a particular challenge for DOE will be to find ways to involve this community as the program evolves.
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To improve the communication of EM's problems to researchers, the committee recommends that DOE prepare concise written technical summaries of its basic research needs for the research community. Such summaries should contain information on the critical barriers to the solution of EM's problems, arranged both by site and by problem focus.
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Another significant management challenge for getting the best research is establishing a process for identifying meritorious proposals for funding and, as a corollary, a process for providing useful feedback to researchers who are unsuccessful in obtaining funding for their research ideas. DOE faces a dual challenge in this effort: it must have a process that can identify research ideas that are both scientifically meritorious and relevant to EM's cleanup mission.
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The committee believes that it will be important for DOE to establish a focus for the EMSP that builds on but does not duplicate or divert funding from these existing ER programs in order to improve the usefulness of the research to the long-term cleanup mission.
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Congressional action required DOE to initiate the FY 1996 program on an accelerated schedule, which may not have allowed researchers adequate time to educate themselves about EM's cleanup problems and research needs or to prepare proposals that were fully responsive to, or addressed the full breadth of, problem areas outlined in the program notice (Appendix B)
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In making award decisions in this first round, the committee recommends that DOE focus first on scientific merit and then on potential relevance to the cleanup mission and place less emphasis on the "anticipated" institutional funding allocations announced in the program notice (Appendix B.; see also footnote 2)
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The committee expects that the proposals submitted to the program in FY 1997 will be of higher quality, on average, than proposals in this year's competition, because researchers will have more time to learn about EM's needs and prepare proposals. In short, full funding will accelerate the establishment of what the committee has referred to as a "committed cadre" of the nation's top researchersscientists knowledgeable of EM's problems and needs who produce research results that have long-term value to the cleanup mission.
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As it develops FY 1997 program plans, DOE also needs to think carefully about funding levels. The committee believes that level funding is a minimum requirement to establish a stable, long-term research program that attracts highly relevant proposals from the nation's top researchers lathe committee learned at its May meeting Mat DOE intends to issue the FY 1997 program notice in September.
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In its future meetings and reports, the committee will address several issues of direct relevance to development of the FY 1997 EMSP, including the following: · Articulation of research needs: The committee's statement of task directed it to advise DOE on additional areas of research that should be included in the FY 1997 program announcement. In view of the committee's recommendation that the DOE postpone the release of the program notice until later this year, the committee has decided to defer the consideration of this question to a future report in order to provide additional time for information gathering and deliberation.
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· What areas of basic research are likely to provide the best payoffs for EM cleanup efforts over the next few decades? · What additional areas of research should be included in future program notices as program evolves?
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1994. Alternatives for Ground Water Cleanup.
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DOE/ER-0482T. Office of Energy Research.
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1995i. Radioactive Tank Waste Remediation Focus Area: Technology Summary.
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was published in the Federal Register and on the World Wide Web, and a similar notification was sent to the national laboratories. As indicated in the program announcement, the objectives of this basic science program are to · provide scientific knowledge that will revolutionize technologies and cleanup approaches to significantly reduce future costs, schedules, and risks, "bridge the gap" between broad fundamental research that has wide-ranging applicability, such as that performed in DOE's Office of Energy Research, and needs-driven applied technology development, conducted in EM's Office of Science and Technology, and focus the nation's science infrastructure on critical DOE envi ronmental management problems.
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In July 1996, the Director of the Office of Energy Research will make final decisions on the awards with the concurrence of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology, Office of Environmental Management. Award funds will be obligated by the end of FY 1996.
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Appendix F Initial Assessment Report F.41 Initial Assessment 31 TABLE A-1 Panels Convened by ER for Merit Review of EMSP Proposals Review Panel(s) a Number of Proposals Plant Science Analytical Chemistry Separations Science Catalysis Heavy Elements Chemistry General Inorganic Chemistry Geophysics Geochemistry Flow Modeling Flow, Field, and Bio/Geochemistry Engineering Science Materials Science Applied Mathematics Health Science and Risk Assessment Bioremediation Total 35 105 75 25 40 50 35 35 40 55 35 70 10 40 160 810 Multiple panels were convened for areas that received large numbers of proposals (e.g., bioremediation)
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Energy Research Financial Assistance Program Notice 9~10; Environmental Management Science Program AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE)
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Department of Energy, Office of Energy Research, Grants and Contracts Division, ER-64, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, Maryland 20874-1290, Attn: Program Notice 9~10. The above address for formal applications must also be used when submitting formal applications by U.S.
