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FAS just uncovered some old Office of Technology Assessment swag. I particularly like the “I was at OTA til the bitter end” coffee mug.
From FAS:
Hidden among the many, many documents related to OTA we’ve received are some real treasures. Today we have photos of some old OTA coffee mugs. Does anyone else have old OTA memorabilia that we could photograph and add to the site? Yours truly is featured in the final shot.
By guest blogger Char Hu
The recent request by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for immunity from lawsuits originally filed against the hired manufactures of temporary housing for displaced residents from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita underlines the inadequacies of the current paradigm for federal emergency housing. The subsequent fallout from these hurricanes presents the opportunity for science to provide innovative solutions to aid in the recovery and rebuilding from future natural disasters.
In response to mounting health concerns due to living conditions, FEMA, in conjunction with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), implemented a study to determine the exposure levels of formaldehyde in existing trailer and mobile homes. Average levels were found to be 77 parts per billion (ppb), approximately 5 times the amount allowed under recently announced FEMA specifications for temporary housing units and double that of the Minimum Risk Level determined by the CDC. These obviously harmful living conditions emphasize the need for the development of quick and safe temporary housing solutions.
FAS just found this awesome video on OTA from 1983 including Tron-like graphics! Does anyone know where this video came from or who put it up on Google video? FAS would like to get in touch with them.
The American shad, once a staple in the diet and economy of coastal American Indians, boasts a cult following today. Those who love to fish delight in the challenge of hooking shad; culinary enthusiasts whip up shad roe delights; local Chambers of Commerce revel in folksy, commercial shad festivals; and environmentalists glorify the shad as a symbol of hope.
This remarkable fish has an impressive ecological link. Like salmon, it migrates from its saltwater ocean home to fresh river waters to spawn. The shad’s oscillating presence reflects both the health of the water and the accessibility of a river’s passageways. And today’s continuing efforts to protect shad provide a good example of the long-lasting impact of expert studies by the former congressional Office of Technology Assessment.
A voluminous report prepared by OTA on fish passage technologies just before former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich shut its doors in 1995 has gained prominence in the current crisis. The report, titled “Fish Passage Technologies: Protection at Hydropower Facilities,” prepared for the House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans, provides the kind of analysis that could potentially help Pennsylvania officials prevent the demise of the shad population, which at the time of its release was quite healthy due to earlier federal efforts to help the shad amid the growth of hydropower plants.
Along with the new archive of OTA material, FAS released a video interview with Rep. Rush Holt talking about the importance of OTA. Unfortunately, the video features my voice in the intro.
By Nate Hafer at FAS
Today the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) launched the Office of Technology Assessment Archive, http://www.fas.org/ota. The site allows the public to access over 720 reports and documents produced by OTA during its 23 year history, including many that have not been available to the public previously. OTA served as an independent branch of the U.S. Congress that provided nonpartisan science and technology advice from 1972 until it was defunded and forced to close in 1995.
The site also features a new video interview with Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ), who has been spearheading the effort on Capitol Hill to revive OTA. According to Rep. Holt, “if OTA were here, doing this kind of work, we would have better legislation for school safety, chemical exposure, grain dust explosions, the R&D tax credit, on and on.” He goes on to describe some current policy issues that OTA could address and explains why Congress should bring back OTA.
“The OTA was an invaluable resource that informed Congress about an incredibly broad range of science and technology issues,” said Henry Kelly, President of the Federation of American Scientists and a former OTA staff member. “Numerous reports, on subjects such as transportation, energy, health care, and information technology remain relevant, more than 10 years after OTA issued its final report.”
“OTA produced the first report raising the possibility of genetic discrimination in the workplace almost 17 years before the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act was passed,” according to Michael Stebbins, Director of Biology Policy at FAS. “That kind of foresight into major policy issues is sorely missed in Washington today.”
The Archive will track efforts to bring back OTA and will also highlight items not previously available to the public in a “Document of the Day” feature. The website also includes a new search engine that allows users to quickly and easily find specific content in OTA reports.
Visit the Office of Technology Assessment Archive at http://www.fas.org/ota/
By Cheryl Vos at the Federation of American Scientists
Today The Guardian is reporting on a new US Army “non-lethal personal suppression projectile”
Not many details are known about the classified weapon, but the article speculates:
“Experts suggest three possible payloads: an existing riot-control agent, malodorants or a new chemical agent. Existing agents include CS gas and a form of pepper spray. But these seem unlikely choices, because their effects only last minutes, and could wear off before friendly forces arrive. They could also face a legal challenge: the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the use of riot control agents in warfare.”
By Steve After good at Secrecy News a project of the Federation of American Scientists.
The White House last week issued a National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD-59) to provide a framework for government agencies to collect, maintain and share biometric data such as fingerprints and other physiological or behavioral characteristics of suspected terrorists.
“The ability to positively identify those individuals who may do harm to Americans and the Nation is crucial to protecting the Nation,” the directive states.
“Many agencies already collect biographic and biometric information in their identification and screening processes. With improvements in biometric technologies, and in light of its demonstrated value as a tool to protect national security, it is important to ensure agencies use compatible methods and procedures in the collection, storage, use, analysis, and sharing of biometric information.”
“Through integrated processes and interoperable systems, agencies shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, make available to other agencies all biometric and associated biographic and contextual information associated with persons for whom there is an articulable and reasonable basis for suspicion that they pose a threat to national security.”
“The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy,” who hasn’t been heard from much lately, “shall coordinate executive branch biometric science and technology policy.”
The new directive on “Biometrics for Identification and Screening to Enhance National Security” was issued on June 5, 2008 as both National Security Presidential Directive 59 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive 24.
Science, Health, and Related Policies
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