Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2001 / Notices 3559

Technology Literacy Challenge Fund,

the Education for Homeless Children

and Youth Program under Title VII of

the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless

Assistance Act, the Dwight D.

Eisenhower Professional Development

Program, and the Safe and Drug-Free

Schools and Communities Program

make use of SPPE data indirectly

because their formulas are based, in

whole or in part, on State Title I

allocations.

In January 2001, the Bureau of the

Census, acting as the data collection

agent for NCES, will mail to SEAs ED

Form 2447 with instructions and

request that SEAs submit data to the

Bureau of the Census on March 15,

2001, or as soon as possible thereafter.

SEAs are urged to submit accurate and

complete data on March 15, or as soon

as possible thereafter, to facilitate timely

processing. Submissions by SEAs to the

Bureau of the Census will be checked

for accuracy and returned to each SEA

for verification. All data, including any

revisions, must be submitted to the

Bureau of the Census by an SEA not

later than September 4, 2001.

Having accurate and consistent

information, on time, is critical to an

efficient and fair allocation process, as

well as the NCES statistical process. To

ensure timely distribution of Federal

education funds based on the best, most

accurate data available, NCES

establishes, for allocation purposes,

September 4, 2001 as the final date by

which ED Form 2447 must be

submitted. However, if an SEA submits

revised data after the final deadline that

results in a lower SPPE figure, its

allocations may be adjusted downward

or the Department may request the SEA

to return funds. SEAs should be aware

that all of these data are subject to audit

and that, if any inaccuracies are

discovered in the audit process, the

Department may seek recovery of

overpayments for the applicable

programs. If an SEA submits revised

data after September 4, 2001 the data

may also be too late to be included in

the final NCES published dataset.

Electronic Access to This Document

You may view this document, as well

as all other Department of Education

documents published in the Federal

Register, in text or Adobe Portable

Document Format (PDF) on the Internet

at either of the following sites: http://

ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm; http://

www.ed.gov/news.html.

To use PDF you must have Adobe

Acrobat Reader, which is available free

at either of the previous sites. If you

have questions about using PDF, call the

U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO),

toll free, 1–888–293–6498; or in the

Washington DC area at (202) 512–1530.

Note: The official version of this document

is the document published in the Federal

Register. Free Internet access to the official

edition of the Federal Register and the Code

of Regulations is available on GPO access at:

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html

Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9003(a).

Dated: January 10, 2001.

C. Kent McGuire,

Assistant Secretary for Educational Research

and Improvement.

[FR Doc. 01–1242 Filed 1–12–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Science and Office of

Environmental Management; Office of

Science Financial Assistance Program

Notice 01–19; Environmental

Management Science Program:

Research Related to Deactivation and

Decommissioning Issues

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice inviting grant

applications.

SUMMARY: The Offices of Science (SC)

and Environmental Management (EM),

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),

hereby announce their interest in

receiving grant applications for

performance of innovative, fundamental

research to support specifically

innovative, fundamental research to

investigate DOE deactivation and

decommissioning issues.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of

formal applications is 4:30 P.M., E.S.T,

March 20, 2001, in order to be accepted

for merit review and to permit timely

consideration for award in Fiscal Year

2001.

ADDRESSES: Formal applications

referencing Program Notice 01–19

should be sent to: U.S. Department of

Energy, Office of Science, Grants and

Contracts Division, SC–64, 19901

Germantown Road, Germantown, MD

20874–1290, ATTN: Program Notice 01–

16. This address must be used when

submitting applications by U.S. Postal

Service Express, commercial mail

delivery service, or when hand carried

by the applicant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Roland F. Hirsch, SC–73, Mail Stop F–

237, Medical Sciences Division, Office

of Biological and Environmental

Research, Office of Science, U.S.

Department of Energy, 19901

Germantown Road, Germantown, MD

20874–1290, telephone: (301) 903–9009,

fax: (301) 903–0567, E-mail:

roland.hirsch@science.doe.gov, or Mr.

Mark Gilbertson, EM–52, Office of Basic

and Applied Research, Office of Science

and Technology, Office of

Environmental Management, 1000

Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC 20585, telephone: (202)

586–7150, E-mail:

mark.gilbertson@em.doe.gov. The full

text of Program Notice 01–19 is

available via the Internet using the

following web site address: http://

www.science.doe.gov/production/

grants/grants.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office

of Environmental Management, in

partnership with the Office of Science,

sponsors the Environmental

Management Science Program (EMSP)

to fulfill DOE’s continuing commitment

to the clean-up of DOE’s environmental

legacy.

