[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 20 (Monday, February 1, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4850-4857]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-2310]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice 99-14; Low 
Dose Radiation Research Program

AGENCY: U.S. 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 applications for research that supports the Low Dose 
Radiation Research Program. Research is sought in the following areas:
    (1) Low dose radiation vs. endogenous oxidative damage--the same or 
different?
    (2) Understanding biological responses to radiation and oxidative 
damage.
    (3) Thresholds for low dose radiation--fact or fiction?
    (4) Genetic factors that affect individual susceptibility to low 
dose radiation.
    (5) Communication of research results.
    This Program uses modern molecular tools to develop a better 
scientific basis for understanding exposures and risks to humans from 
low dose radiation that can be used to achieve acceptable levels of 
human health protection at the lowest possible cost. Proposed basic 
research should contribute to EM needs by decreasing health risks to 
the public and workers from low dose radiation, providing opportunities 
for major cost reductions in cleaning up DOE's environmental problems, 
and reducing the time required to achieve EM's mission goals.

DATES: Potential applicants should submit a one page preapplication 
referencing Program Notice 99-14 by 4:30 P.M. E.S.T., February 23, 
1999. A response to preapplications discussing the potential program 
relevance of a formal application generally will be communicated within 
7 days of receipt.
    The deadline for receipt of formal applications is 4:30 P.M., 
E.D.T., April 13, 1999, in order to be accepted for merit review and to 
permit timely consideration for award in FY 1999 and FY 2000.

ADDRESSES: Preapplications referencing Program Notice 99-14, should be 
sent by E-mail to [email protected]. Preapplications will 
also be accepted if mailed to the following address: Ms. Joanne 
Corcoran, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, SC-72, U.S. 
Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290.
    Formal applications, referencing Program Notice 99-14, 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 99-14. 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. David Thomassen, telephone: (301) 
903-9817, E-mail: [email protected], Office of Biological 
and Environmental Research, SC-72, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 
Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290 or Mr. Mark Gilbertson, 
Office of Science and Risk Policy, Office of Science and Technology, 
Office of Environmental Management, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, 
Washington, D.C. 20585, telephone: (202) 586-7150, E-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Low Dose Radiation Research Program

Background and Overview

    Each and every cell in the human body is constantly engaged in a 
life and death struggle to survive ``in spite of itself.'' Normal 
physiological processes needed for cell survival generate toxic 
oxidative products that are damaging, even mutagenic, and potentially 
carcinogenic. Yet cells and people survive because of the cell's 
remarkable capacity to repair the majority, if not all, of this 
oxidative damage. We don't know, however, the relationship

[[Page 4851]]

