Officials from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Technology Development met with representatives from industry, the Western Governors' Association, and other stakeholders in April. About 300 participants gathered outside Phoenix, Arizona and learned about cleanup technologies, DOE's focus area approach, the White House national environmental technology strategy, and the challenge of building partnerships among federal, state, and private interests to implement cleanup in economically sound ways.
DOE Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Technology Development Clyde Frank said in his opening remarks, "There's an alpha and an omega for technology development. Alpha, the technology must be right technically; and omega, the technology must be right socially, that is, publicly acceptable." With the tone set for the meeting, questions were encouraged and participants took advantage of the open atmosphere-- asking about DOE management, funding mechanisms, and technology transfer opportunities.
As an illustration of DOE's progress in working with the private sector, Frank signed a letter of intent with Michael Dunn of Selentec, a small business in Atlanta, Georgia. The two-year, four-million-dollar agreement calls for 50/50 cost sharing. The funded technology is a magnetic separation particle system that selectively removes radioactive pollutants from water. The manufacturing facility is at the DOE Savannah River Site. In celebration of the 25th Earth Day, which occurred during the meeting, the publication, Bridge to a Sustainable Future: National Environmental Technology Strategy, was presented by Thomas Houlihan from the White House National Science and Technology Council. To request a free copy of Bridge to a Sustainable Future, call the National Technology Transfer Center at (800) 368-6676. Information is also on the Internet at World Wide Web URL http://www.nttc.edu.