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The objectives of the basic science program are to: . Provide scientific knowledge that will revolutionize technologies and clean-up approaches to significantly reduce future costs, schedules, and risks; and · "Bridge the Gap" between broad fundamental research that has wide-ranging applicability such as that performed in DOE's Office of Energy Research and needs-driven applied technology development that is conducted in EM's Office of Science and Technology; and · Focus the Nation's science infrastructure on critical DOE environmental management problems.
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Grant applications are encouraged from all disciplines. Merit Review and Evaluation Criteria Formal applications will be subjected to formal merit review (peer review)
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Information Information about the development, submission of applications, eligibility, limitations, evaluation, the selection process, and other policies and procedures may be found in 10 CFR Part 605, and in the Application Guide for the Office of Energy Research Financial Assistance Program. The Application Guide is available from the U.S.
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The Office of Energy Research addresses fundamental, frequently long-term, research issues related to the many missions of the Department. The Environmental Management Science Program will use ER's experience in managing fundamental research to address the needs of technology breakthroughs in EM's programs.
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Apart from this notice, the program also will be offered to DOE national laboratories and other Federal laboratories, which will compete separately for appropriated funds. To ensure Nat the program is
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could cost a total of $200-350 billion and take at least 75 years to complete. According to the estimates of the total program cost, 49% would go to waste management and 28% to environmental restoration, 10% to nuclear material and facility stabilization, and 5% to research and technology development with the remaining 8% for activities such as site security, transportation, and other landlord activities.
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1995. Estimating the Cold War Mortgage: The 1995 Baseline Environmental Management Report.
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John Rodney Clark, Associate Director for Resource Management, Office of Energy Research.
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F.52 Building an Effective EMSP: Final Assessment APPENDIX C MEETING AGENDAS MEETING 1 Saturday. Mav 11 7:30-10:30 Executive Session Open Session 11:00 Environmental Management Science Program/ Carol Henry Background and History DOE 11:20 Environmental Management Science Program/ MichelleBroido Current ProcessDOE 11:40 Questions and Discussions 12:00 Lunch 1:00 Questions and Discussions, continued 2 :00 Panel Discussion on EM Science Program/Sally Benson Opportunities and ChallengesGregory Choppin Donald J
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Appendix F Initial Assessment Report F.53 Imnal Assessment 43 MEETING 2 Saturday. June 15 7:45-1 1:15 Executive Session Open Session 11:30 Welcome; progress reportChair and plan for the meeting 11:35 Reflections on the firstCarolHenry committee meetingAri Patrinos 12:15 Working Lunch 1:20 EM Science:Judy Bostock Challenges and Opportunities 2:00 Planning for the Science andAll Management Workshops Objectives Structure and Organization Products Schedules and Locations 3:30 Break 3:45 Breakout into Science/Management Groups to Develop Preliminary Workshop Agendas 5:00 Breakout Group Reports Ahearne Silver 5:30 Appointment of Subcommittees 6:00 Adjoum
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F.54 Building an Effective EMSP: Final Assessment 44 Sunday. June 16 7:30 1 :00 Adjourn Building an Effective EM Science Program Executive Session
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Dr. Ahearne is a member of the Department of Energy's Environmental Management Advisory Board and the National Research Councilts Board on Radioactive Waste Management, and has served on a number of the National Research Council's committees examining issues in risk assessment.
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He has served on or chaired several National Research Council committees, boards, and commissions since 1961. He is a member of the American Institute for Biological Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Ecological Society of America, British Ecological Society, International Union of Radioecologists, and Health Physics Society.
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Dr. Harley is a member of the editorial board of Environment International, and a fellow of the Health Physics Society; she holds three patents at New York University for radiation detection devices.
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Naval Civil Engineer Corps from 1945 to 1946 and held several positions at the United States Geological Survey before he joined CalTech. He has served on numerous National Research Council committees, including his current membership of the Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications.
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His research and educational activities have been recognized by the American Chemical Society Award in Nuclear Chemistry, the Southern Chemist Award of the American Chemical Society, the Manufacturing Chemist Award in Chemical Education, a Presidential Citation Award of the American Nuclear Society, end honorary D.Sc. degrees from Loyola University and the Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden)
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Geological Survey and is also a member of the American Geophysical Union. He is the editor of Water Resources Research, the nation's premier journal for publications in the hydrological sciences.
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United States Department of Energy, Environmental Management Science Program DOE-ER (ER) United States Department of Energy, Office of Energy Research EM-50 EPA FY GPO H
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