between this normal oxidative damage and the high frequency of cancers 
that exist in all human populations. Is cancer a price we pay for the 
very biological processes that keep us alive?
    We are also constantly exposed to low levels of natural background 
radiation from cosmic radiation and from naturally occurring 
radioactive materials in soils, water, and even living things. Research 
has taught us that while even low levels of radiation induce biological 
damage, the damage is very similar to the oxidative damage induced by 
normal cellular processes. Thus a critical, yet unanswered, question in 
radiobiology is whether the biological damage induced by low doses and 
low dose rates of radiation is repaired by the same cellular processes 
and with the same efficiency as normal oxidative damage that is a way 
of life for every living cell.
    The Low Dose Radiation Research Program will conduct research to 
determine if low dose and low dose-rate radiation present a health risk 
to people that is the same as or greater than the health risk resulting 
from the oxidative by-products of normal physiological processes. This 
information is a key determinant in decisions that are made to protect 
people from adverse health risks from exposure to radiation.
    Extensive research on the health effects of radiation using 
standard epidemiological and toxicological approaches has been used for 
decades to characterize responses of populations and individuals to 
high radiation doses, and to set exposure standards to protect both the 
public and the workforce. These standards were set by extrapolating 
from the biological effects observed in high-dose radiation studies to 
predicted, but unmeasurable effects, at low radiation doses, using 
modeling approaches. This approach was chosen because of our inability 
to detect changes in cancer incidence following low doses of radiation. 
Thus, the historic approach has been the Linear-no-Threshold model that 
assumes each unit of radiation, no matter how small, can cause cancer. 
As a result, radiation-induced cancers are predicted from low doses of 
radiation for which it has not been possible to directly demonstrate 
cancer induction.
    Most of the projected radiation exposures associated with human 
activity over the next 100 years will be to low dose and low dose-rate 
radiation from medical tests, waste clean-up, and environmental 
isolation of materials associated with nuclear weapons and nuclear 
power production. The major type of radiation exposures will be low 
Linear Energy Transfer (LET) ionizing radiation from fission products. 
The DOE Low Dose Radiation Research Program will thus concentrate on 
studies of low-LET exposures delivered at low total doses and dose-
rates.
    The overriding goal of this program is to ensure that human health 
is adequately and appropriately protected. It currently costs billions 
of dollars to protect workers and the public from exposure to man-made 
radiation, often at exposure levels lower than the natural background 
levels of radiation. If it could be demonstrated that there is no 
increased risk associated with these exposures, these resources could 
be directed toward more critical health related issues.
    The research program will build on advances in modern molecular 
biology and instrumentation, not available during the previous 50 years 
of radiation biology research, to address the effects of very low 
levels of exposure to ionizing radiation. It will concentrate on 
understanding the relationships that exist between normal endogenous 
processes that deal with oxidative damage and processes responsible for 
the detection and repair of low levels of radiation-induced damage.
    Research will focus on understanding the normal cellular processes 
responsible for recognizing and repairing normal oxidative damage and 
radiation-induced damage. If the damage and repair induced by low dose 
radiation is the same as for normal oxidative damage, it is possible 
that there are thresholds of damage that the body can handle. In 
contrast, if the damage from ionizing radiation is different from 
normal oxidative damage, then its repair, and the hazard associated 
with it, may be unique.
    Research conducted in this program will help determine health risks 
from exposures to low levels of radiation, information that is critical 
to adequately and appropriately protect people and to make the most 
effective use of our national resources.

Research Needs

    To understand the relationship between normal oxidative damage and 
radiation-induced damage, studies will be conducted at very low, doses 
and dose-rates and the perturbation of the normal physiological 
processes will be characterized at all levels of biological 
organization--from genes to cells to tissues to organisms. Research 
needs are identified in interrelated five areas:
    1. Low dose radiation vs. endogenous oxidative damage--the same or 
different?
    A key element of this research program will be to understand the 
similarities and differences between endogenous oxidative damage, 
damage induced by low levels of ionizing radiation, and the health 
risks from both.
    Research is needed to understand and quantify real, not calculated, 
differences or similarities in DNA damage induced by normal oxidative 
processes versus low doses or low dose rates of ionizing radiation. 
This information is the foundation for the entire low dose radiation 
research program. Although always needed, it was not previously 
attainable because critical resources and technologies were not 
available. Today, technologies and resources such as those developed as 
part of the human genome program, e.g., coupled capillary 
electrophoresis and mass spectrometry systems and DNA sequence 
information, have the potential to detect and characterize small 
differences in damage induced by normal oxidative processes and low 
doses of radiation.
    A significant investment in technology development will be required 
to expand current capabilities for identifying and quantifying small 
amounts of oxidative or radiation. Radically new technologies are 
likely not needed but current technologies will need to be modified. 
Methodologies having high sensitivity as well as high signal-to-noise 
ratio will be critical in this effort.
    A significant research effort will also be required to characterize 
and quantify normal oxidative damage in cells and the incremental 
increases induced by low doses of ionizing radiation. Partnerships are 
encouraged between laboratories involved in characterization and 
quantification of radiation and oxidative damage and groups with 
expertise in or developing new technology to facilitate progress in 
both areas simultaneously.
    A critical goal of the research component of this program is to 
quantify levels of damage induced by normal oxidative processes and the 
incremental increases due to low dose radiation. Qualitative 
descriptions of differences and/or similarities between the types of 
damage induced under both conditions are useful in the design and 
interpretation of experiments in other parts of the Low Dose Radiation 
Research Program. To be most useful in risk models and for regulators 
these differences or similarities must be quantified.
    2. Understanding biological responses to radiation and endogenous 
damage.
    Molecular, cellular, and tissue responses modify the processing of 
radiation induced damage and/or determine whether or not damaged cells

