These are selections from the comments and questions on the Reader Service Cards we received from the November issue of Initiatives.

Q: I would like to find out more about reactive barriers referred to under containment in the article on DOE's Plumes Focus Area in the November 1994 issue of Initiatives. Do you know any source for more information?

Steve Forbes
San Antonio, Texas

A: The only commercially available reactive barrier is from Environmental, Inc. of Canada, a spin-off company of the University of Waterloo.

Jef Walker
Program Manager, Contaminant Plume Containment and
Remediation Focus Area
U.S. Department of Energy

Q: Regarding "DOE works ... to commercialize technology" in the November 1994 Initiatives, who at GETF is handling this?

Owen Fortune
Somerville, New Jersey

A:Tom Harvey is the president of the Global Environmental Technology Foundation, a non-profit organization that develops innovative public-private partnerships to address environmental challenges. You can reach GETF at (703) 750-6401.

Comment: Thanks for making reports available and easy to order by number.

Marylia Kelley
Livermore, California.

Q: How do I get on IETO?

Albert Haddad
Lewisville, Texas

A:You are welcome to attend Interagency Environmental Technologies Office technical meetings that are open to federal employees and contractor personnel. The 1995 meeting schedule began on Wednesday, January 11th with a presentation on Contaminant Analysis Automation and will continue every other Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. The meetings are held at 955 L'Enfant Plaza North, Suite 5322, Washington, DC 20024. Please contact me at 202-426-2086 if you have questions.

George Coyle
IETO Program Manager, U.S. Department of Energy
Environmental Management-
Office of Technology Development

Q: What is the specific impact on DOE's Office of Technology Development of the $10 billion, five-year cut in DOE budget announced December 19?

Andrew Patterson
Pasadena, California

A:With the 104th Congress just getting under way, it is not clear right now how OTD will be affected by budget cuts at DOE. Now that Initiatives will be published bimonthly, however, we will be able to get this information to you soon after it is formally announced.

Comment: "Call for Papers" (on page 15 of the November 1994 issue of Initiatives) listed a conference with an abstract deadline of 12/12/94. I received your publication on 12/13/94.

L.J. Kairys
Monroeville, Pennsylvania

Response: We apologize for the problem. With bimonthly issues of Initiatives, this type of information will reach our readers on a more timely basis.

Q: Is there still a major need for mixed waste laboratories in the EM-50 program and the D&D program by the private sector? If so, will they be subjected to all federal regulations that apply to laboratories under 10 CFR 20 and 40 CFR 262, etc.?

Charles R. Porter
Douglass Environmental Services Inc.
Indianapolis, Indiana

A:Yes, there is still a need for private sector mixed waste laboratories for analyzing samples from the Office of Technology Development (EM-50) as well as from many other programs within EM. A recent study conducted by the Analytical Services Division, EM-263, concluded that DOE analytical laboratories do not currently have the capacity necessary to meet all of EM's analytical needs, and that laboratories in the commercial sector will probably continue to play a major role. The extent of this role will depend on the EM budget and the success of EM to reduce analytical demand through application of the data quality objective (DQO) process. All laboratories, whether private sector or DOE, must meet all applicable state and federal regulations. Therefore, in so far as they are applicable, the laboratories are subject to the federal regulations in 10 CFR 20 "Standards for Protection Against Radiation" and 40 CFR 262 "Standards Applicable to Generators of Hazardous Waste."

Mike Carter
Director, Analytical Services Division
U.S. Department of Energy

Comment: More robots. Thanks for the free subscription.

Link Parikh
Greenbelt, Maryland