The DOE Environmental Management

program currently has ongoing applied

research and engineering efforts under

its Technology Development Program.

These efforts must be supplemented

with basic research to address long-term

technical issues crucial to the EM

mission. Basic research can also provide

EM with near-term fundamental data

that may be critical to the advancement

of technologies that are under

development but not yet at full scale nor

implemented. Proposed basic research

under this Notice should contribute to

environmental management activities

that would decrease risk for the public

and workers, provide opportunities for

major cost reductions, reduce time

required to achieve EM’s mission goals,

and, in general, should address

problems that are considered intractable

without new knowledge. This program

is designed to inspire breakthroughs in

areas critical to the EM mission through

basic research and will be managed in

partnership with SC. The Office of

Science’s well-established procedures,

as set forth in the Office of Science

Merit Review System, available on the

World Wide Web at: http://

www.science.doe.gov/production/

grants/merit.html will be used for merit

review of applications submitted in

response to this Notice. Subsequent to

the formal scientific merit review,

applications that are judged to be

scientifically meritorious will be

evaluated by DOE for relevance to the

objectives of the Environmental

Management Science Program.

Additional information can be obtained

at: http://www.emsp.em.doe.gov/

main.htm. Additional Notices for the

Environmental Management Science

Program may be issued during Fiscal

3560 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2001 / Notices

Year 2001, covering other areas within

the scope of the EM program.

Purpose

The purpose of the EMSP is to foster

basic research that will contribute to

successful completion of DOE’s mission

to clean-up the environmental

contamination across the DOE complex.

The objectives of the Environmental

Management Science Program are to:

• Provide scientific knowledge that

will revolutionize technologies and

clean-up approaches to significantly,

reduce future costs, schedules, and

risks;

• ‘‘Bridge the gap’’ between broad

fundamental research that has wideranging applicability such as that

performed in DOE’s Office of Science

and needs-driven applied technology

development that is—conducted in

EM’s Office of Science and Technology;

and

• Focus the Nation’s science

infrastructure on critical DOE

environmental management problems.

The focus of the EMSP is on basic

research and the objective of this

research Program is to develop a longrange science plan for deactivation and

decommissioning (D&D). The National

Research Council, Committee on LongTerm Research Needs for Deactivation

and Decommissioning at Department of

Energy Sites, December 5, 2000 report

provided technical advice on the

‘‘recommended areas of research where

the EM Science Program can make

significant contributions to solving

(D&D) problems and adding to scientific

knowledge generally.’’

Representative Research Areas

Basic research is solicited in all areas

of science with the potential for

addressing problems in deactivation and

decommissioning. Relevant scientific

disciplines include, but are not limited

to: chemical sciences (including

fundamental interfacial chemistry,

computational chemistry, actinide

chemistry, and analytical chemistry and

instrumentation), engineering sciences

(including control systems and

optimization, diagnostics, transport

processes, fracture mechanics and

bioengineering), materials science

(including other novel materials-related

strategies), and bioremediation

(including microbial science related to

ex situ treatment of organics, metals and

radionuclides and in situ treatment of

organics).

Project Renewals

Lead Principal Investigators of record

for Projects funded under Office of

Science Notice 98–04, Environmental

Management Science Program: Research

Related to Decontamination and

Decommissioning of Facilities, are

eligible to submit renewal applications

under this solicitation.

It is recognized that many of the

projects funded in FY1998 of the

program have already been very

successful. At the same time, we believe

that many of these research groups have

the potential to make significant

additional contributions toward

addressing the science needs of the

Office of Environmental Management

(EM).

Program Funding

It is anticipated that up to a total of

$4,000,000 of Fiscal Year 2001 Federal

funds will be available for new

Environmental Management Science

Program awards resulting from this

Notice. Multiple-year funding of grant

awards is anticipated, contingent upon

the availability of appropriated funds.