[[Page 4852]]

are eliminated, inhibited, or expressed. These responses impact cancer 
risks from radiation.
    Research is needed to understand and quantify real, not 
extrapolated or assumed, differences or similarities in biological 
changes and responses observed following exposures to low doses or low 
dose rates of ionizing radiation. This research covers the breadth of 
radiation and cancer biology from the initial recognition and 
processing of radiation damage by a cell to the potential development 
of cancer. Not all research, no matter how important to our 
understanding of the mechanisms of cellular responses to low dose 
radiation or of cancer development, will necessarily be useful for 
estimating health risks from low dose radiation or in choosing low dose 
radiation risk models. However, understanding and quantifying key 
aspects of the biological changes and responses induced by low dose 
radiation is likely to have dramatic impacts on our ability to 
efficiently and effectively protect people from unnecessary and 
avoidable health risks.
    Research will benefit from the rapidly increasing availability of 
DNA sequence data from humans and other model organisms including 
mouse, yeast, fruit fly, etc. Recently developed technologies for 
characterizing and quantifying gene expression should be exploited. In 
some cases, further improvements in these technologies will be needed, 
such as increases in the sensitivity for detecting and quantifying gene 
expression. Cytogenetic techniques that couple traditional cytogenetic 
approaches with advances in molecular biology and automation will 
likely be useful in efforts to determine how accurately low dose 
radiation damage is repaired. Advances in the use and development of 
model organisms and of advanced systems for studying ``normal'' cells 
in culture should also be exploited to study the more complex 
interactions of cells and tissues in determining the biological effects 
of low dose radiation.
    Research is needed that addresses the following six key questions:
    Do cells recognize and respond to low doses of ionizing radiation 
the same way that they do to high doses of radiation? Much of the 
damage induced by radiation and normal oxidative processes is the same. 
Research should concentrate on damage that is unique to low doses of 
radiation and on differences or similarities between biological 
responses following high versus low doses of radiation. It must be 
determined which genes and proteins are specifically induced in 
response to low doses of ionizing radiation, how these relate to other 
oxidative stresses, and importantly, how the induced genes and proteins 
affect endpoints relevant to radiation-induced cancer. It must also be 
determined if the ability and efficacy of cells to recognize and repair 
radiation damage is affected by the radiation dose.
    Do cells repair DNA damage induced by low doses of ionizing 
radiation the same way that they do damage induced by high doses of 
radiation? The repair or misrepair of radiation-induced DNA damage is 
of fundamental importance to all aspects of a cell and/or an organism's 
responses to radiation exposure. The fidelity of the repair and damage 
processing systems will significantly affect the dose response curve 
for cancer induction, particularly at low doses. Ineffective repair or 
misrepair of radiation damage and subsequent processing of this 
unrepaired or misrepaired damage can significantly impact genomic 
integrity resulting in radiation-induced mutations, chromosomal 
aberrations, chromosomal stability, and cancer. Quite simply, if 
radiation-induced damage is faithfully repaired and processed, a 
threshold is expected. On the other hand, if repair and subsequent 
processing can lead to errors at low doses but not at high doses, an 
expectation of a threshold is not warranted.
    Additional understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved and 
in the closely linked damage signaling pathways will provide 
information relevant to the faithful repair of specific lesions, the 
molecular responses of cells to specific lesions and the consequences 
of cellular processing of radiation-induced damage compared to that of 
endogenous damage. Many of these consequences can be assessed using 
rapidly developing molecular cytogenetic technology such as 
combinatorial fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Because 
cytogenetic effects represent the synthesis of damage induction, repair 
and processing, these new technologies provide the opportunity to 
directly test certain key predictions of models of radiation effects at 
low doses. Substantially more information is also need on (1) the 
underlying repair processes; (2) the role of DNA sequence and chromatin 
structure in determining radiation response and target size for 
biological endpoints relevant to cancer; and (3) how and if the 
processing of damage induced by low doses of radiation leads to 
mutations, chromosomal aberrations, and genomic instability.
    How much do low doses of radiation ``protect'' cells against 
subsequent low doses of ionizing radiation? If low doses of radiation 
regularly and predictably induce a protective response in cells to 
subsequent low doses of radiation this could have a substantial impact 
on estimates of adverse health risk from low dose radiation. The 
generality and the extent of this apparent adaptive response in cells 
irradiated with small doses of ionizing radiation needs to be 
quantified.
    Are the potentially damaging effects of low dose radiation 
amplified by interactions between cells? It is important for this 
program to determine if these so-called by-stander effects can be 
induced by exposure to low LET radiation delivered at low total doses 
or dose-rates. If such an effect is demonstrated and quantifiable, it 
could, potentially, increase estimates of risk from low dose radiation. 
This by-stander effect, in essence, ``amplifies'' the biological 
effects of a low dose exposure by effectively increasing the number of 
cells that experience adverse effects to a number greater than the 
number of cells directly exposed to radiation.
    Is genetic instability, a key step in the development of cancer, 
induced or initiated by low doses of radiation? Current evidence 
suggests that DNA repair and processing of radiation damage can lead to 
instability in the progeny of irradiated cells and that susceptibility 
to instability is under genetic control. However, there is virtually no 
information on the underlying mechanisms and how the processing of 
damage leads to instability in the progeny of irradiated cells several 
generations later. Further, while there has been considerable 
speculation about the role of such instability in radiation-induced 
cancer, its role in this process remains to be determined.
    Is the development of cancer induced by low (versus high) doses of 
radiation affected by the unirradiated normal tissues that surround the 
potential cancer cells? The ability of an irradiated cell to escape 
normal tissue regulatory processes or of a tissue to inhibit the 
further progression of precancerous cells may be differentially 
affected by high versus low doses of radiation. Exposure- and dose-
response studies should be conducted to determine if the basic 
mechanisms of radiation action change as a function of total radiation 
dose and dose rate. High doses of ionizing radiation induce matrix and 
tissue disorganization, cell killing, changes in cell proliferation 
kinetics, induction of a multitude of genes and growth factors, and 
extensive chromosome and genetic damage. It is important to determine 
if low doses of

