ENVIRONMENTAL
NEWS "Reinvention" of EPA research office takes shape
SCIENCE Mercury increases DNA damage from radiation, 18A •Plant enzymes set for bioremediation field study, 18A TECHNOLOGY •Economic impact of green technologies questioned, 19A • W h i t e House creating "national environmental technology strategy,' 19A GOVERNMENT •Final drinking water monitoring rule set for June, 20A • N R C to look at incinerators, human health, 20A •Impasse reached on European carbon tax, 21A •EPA regions plan multimedia reorganization, 21A
SOCIETY •Stronger voice for environmental justice advocates?, 22A • B i g growth predicted for environmental exports to Mexico, 23A •ΝΕΡΑ under review by CEQ, 23A
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new graduate fellowship program, definitions of longterm research, and a timeta ble for future actions are the first products of six subcommittees charged with implementing EPA's "reinvention" of the Office of Re search and Development (ORD). These details are listed in an "ac tion plan" released in November; however, many key issues are un resolved. The reinvention is based on a report EPA submitted to Con gress in July, which called for shifts in funding priorities, reor ganization of the laboratories, and new programs for ORD (see ES&T, September 1994, p. 409A). The November action plan de tails how the subcommittees will put in place or develop imple mentation options for all aspects of the July report except restruc turing the laboratories. That is sue is being handled by a seniorlevel group working with ORD Assistant Administrator Robert Huggett. Key issues being tackled by the subcommittees, according to the action plan, include options for reorganization of ORD headquar ters (which is expected this month), changes in the budgeting and mission of regional environ mental service divisions (by May), and guidance for ORD's strategic science and research planning (February). According to Linda Birnbaum, who co-chairs the subcommittee working on scientific careers, ORD intends to spend $5 million per year during the next three years to fund fellowships for graduate student training, build ing to $15 million per year in the third year. The monies for the new program would come out of existing programs. Graduate students, says Birn
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baum, must submit proposals to the Agency for peer review; up to 25% of the fellowships will go to students working in EPA laborato ries under the mentorship of an EPA scientist. Individual fellow ships will be worth about $34,000 per year, which includes a stipend of $15,000-$17,000, $5000 for ex penses such as travel to meetings, and up to $12,000 in tuition. Grants can be renewed yearly for a maximum of four years for Ph.D. candidates. ORD wants to move quickly and may run the fellowships through an existing program in one of the laboratories in the first year, says Birnbaum. An an nouncement of the program is expected soon. "Huggett is also committed to a postdoctoral program," says Birnbaum. This program would probably involve new monies and is still under discussion. The subcommittee dealing with research issues produced definitions of long-term and short-term research, an essential step in meeting the stated goal in the July report of a 50:50 split be tween long-term and applied re search. In the action plan, shortterm is defined as "requiring three years or less to accumulate and integrate the new knowledge, and preference is given to the perspectives of the Program and Regional Offices." Long-term re search "anticipates future needs and fills major gaps in scientific knowledge." At the same time, more of the research will be performed out side the Agency. Speaking at the Society of Environmental Toxicol ogy and Chemistry meeting in Denver, CO, in October, Huggett said extramural research funding "will be at $100 million in 1997." —ALAN NEWMAN
0013-936X/95/0929-16A$09.00/0 © 1994 American Chemical Society