Award sizes are expected to be on the

order of $100,000–$300,000 per year for

total project costs for a typical threeyear grant. Collaborative projects

involving several research groups or

more than one institution may receive

larger awards if merited. The program

will be competitive and offered to

investigators in universities or other

institutions of higher education, other

non-profit or for-profit organizations,

non-Federal agencies or entities, or

unaffiliated individuals. DOE reserves

the right to fund in whole or part any

or none of the applications received in

response to this notice. A parallel

announcement with a similar potential

total amount of funds will be issued to

DOE Federally Funded Research and

Development Centers (FFRDCs) and

may be accessed on the World Wide

Web at: http://www.science.doe.gov/

production/grants/LAB01_19.html. All

projects will be evaluated using the

same criteria, regardless of the

submitting institution.

Collaboration and Training

Applicants to the EMSP are strongly

encouraged to collaborate with

researchers in other institutions, such as

universities, industry, non-profit

organizations, federal laboratories and

Federally Funded Research and

Development Centers (FFRDCs),

including the DOE National

Laboratories, where appropriate, and to

incorporate cost sharing and/or

consortia wherever feasible. Refer to:

http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/

grants/Colab.html for details.

Applicants are also encouraged to

provide training opportunities,

including student involvement, in

applications submitted to the program.

Application Format

Applicants are expected to use the

following format in addition to

following instructions in the Office of

Science Financial Assistance Program

Application Guide. Applications must

be written in English, with all budgets

in U.S. dollars.

• SC Face Page (DOE F 4650.2 (10–

91))

• Application classification sheet (a

plain sheet of paper with one selection

from the list of scientific fields listed in

the Application Categories Section)

• Table of Contents

• Project Abstract (no more than one

page)

• Budgets for each year and a

summary budget page for the entire

project period (using DOE F 4620.1)

• Budget Explanation. Applicants are

requested to include in the travel budget

for each year funds to attend the annual

National Environmental Management

Science Program Workshop, and also for

one or more extended (one week or

more) visits to a clean-up site by either

the Principal Investigator or a senior

staff member or collaborator.

• Budgets and Budget explanation for

each collaborative subproject, if any

• Project Narrative (recommended

length is no more than 20 pages; multiinvestigator collaborative projects may

use more pages if necessary up to a total

of 40 pages)

• Goals

• Significance of Project to the EM

Mission

• Background

• Research Plan

• Preliminary Studies (if applicable)

• Research Design and Methodologies

• Literature Cited

• Collaborative Arrangements (if

applicable)

• Biographical Sketches (limit 2 pages

per senior investigator)

• Description of Facilities and

Resources

• Current and Pending Support for

each senior investigator

Application Categories

In order to properly classify each

application for evaluation and review,

the documents must indicate the

applicant’s preferred scientific research

field, selected from the following list.

Field of Scientific Research

1. Actinide Chemistry

2. Analytical Chemistry and

Instrumentation

3. Bioremediation

4. Engineering Sciences

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2001 / Notices 3561

5. Interfacial Chemistry

6. Materials Science

7. Other

Application Evaluation and Selection

Scientific Merit

The program will support the most

scientifically meritorious and relevant

work, regardless of the institution.

Formal applications will be subjected to

scientific merit review (peer review) and

will be evaluated against the following

evaluation criteria listed in descending

order of importance as codified at 10

CFR 605.10(d).

1. Scientific and/or Technical Merit of

the Project,

2. Appropriateness of the Proposed

Method or Approach,

3. Competency of Applicant’s

Personnel and Adequacy of Proposed

Resources,

4. Reasonableness and

Appropriateness of the Proposed

Budget.

The evaluation will include program

policy factors such as the relevance of

the proposed research to the terms of

the announcement and the Department’s

programmatic needs. DOE shall also

consider, as part of the evaluation,

program policy factors such as an

appropriate balance among the program

areas, including research already in

progress. External peer reviewers are

selected with regard to both their

scientific expertise and the absence of

conflict-of-interest issues. Non-federal

reviewers may be used, and submission

of an application constitutes agreement

that this is acceptable to the

investigator(s) and the submitting

institution.

Relevance to Mission

Researchers are encouraged to

demonstrate a linkage between their

research projects and significant

contamination problems at DOE sites.

Researchers could establish this linkage

in a variety of ways—for example, by

elucidating the scientific problems to be

addressed by the proposed research and

explaining how the solution of these

problems could improve D&D

capabilities. Subsequent to the formal

scientific merit review, applications

which are judged to be scientifically

meritorious will be evaluated by DOE

for relevance to the objectives of the

Environmental Management Science

Program.