[[Page 4853]]

ionizing radiation can induce these biological changes. It will also be 
important to determine if cancer can be induced by doses that are too 
low to produce such changes.
    3. Thresholds for low dose radiation--fact or fiction?
    We don't know if there are radiation doses or energies below which 
there is no significant biological change or below which the damage 
induced can be effectively dealt with by normal cellular processes. If 
there are, then there should be no regulatory concern for exposures 
below these thresholds since there will be no increase in risk.
    The principal focus of research in this component of the Low Dose 
Radiation Research Plan is to develop methods to synthesize or model 
new molecular level information on low dose radiation induced damage 
and biological responses to that damage into a low dose radiation risk 
model. The goal of this research program is to develop scientifically 
defensible tools and approaches for determining risk that are widely 
used, accepted, and understood. Research should include, but not be 
limited to development of computational techniques, e.g., algorithms 
and advanced mathematical approaches, for use in determining risk, that 
model new information from cellular and molecular studies together with 
available data from epidemiologic and animal studies.
    A secondary, but essential component of this component of the Low 
Dose Radiation Research Plan, will be the design and conduct of 
additional biological experiments to address specific questions or 
predictions made by these new computational approaches. These 
biological experiments, though likely complementary to research 
described above, will be designed and conducted in collaboration with 
modelers.
    4. Genetic factors that affect individual susceptibility to low 
dose radiation.
    Do genetic differences exist making some individuals more sensitive 
to radiation-induced damage? Such genetic differences could result in 
sensitive individuals or sub-populations that are at increased risk for 
radiation-induced cancer.
    The Low Dose Radiation Research Program should have three main 
goals in terms of genetic susceptibility to low dose radiation: (1) 
Identify genes involved in the recognition, repair, and processing of 
damage induced by ionizing radiation, (2) determine the frequencies of 
polymorphisms in these genes in the population, and (3) determine the 
biological significance of these polymorphisms with respect to cancer 
and radiation sensitivity.
    Research in these three areas will strongly complement ongoing 
initiatives at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). DOE staff will 
work with staff at the NIH to ensure that research in the Low Dose 
Radiation Research Program is complementary to and not duplicative of 
research funded by NIH programs.
    The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) is funding 
research to identify common variants in the coding regions of the 
majority of human genes identified during the next five years with the 
goal of developing a catalog of all common variants in all. The NHGRI 
is also working to create a map of at least 100,000 single nucleotide 
polymorphisms, the most common polymorphisms in the human genome 
representing single base-pair differences between two copies of the 
same gene. These so-called SNPs will be a boon for mapping complex such 
as cancer, cancer susceptibility, and susceptibility to low dose 
radiation.
    The National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) is 
funding research as part of its Environmental Genome Project to 
understand the impact and interaction of environmental exposures on 
human disease. The NIEHS project includes efforts to understand genetic 
susceptibility to environmental agents that will allow more precise 
identification of the environmental agents that cause disease and the 
true risks of exposures. The principal focus of NIEHS research will be 
on chemicals so the focus on radiation in the Low Dose Radiation 
Research Program is highly complementary. Initially, the Environmental 
Genome Project will focus on categories of genes including: xenobiotic 
metabolism and detoxification genes; hormone metabolic genes; receptor 
