TABLE 1
The
Barriers to technology adoption Type and example Legislative Clean Water Act Clean Air Act Regulatory Permitting & compliance
Cause
Effect
Best available control technology Maximum achievable control technology
Technology "lock-in" with no market incentive for technology advances
Rigid structure
Lacks flexibility needed for new technologies Time delays and risks to investors Technology "lock-in"
Method approval
Inconsistent and ill-defined
Rule making
Long, involved process
Institutional Balkanized regulatory system Bureaucracy: both regulators and users Government review of technologies Risk aversion
Language of
Colloid and Interface Science ^3 Laurier L. Schramm
Splintered, inconsistent review and acceptance Slow response to rapid technology advances Resource limited Lack of knowledge
Inconsistent technology adoption and use Loss of sales for product developer while awaiting decisions Long, unnecessary delays for approval Unwillingness to try new technologies
ACS Professional Reference Book
t i m e frames ( w i t h m i l e s t o n e s ) a n d consistent product data reporting requirements, coordinate the rev i e w of all t e c h n o l o g i e s , a n d p r o vide technical and regulatory assist a n c e for b o t h t h e d e v e l o p e r s of t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d future u s e r s .
Acknowledgment The author thanks the numerous individuals who contributed to this article through comments and encouragement. I also wish to thank the MIT Sea Grant College Program for generous support of my research.
Conclusion
References
T h e c o s t of r e m e d i a t i n g t h e w o r l d ' s e n v i r o n m e n t a l p r o b l e m s exc e e d s t h e financial r e s o u r c e s available. H o w e v e r , r a p i d t e c h n o l o g i c a l a d v a n c e s in a variety of fields m a y offer cost- a n d time-effective s o l u t i o n s to t h e s e p r o b l e m s . T h e c u r r e n t process by w h i c h n e w technologies are r e v i e w e d a n d a c c e p t e d is n o t as r e s p o n s i v e as necessary. Despite t h e a c k n o w l e d g m e n t b y r e g u l a t o r y officials t h a t a p r o b l e m exists, little substantive action h a s b e e n t a k e n (i.e., m o s t TIE r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s h a v e n o t b e e n acted u p o n ) . I n a d d i t i o n to t h e t w o b a r r i e r s t h a t p l a y a major role i n t h e a d o p t i o n of FAI t e c h n o l o g i e s d i s c u s s e d h e r e , t h e o t h e r b a r r i e r s l i s t e d i n Tab l e 1 m a y b e of e q u a l or g r e a t e r sign i f i c a n c e to FAI a n d o t h e r e n v i r o n mental technologies. They should b e carefully c o n s i d e r e d as w e l l . A s w e t r y to i n c r e a s e A m e r i c a ' s intern a t i o n a l c o m p e t i t i v e n e s s , it is critical t h a t w e d e v e l o p p o l i c i e s t h a t exp e d i t e t h e a d o p t i o n of n e w t e c h n o l o g i e s , n o t h i n d e r it.
(1)
Lindsey, F. "Agency Activities to Encourage Innovative Environmental Technologies"; presentation at the 9th Annual Waste Testing and Quality Assurance Symposium, Arlington, VA, Tuly 1993.
(2)
Elliot, E. D. FOCUS 1992, 8(4), 1 0 - 1 1 .
(3)
"Monitoring Method Approval System"; EPA Office of Modeling Monitoring Systems and Quality Assurance: Washington, DC, Feb. 1993; 600/F-93-011. "Permitting and Compliance Policy: Barriers to U.S. Environmental Technology Innovation"; Report and Recommendations of the Technology Innovation and Economics Committee, EPA Office of the Administrator: Washington, DC, Tan. 1991; 101/N91/ 001.
Upon request, the author will supply a brief bibliography of articles and papers that demonstrate the efficacy of FAI. He may be contacted at MIT Sea Grant College Program, 292 Main St., E38-306, Cambridge, MA 02139; phone (617) 2534434, fax (617) 258-5730.
(4)
John Moore, Jr., a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA), is also director of the marine industrial affiliates program at MIT Sea Grant. His research interests include the assessment of emerging technologies and their application to the environmental field. He received a B.Sc. degree in ocean engineering and has completed graduate courses in environmental policy, technology assessment, and product and market development.
If you're involved in any aspect of colloid id interface science, The Language of Colloid a n d Interface S c i e n c e is a must-have book! Covering theory, experiment, and application, this volume provides the user with a handy reference to all the terminology found in colloid and interface science literature. This dictionary provides brief explanations for the most important t e r m s that may be encountered in a study of the fundamental principles, experimental investigations, and industrial applications of colloid and interface science. Current and older terms are included, as are crossreferences for important synonyms, abbreviations, and acronyms. It presents useful tables of collections of similar terms, acronyms having related but different meanings, and useful predictive equations for physical properties. Specific literature citations are given where the sources for further information are unique or difficult to find. Laurier L. Schramm, Petroleum Recovery Institute ACS Professional Reference Book 260 pages (1993) Clothbound: ISBN 0-8412-2709-8—$69.95 Paperbound: ISBN 0-8412-2710-1—$39.95 O r d e r from: American Chemical Society · Distribution Office, Dept. 74 · 1155 Sixteenth Street, NW · Washington, DC 20036
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