DOE shall also consider, as part of the

evaluation, program policy factors such

as an appropriate balance among the

program areas, including research

already in progress. Research funded in

the Environmental Management Science

Program in Fiscal Years 1996 through

2000, can be viewed at: http://

emsp.em.doe.gov/portfolio/

multisearch.asp.

Application Guide and Forms

Information about the development,

submission of applications, eligibility,

limitations, evaluation, the selection

process, and other policies and

procedures may be found in 10 CFR Part

605, and in the Application Guide for

the Office of Science Financial

Assistance Program. Electronic access to

the Guide and required forms is made

available via the World Wide Web at:

http://www.science.doe.gov/production/

grants/grants.html. DOE is under no

obligation to pay for any costs

associated with the preparation or

submission of applications if an award

is not made.

Major Environmental Management

Challenges

The safety for workers conducting

D&D operations is an issue that will

grow as DOE takes on the more

challenging D&D tasks. Workers deal

with special hazards that are different

from those in other parts of DOEs

Accelerating Clean-up Paths to Closure

(DOE, 1998a), including the following:

• Working in confined spaces in areas

of high radioactivity,

• Disassembling and removing

massive steel and concrete structures,

• Direct, hands-on manual labor with

powerful saws, torches, and lifting

devices, and

• Incomplete knowledge of the highly

complex systems they are dismantling.

Scientific Issues

The recognized issues pose challenges

in characterization, decontamination,

and remote systems where current

technology is inadequate and where

EMSP funded, research could make

significant contributions include:

Characterization

Characterization of contaminated

materials is critical at several stages of

D&D. Initially, the nature and extent of

contamination with both radionuclides

and toxic materials must be accurately

assessed to ensure adequate protection

of workers and the environment, as well

as to allow the selection of appropriate

methods of decontamination. During

decontamination and/or demolition of

contaminated equipment and structures,

there must be some means of monitoring

progress and potential contaminant

releases. Finally, after decontamination,

the nature and extent of residual

contamination must be assessed to

determine the final classification and

disposal of the item in question.

(1) The identification and

development of means, preferably realtime, minimally invasive, and field

usable, to locate and quantify difficult to

measure contaminants significant to

D&D. These means should be applicable

to the major materials and

configurations of interest, such as

concrete, stainless steel, and packaged

wastes. The contaminants of interest,

includes tritium, technetium-99,

plutonium-239 and other actinides,

beryllium, mercury, asbestos, and

polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Rationale: The varied nature of D&D

facilities has led to a wide range of

contaminant types and site-specific

characterization challenges, each

generally requiring a detector tailored

specifically to the contaminant being

measured and its matrix. Some 2,700

buildings, constructed mostly of

concrete and containing 180,000 metric

tons of metals, are currently within

EM’s D&D task. Four areas where

research can advance the state of art: (1)

Methods to assess the distribution of

contaminants within concrete; (2)

sensors to measure contaminants on the

surface and within micro-cracks of

metals; (3) remote sensing of

contaminants; and (4) biosensors.

The development of minimally and

non-invasive real-time in situ sensing

technologies to characterize the

concentration of contaminants, as a

function of depth within concrete,

would eliminate difficulties associated

with core sample collection and

subsequent analysis. Minimally invasive

schemes like laser ablation mass

spectroscopy or non-intrusive

techniques like neutron activation and

x-ray analysis appear to be attractive

candidates for further research.

More sensitive detectors, for example

for alpha particles (USDOE, 1999), as

well as simple-to-use techniques, such

as chemical indicators are needed to

quickly certify levels of nuclides,

hazardous metals, and other toxic

substances on structural surfaces and

equipment. This will help ensure safety

in the workplace and reduce costs—for

example by allowing non-hazardous

waste to be disposed in landfills.

Analysis of residual low-energy beta

emitters like tritium and Tc-99 is

particularly challenging when these

isotopes are inside equipment or mixed

in heterogeneous waste matrices,

because the beta articles cannot

penetrate through most materials.