genes; DNA repair genes; cell cycle genes; cell death control genes; 
genes mediating immune and inflammatory responses; genes mediating 
nutritional factors; genes involved in oxidative processes and, genes 
for signal transduction systems.
    Identification of potential susceptibility genes and polymorphisms 
in those genes is only the first (and perhaps the easiest) step in the 
program to characterize and understand genetic susceptibility. 
Determining the biological significance of these genetic polymorphisms 
with respect to cancer and radiation sensitivity is the ultimate goal 
and the more difficult task. The international human genome project, 
structural biology research, and the NHGRI and NIEHS efforts described 
above play important roles determining which polymorphisms are most 
likely to influence gene function. Population genetics and 
computational biology approaches will be required to estimate the 
potential impact on estimates of population and individual risk. 
Genetic epidemiology approaches will also be needed to relate specific 
polymorphisms and combinations of polymorphisms with cancer risk. 
Inbred mouse strains and other model organisms with well-characterized 
differences in susceptibility to radiation-induced cancer are also 
important tools for identifying significant polymorphisms. Direct 
assessment of the biological significance of candidate ``susceptibility 
genes'' can also be undertaken using animal models such as knock-out 
and knock-in mice, mice with specific genes removed or added.
    5. Communication of research results.
    This research program will only be a success if the science it 
generates is useful to policy makers, standard setters, and the public. 
Research results must be effectively communicated so that current 
thinking reflects sound science.
    The Low Dose Radiation Research Program should have two main 
research goals for communicating the Program's research results: (1) 
develop a public communication program based on principles of risk 
communication and (2) develop a public education program based on 
principles of risk communication science.
    Communication with the public about low dose management, requires a 
well-developed plan based on strong basic social science research. The 
goal of communication research in this program should be to understand 
the likely public responses to scientific findings from the Low Dose 
Radiation Research Program and responses to the plans that might result 
to modify existing standards based on these scientific findings. The 
following topics should be included in determining public responses to 
issues regarding low dose radiation exposures: (i) public perceptions 
of risk from exposure to radiation; (ii) the perceived importance of 
the activities and conditions that produce low dose radiation; (iii) 
trust and confidence in risk managers, regulators, and decision makers; 
(iv) the role of the media in characterizing different positions on 
risk controversies; (v) the role of advocacy groups; (vi) the manner by 
which risk is characterized and assessed; and (vii) procedures by which 
decisions are made.
    To present developments from this program in a form that is useful 
and easily understood by the public, the education program would 
develop web

[[Page 4854]]

pages, written resources for public schools, and coordinate multimedia 
coverage of research results and public meetings. Public meetings would 
provide opportunities for the public to meet with scientists and 
regulators involved in policy making, facilitating public input into 
the decision making process.

Radiation Doses of Interest

    The focus of research in the Low Dose Radiation Research Program 
should be on doses of low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation that 
are at or below current workplace exposure limits. In general, research 
in this program should focus on total radiation doses that are less 
than or equal to 10 rads. Some experiments will likely involve selected 
exposures to higher doses of radiation for comparisons with previous 
experiments or for determining the validity of extrapolation methods 
previously used to estimate the effects of low doses of radiation from 
observations made at high doses.

