U.S. Department of Energy
Washington, DC 20585
January 11, 1995
[Receipt]
Dr. Bruce Alberts
President,
National Academy of Sciences
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20418
Dear Dr. Alberts:
The National Academy of Sciences has a proven track record in providing the Department of Energy with scientific analyses critical to the success of the Environmental Management program. Faced with constrained budgets and the need to develop a system that works better and costs less, the Department once again would be aided by an analysis by the Academy. It is recognized that the cleanup problems now facing the Department and the Nation require a total re-engineering of existing systems and a thorough examination of the scientific, engineering, and institutional barriers to achieving a more cost-effective stewardship of the Nation's resources. This examination should be far more comprehensive than past analyses, which have involved subject experts in narrow fields.
Given the enormity of the Environmental Management Program, it is envisioned that a comprehensive evaluation will be more successful if it is focused around a few broad areas of major concern. Suggested topics include priority setting, timing and staging of activities, technology development, management and organizational systems, and regulatory measures.
Discussion on these and other issues would start with a series of public fora, which would then lead to an intense summer study. The public fora would provide options and observations for the summer study, while allowing for educational exchanges between stakeholders, scientists and decision makers. The summer study, attended by nationally recognized experts, would help frame options and factors for decision making. I would like to see the results of the study by December 1, 1995.
I have asked Admiral Richard Guimond and Dr. Carol Henry to be the principal Department points of contact for framing the specific questions and context in which the Academy reviewers would perform their analysis. This work will be performed under cooperative agreement #DE-AC01-94EW54069. I look forward to working with the Academy to obtain the scientific and engineering community's views on these very important issues.
Sincerely,
Thomas P. Grumbly
Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management
PROPOSED NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE FORA
The five proposed fora topics encompass major issues that the Environmental Management program is likely to encounter in the next several years. The Department will work with the Academy to further define the content and range of issues to be evaluated within each fora.
Priority Setting
The Priority Setting forum will examine the process of prioritizing Environmental Management activities, and how the process incorporates societal values, costs, current regulations, and risks to the environment, public health, and worker safety.
Timing and Staging of Activities
The Timing and Staging forum will examine how the Environmental Management program can schedule technology development and remediation/ restoration efforts such that cost savings are maximized and risks to the environment, public, and workers are minimized.
Technology
The Technology forum will examine all aspects of how technology can best be developed and utilized to aid the federal remediation process.
Management and Organizational Systems
The Management and Organizational Systems forum will examine the management and organizational systems which are most likely to achieve Environmental Management program goals.
Regulatory Measures
The Regulatory Measures forum will examine how the performance of the Environmental Management program could be improved through regulatory measures such as new statues, revised statues, and revised regulatory agreements.