Remote sensing systems can provide

both economic and safety benefits by

distancing the worker from hazardous

work areas. Remote mapping of activity

3562 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2001 / Notices

levels using gamma cameras (USDOE,

1998b) is now being used to great

advantage in D&D operations. Smaller,

higher sensitivity and resolution

versions of these instruments would be

desirable and may be achievable

through further research on detector

materials and geometries. Fiber-optic

sensing for remote detection of some

chemical species is feasible. Further

research could lead to its use in sensing

chemical contaminants relevant to D&D.

Fiber-optic radiation sensors are a more

recent development and opportunities

exist for both improved performance

and novel features such as optical

interrogation.

(2) The basic research that could lead

to development of biotechnological

sensors to detect contaminants of

interest may provide a completely new

way to meet the needs for

characterization of contaminated

materials. The field of biotechnology is

rapidly expanding, and the

contaminants of interest and the

materials and configurations in which

they must be detected, is noted in (1).

Rationale: There has been tremendous

growth in development and

commercialization of a broad range of

biosensor devices and applications.

Modern devices can range from fiberoptic and micro-cantilever-linked

immuno assays to subcellular and

cellular micro-electronic. Analytes

measurable by biosensors include a vast

array of organic chemicals,

biochemicals, inorganics, and metals

and more recently ionizing radiation.

Research to integrate microelectronics

and nanotechnology with elements of

gene array technology and cellular

engineering may lead to new sensor

technology (see http://www.nano.gov/

press.htm for details). This technology

could create new capacity for

continuous and remote monitoring in

chemically and physically complex

environmental and structural systems

characteristic of DOE’s site D&D needs.

Decontamination

The decontamination of equipment

and facilities is necessary at several

stages of the D&D process. Initially,

radiation and contamination levels may

have to be reduced to allow worker

access or to limit their exposure to

radiation and other hazards.

Decontamination may be required

before dismantling or demolition work

to prevent the spread of radioactive or

toxic materials. Unplanned releases can

have off-site as well as on-site

consequences. Decontamination

procedures are intended to result in a

small volume of the most hazardous

waste, and much larger volumes of

waste that has low or no hazard, thus

reducing the cost and long-term risk of

disposal. Some decontaminated

equipment or facilities might be

recycled or reused. The end state of any

decontamination activity must be

consistent with both site-specific and

overall DOE clean-up objectives.

(3) The basic research toward

fundamental understanding of the

interactions of important contaminants

with the primary materials of interest in

D&D projects, including concrete,

stainless steel, paints, and ‘‘strippable’’

coatings is needed.

Rationale: Scientific understanding of

the interactions among contaminants

and construction materials is

fundamental to developing more

effective D&D technologies. Both

radioactive and toxic contaminants can

exist in a variety of chemical forms (for

example, in different valence states,

complexes, or as colloids), which

exhibit very different behaviors. While a

good deal of chemical data on the

contaminants themselves exist as well

as data on their transport in the

environment there is little information

of direct relevance to D&D problems.

Such information includes how

contaminants bind to steel and concrete

surfaces, how they penetrate into these

materials, their migration into pores,

fissures, and welds, and time-dependent

‘‘aging’’ effects. Once sufficient

thermodynamic and kinetic data on

these interactions are obtained to allow

their modeling from first principles, the

models would allow various

decontamination approaches to be

evaluated and provide a better way to

interpret data from characterization.

(4) The basic research on

biotechnological means to remove or

remediate contaminants of interest from

surfaces and within porous materials.

Rationale: The capacity of

microbiological processes to destroy,

transform, mobilize, and sequester

toxins, pollutants, and contaminants is

well-established. Through research to

extend well-known technology in

mineral ore leaching and metal

recovery, these biochemical capacities

may be exploitable for removal of metals

and radionuclides from concrete and

building debris. An excellent example

of which was recently described in an

American Society for Microbiology

report (see ASM News. 66:133). In

addition, microbial biocorrosion

processes for structural metals and

concrete are well established and the

opportunity exists to investigate

fundamental processes that could

facilitate volumetric reduction of waste

from D&D activities. Biotechnical

advances in surface treatments of

contaminated structures and materials

are anticipated from continuing R&D

activities, elucidation of biocatalytic

properties of biological systems and

engineering chemicals, and

biosurfactants with unique physical

chemical properties. A fundamental

understanding of the biological

processes would also help to ensure that

waste by-products from the

decontamination could be safely treated

and stabilized.

