These are selections from the comments and questions we have received from readers of Initiatives.

Q: When will there be another technology exhibit and where?

Carl R. Galbraith,
American Morikawa
Pt. Orchard, Washington

A: There will be an exhibit held in conjunction with Spectrum '94 in mid-August in Atlanta, Georgia, and an Air & Waste Management Association Technology Fair, June 19-24, in conjunction with the Air & Waste Management Association Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. If you are interested in participating in these exhibits, or attending, call Leslie Savage at Triodyne, Inc. Phone: (708) 677-4730, fax: (708) 647-2047.

Q: What, if any, SOPs [standard operating procedures] exist for selecting, installing, implementing, monitoring of horizontal well systems as either groundwater containment or cleanup, or soil vapor extraction system components?

Richard T. Eapes
Midwest Research Institute
Cary, North Carolina

A: There currently are no standard operating procedures addressing horizontal well systems. However, the VOCs in the Non-Arid Soils Integrated Demonstration is dedicating resources in FY 94 to develop and distribute a newsletter discussing the overall capabilities, limitations, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of directional drilling systems for use in environmental remediation applications. In addition, an advisory/users group will be formed to assist with transferring the technology and information exchange. [Editor's note: Initiatives will provide information on ordering the newsletter when it becomes available.]

Kurt Gerdes
Test and Evaluation Scientist with the
Office of Technology Development, DOE

Q: How do I find out about "Expedited Site Characterization" that Dr. Clyde Frank spoke of in his interview with Initiatives?

David L. Graham
SEACOR Env. Eng.
Tualatin, Oregon

A: Please see the interview with Caroline Purdy this issue for details on how to request information.

Q: I have advanced technology called STOLS. I want to know how to put it to use doing non-intrusive sub-surface characterization.

Richard Russell
GEO Centers, Inc.
Newton, Massachusetts

A: The best place to start is to call the Environmental Technology Information Service at (800) 845-2096. The staff at that number will provide information and direct you to the appropriate DOE technology expert. The DOE Characterization, Monitoring, Sensor Technology Integrated Program has, in fact, watched demonstrations of STOLS including a demonstration supported at a DOE site. STOLS has also been acknowledged by DOE as a useful characterization tool.

Eric Lightner
Project Manager for the Characterization, Monitoring,
Sensor Technology Integrated Program, DOE

Q: I have been pushing for the use of activated gas plasma to reduce the volume of organic low level radioactive wastes to about 1% of the present volume as a substitute for incineration. Who do I contact with my suggestions and factual knowledge?

Nicholas J. DeLollis
Private consultant
Albuquerque, New Mexico

A: Technical questions like those above are best answered by calling the Environmental Technology Information Service (800) 845-2096. The staff at that number are knowledgeable about DOE's organization, the technologies being used, and the experts in the organization. They are able to find specific resources and people to address such questions.

Comment: Add a one page summary for each DOE laboratory summarizing progress of tech transfer activities.

Thomas M. Stoops
Citizen
Idaho Falls, Idaho

Response: A publication relevant to this comment is scheduled for release after this issue of Initiatives goes to press. The comment will be addressed in a future issue and information on how to obtain the publication made available.

Judy Schwab
Editor, Initiatives in Environmental
Technology Investment

Q: Why doesn't DOE start addressing remediation project cleaning up operations? All I've seen are studies, technologies, etc. based on the K-25 Pond Waste Management Project. It is a sorely neglected area!

Michael E. House
Management Services Group
Saint Augustine, Florida

A: It's true that DOE has done a lot of studies in response to regulatory requirements and in preparation for its major cleanup work, but it has also done actual remediation work. However, sites such as the solar ponds at K-25 are eye sores that understandably provoke criticism while groundwater cleanup, for example, is an invisible remediation activity.

A shift in emphasis at DOE from planning to results is under way. The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 requires agencies such as DOE to show measurements of their performance ( you can't do that with studies alone. It is to the department's advantage to show results in the near term (three to four years) since the Office of Management and Budget can increase budgets and staff for agencies getting the job done.

Lawnie Taylor
Technology Support Manager, Office of
Program Support for Environmental Restoration, DOE

Q: Why aren't DOE and NRC [Nuclear Regulatory Commission] contract and research reports available via anonymous telnet and FTP [file transfer protocol] on Internet?

Donald Baker
Aquarius Engineering
Ft. Collins, Colorado

A: The Strategic Plan for the DOE Office of Science Education and Technical Information includes a goal to make the department's information easily accessible. However, a number of policy, legal, resource, and standards issues need to be resolved before such publicly available reports could be generally made accessible by anonymous telnet or FTP. We expect bibliographic references to DOE reports (and NRC reports from DOE facilities) will be accessible over Internet by June 30, 1994, and work on resolving issues related to making the full text of reports accessible will continue.

Jesse Rushing
Office of Scientific and
Technical Information, DOE