Remote Systems

For D&D work, remote systems

provide a unique means to separate

workers from hazardous work areas,

thus enhancing their safety and

productivity. This technology crosscuts

all of the other D&D areas—

characterization, decontamination, and

dismantlement—and has the potential

for substantial performance

enhancement and cost reduction. There

are broad ranges for potential

applicability of fundamental advances

in this area.

(5) The basic research toward creating

intelligent remote systems that can

adapt to a variety of tasks and be readily

assembled from standardized modules.

Today’s remote systems are one-of-akind devices of high cost and limited

capability. Their inflexibility leads to

rapid obsolescence and is a barrier to

their deployment. The recommended

initial research focus would be as

follows:

a. Actuators

Rationale: The actuator is the power

(muscle) of remote systems, and as such,

it is the key to performance, reliability,

and cost. Except for better construction

materials and improved control

electronics, most actuator technology

has not changed for several decades.

Today’s actuators typically use only one

sensor (for position) so that virtually no

real time data (for example, force and

velocity) are available to make them

‘‘intelligent.’’ More complete sensory

input, coupled with decision-making

software can produce intelligent

actuators that are able to adapt to a

variety of tasks. Achieving a relatively

inexpensive modular design to allow

‘‘plug and play’’ deployment of these

devices would be especially useful

because equipment that fails or becomes

contaminated is usually discarded.

Research to answer the question of

granularity (What is the minimum

number of required standard modules?)

to enable the assembly on demand of

the maximum number of remote

systems would make the overall system

substantially more cost effective in

deployment and maintenance.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2001 / Notices 3563

b. Universal Operational Software To

Provide Criteria-Based Decision Making

Rationale: Criteria-based decision

making is the essence of intelligence in

robotic systems. What is the best use of

the system’s resources to perform the

task at hand? Today’s control of robotic

devices is derived from techniques

developed during World War II in

which control is linear (based only on

the difference between two measured

parameters). A robot capable of

mimicking human adaptability,

however, would require a non-linear

control system coupled to many

parameters corresponding to the

physical features that accurately

represent performance of the task. The

criteria-based software could be

universal in the same sense that

operating systems on personal

computers are universal—one system

supports many different applications.

c. Virtual Presence of the Worker in

Hazardous Environments

Rationale: In the initial planning and

characterization phases of D&D work,

workers often must enter an area of high

radiation and contamination that is also

congested with left-in-place equipment

and materials for which removal

inevitably involves physical stress

(fatigue) and the potential for personal

injury. Virtual reality systems could

allow workers to perform essential

survey and decision making functions

from a remote location thus enhancing

their safety and productivity. Advances

in the state of the art as now used in

deep sea exploration should be pursued

to improve overall system performance

by providing force feedback, remote

vision, collision avoidance, and

radiation resistant sensor technology.

The nature and extent of

contamination with both radionuclides

and toxic materials must be accurately

assessed to ensure adequate protection

of workers and the environment, as well

as to allow the selection of appropriate

methods of decontamination.

Background

DOE expects to spend some $30

billion for D&D of weapons complex

facilities after 2006. For example the

Savannah River and Hanford sites

present the biggest D&D challenges and

will be undertaken after 2006 with

about half of the $30 billion being saved

through use of innovative technologies

that it expects could be developed by

that time.

The United States involvement in

nuclear weapons development for the

last 50 years has resulted in the

development of a vast research,

production, and testing network known

as the nuclear weapons complex. The

Department has the challenge of

deactivating 7,000 contaminated

buildings and decommissioning 900

contaminated buildings that are

currently on DOE’s list of surplus

facilities. It is also responsible for

decontaminating the metal and concrete

within those buildings and disposing of

180,000 metric tons of scrap metal.

Deactivation refers to ceasing facility

operations and placing the facility in a

safe and stable condition to prevent

unacceptable exposure of people or the

environment to radioactive or other

hazardous materials until the facility

can be decommissioned. Typically,

deactivation involves removal of fuel

and stored radioactive and other

hazardous materials and draining of

systems. Decommissioning is the

process of decontaminating or removing

contaminated equipment and structures

to achieve the desired end state for the

facility. Desired end states include

complete removal and remediation of

the facility, release of facility for

unrestricted use, or release of facility for

restricted use. Decontamination is the

removal of unwanted radioactive or

hazardous contamination by a chemical

or mechanical process.

Details of the programs of the Office

of Environmental Management and the

technologies currently under

development or in use by

Environmental Management Program

can be found on the World Wide Web

at: http://www.em.doe.gov/index4.html

and at the extensive links contained

therein. The programs and technologies

should be used to obtain a better

understanding of the missions and

challenges in environmental

management in DOE when considering

areas of research to be proposed.

References

Note: World Wide Web locations of these

documents are provided where possible. For

those without access to the World Wide Web,

hard copies of these references may be

obtained by writing Mark A. Gilbertson at the

address listed in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section.

DOE. 1995. Closing the Circle on the

Splitting of the Atom: The

Environmental Legacy of Nuclear

Weapons Production in the United

States and What the Department of

Energy is Doing About It. The U.S.

Department of Energy, Office of

Environmental Management, Office of

Strategic Planning and Analysis,

Washington, DC, http://

www.em.doe.gov/circle/index.html

DOE. 1998a. Accelerating Clean-up:

Paths to Closure—June 1998. http://

www.em.doe.gov/closure

DOE. 1998. Report to Congress on the

U.S. Department of Energy’s

Environmental Management Science

Program—April 1998. http://

emsp.em.doe.gov/

DOE. 2000. Environmental

Management Advisory Board. http://

www.em.doe.gov/emab/

DOE. 2000 Environmental

Management Science Program, Project

Summaries. http://emsp.em.doe.gov/

DOE. 2000. Office of Integration and

Disposition. http://www.em.doe.gov/

office.html

DOE. 2000 Office of Science and

Technology (EM–50). http://

www.ost.em.doe.gov/

Environmental Management Advisory

Board Science Committee. 1997.

Resolution on the Environmental

Management Science Program dated

May 2, 1997.

National Research Council. 1996.

Affordable Clean-up? Opportunities for

Cost Reduction in the Decontamination

and Decommissioning of the Nation’s

Uranium Enrichment Facilities.

Washington, DC: National Academy

Press.

National Research Council. 1998. A

Review of Decontamination and

Decommissioning Technology

Development Programs at the DOE.

Washington, DC: National Academy

Press.

National Research Council. 1997.

Building an Environmental Management

Science Program: Final Assessment.

National Academy Press, Washington,

DC, http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/

books/envmanage/

National Research Council. 2000.

Letter Report, Committee on Long-Term

Research Needs for Deactivation and

Decommissioning at Department of

Energy Sites December 5, 2000. http://

books.nap.edu/books/NI000321/html/

1.html#pagetop

Secretary of Energy Advisory Board.

Alternative Futures for the Department

of Energy National Laboratories.

February 1995. Task Force on

alternative Futures for the Department

of Energy National Laboratories.

Washington, DC, http://

www.hr.doe.gov/seab/galvin/tf-rpt.html

The Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance Number for this program is

81.049, and the solicitation control

number is ERFAP 10 CFR Part 605.

3564 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2001 / Notices

Issued in Washington DC on January 9,

2001.

John Rodney Clark,

Associate Director of Science for Resource

Management.

[FR Doc. 01–1182 Filed 1–12–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–U

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Science and Office of

Environmental Management; Office of

Science Financial Assistance Program

Notice 01–16: Environmental

Management Science Program: Basic

Science Research Related to High

Level Radioactive Waste

AGENCY: Office of Science and Office of

Environmental Management,

Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice inviting grant

applications.

SUMMARY: The Offices of Science (SC)

and Environmental Management (EM),

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),

hereby announce their interest in

receiving grant applications for

performance of innovative, fundamental

research to support specific activities for

high level radioactive waste; which

include, but are not limited to,

characterization and safety, retrieval of

tank waste and tank closure,

pretreatment, and waste immobilization

and disposal.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of

formal applications is 4:30 p.m. E.S.T.,

March 8, 2001, in order to be accepted

for merit review and to permit timely

consideration for award in Fiscal Year

2001.

ADDRESSES: Formal applications

referencing Program Notice 01–16

should be sent to: U.S. Department of

Energy, Office of Science, Grants and

Contracts Division, SC–64, 19901

Germantown Road, Germantown, MD

20874–1290, ATTN: Program Notice 01–

16. This address must be used when

submitting applications by U.S. Postal

Service Express, commercial mail

delivery service, or when hand carried

by the applicant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Roland F. Hirsch, SC–73, Mail Stop F–

237, Medical Sciences Division, Office

of Biological and Environmental

Research, Office of Science, U.S.

Department of Energy, 19901

Germantown Road, Germantown, MD

20874–1290, telephone: (301) 903–9009,

fax: (301) 903–0567, E-mail:

roland.hirsch@science.doe.gov, or Mr.

Mark Gilbertson, Office of Basic and

Applied Research, Office of Science and

Technology, Office of Environmental

Management, 1000 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585,

telephone: (202) 586–7150, E-mail:

Mark.Gilbertson@em.doe.gov. The full

text of Program Notice 01–16 is

available via the World Wide Web using

the following web site address: http://

www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/

grants.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office

of Environmental Management, in

partnership with the Office of Science,

sponsors the Environmental

Management Science Program (EMSP)

to fulfill DOE’s continuing commitment

to the clean-up of DOE’s environmental

legacy. The program was initiated in

Fiscal Year 1996. Ideas for basic

scientific research are solicited which

promote the broad national interest of a

better understanding of the fundamental

characteristics of highly radioactive

chemical wastes and their effects on the

environment.

The DOE Environmental Management

program currently has ongoing applied

research and engineering efforts under

its Technology Development Program.

These efforts must be supplemented

with basic research to address long-term

technical issues crucial to the EM

mission. Basic research can also provide

EM with near-term fundamental data

that may be critical to the advancement

of technologies that are under

development but not yet at full scale nor

implemented. Proposed basic research

under this Notice should contribute to

environmental management activities

that would decrease risk for the public

and workers, provide opportunities for

major cost reductions, reduce time

required to achieve EM’s mission goals,

and, in general, should address

problems that are considered intractable

without new knowledge. This program

is designed to inspire ‘‘breakthroughs’’

in areas critical to the EM mission

through basic research and will be

managed in partnership with SC. The

Office of Science’s well-established

procedures, as set forth in the Office of

Science Merit Review System, available

on the World Wide Web at: http://

www.science.doe.gov/production/

grants/merit.html will be used for merit

review of applications submitted in

response to this Notice. Subsequent to

the formal scientific merit review,

applications that are judged to be

scientifically meritorious, will be

evaluated by DOE for relevance to the

objectives of the Environmental

Management Science Program and for

relevance to the technical focus of this

solicitation (see ‘‘Relevance to Mission’’

section below). Additional information

can be obtained at http://

emsp.em.doe.gov. Additional Notices

for the Environmental Management

Science Program may be issued during

Fiscal Year 2001 covering other areas

within the scope of the EM program.

Purpose

The purpose of the EMSP is to foster

basic research that will contribute to

successful completion of DOE’s mission

to clean-up the environmental

contamination across the DOE complex.

The objectives of the Environmental

Management Science Program are to:

1. Provide scientific knowledge that

will revolutionize technologies and

clean-up approaches to significantly

reduce future costs, schedules, and

risks;

2. ‘‘Bridge the gap’’ between broad

fundamental research that has wideranging applicability such as that

performed in DOE’s Office of Science

and needs-driven applied technology

development that is conducted in EM’s

Office of Science and Technology; and

3. Focus the Nation’s science

infrastructure on critical DOE

environmental management problems.

Representative Research Areas

Basic research is solicited in areas of

science with the potential for addressing

problems in the clean-up of high level

radioactive waste. Relevant scientific

disciplines include, but are not limited

to, chemistry (including actinide

chemistry, analytical chemistry and

instrumentation, interfacial chemistry,

and separation science), computer and

mathematical sciences, engineering

science (chemical and process

engineering), materials science

(degradation mechanisms, modeling,

corrosion, non-destructive evaluation,

sensing of waste hosts, canisters), and

physics (fluid flow, aqueous-ionic solid

interfacial properties underlying

rheological processes).

Project Renewals

Lead Principal Investigators of record

for Projects funded under Office of

Science Notice 98–08, Environmental

Management Science Program: Research

Related to High Level Radioactive

Waste, are eligible to submit renewal

applications under this solicitation.

Program Funding

It is anticipated that up to a total of

$4,000,000 of Fiscal Year 2001, Federal

funds will be available for new

Environmental Management Science

Program awards resulting from this

Announcement. Multiple-year funding

of awards is anticipated, contingent

upon the availability of appropriated

funds. Award sizes are expected to be