Supplementary Materials

    A draft of the DOE Low Dose Radiation Research Program Plan is 
available on the World Wide Web at http://www.er.doe.gov/production/
ober/berac/draftld.pdf. This research plan outlines a ten-year research 
strategy to help determine the risks to human health from exposure to 
low doses of ionizing radiation.
    Success of the Low Dose Radiation Research Program depends on 
maintaining a diverse and balanced set of research projects that span 
the research needs outlined above. A list and a brief description of 
projects currently funded as part of the Low Dose Radiation Research 
Program is available at http://www.er.doe.gov/production/ober/
ldprojlist.html on the World Wide Web. These projects were funded as 
part of solicitation number 98-11 that can be found on the World Wide 
Web at http://www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/fr98__11.html.

Program Funding

    It is anticipated that up to $4.0 million will be available for new 
grant awards during FY 1999, contingent upon the availability of funds. 
Multiple year funding of grant awards is expected, and is also 
contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds, progress of the 
research, and continuing program need. It is expected that most awards 
will be from 1 to 3 years and will range from $200,000 to $400,000 per 
year (total costs).

Preapplication

    A preapplication should be submitted. The Preapplication should 
contain a title, list of investigators, address, telephone, fax and E-
mail address of the Principal Investigator, and no more than a one page 
summary of the proposed research, including project objectives and 
methods of accomplishment. Preapplications will be reviewed by program 
managers from SC and EM relative to the scope and research needs of the 
DOE Low Dose Radiation Research Program and the Environmental 
Management Science Program (EMSP). Responses to the preapplications, 
encouraging or discouraging formal applications, will generally be 
communicated within 7 days of receipt. Notification of a successful 
preapplication is not an indication that an award will be made in 
response to the formal application.

Applications

(Please Note Critical Information Below on Page Limits)
    Information about the development and submission of applications, 
eligibility, limitations, evaluation, selection process, and other 
policies and procedures may be found in the Application Guide for the 
Office of Science Financial Assistance Program and 10 CFR part 605. 
Electronic access to the Guide and required forms is made available via 
the World Wide Web at: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/
grants.html.
    The Project Description must be 25 pages or less, exclusive of 
attachments. Applications with Project Descriptions longer than 25 
pages will be returned to applicants and will not be reviewed. The 
application must contain an abstract or project summary, letters of 
intent from collaborators, and short curriculum vitaes consistent with 
NIH guidelines.
    Adherence to type size and line spacing requirements is necessary 
for several reasons. No applicants should have the advantage, or by 
using small type, of providing more text in their applications. Small 
type may also make it difficult for reviewers to read the application. 
Applications must have 1-inch margins at the top, bottom, and on each 
side. Type sizes must be 10 point or larger. Line spacing is at the 
discretion of the applicant but there must be no more than 6 lines per 
vertical inch of text. Pages should be standard 8\1/2\'' x 11'' (or 
metric A4, i.e., 210 mm x 297 mm).
    Applicants are expected to use the following ordered format to 
prepare Applications in addition to following instructions in the 
Application Guide for the Office of Science Financial Assistance 
Program. Applications must be written in English, with all budgets in 
U.S. dollars.
     Face Page (DOE F 4650.2 (10-91)).
     Project Abstract (no more than one page).
     Relevance to EM needs (Applicants should use no more than 
one page to describe how the proposed basic research contributes to EM 
needs by decreasing health risks to the public and workers from low 
dose radiation, providing opportunities for major cost reductions in 
cleaning up DOE's environmental problems, or reducing the time required 
to achieve EM's mission goals.).
     Budgets for each year and a summary budget page for the 
entire project period (using DOE F 4620.1).
     Budget Explanation.
     Budgets and Budget explanation for each collaborative 
subproject, if any.
     Project Description (The Project Description must be 25 
pages or less, exclusive of attachments. Applications with Project 
Descriptions longer than 25 pages will be returned to applicants and 
will not be reviewed.).
     Goals.
     Significance of Project to EM needs.
     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.
    The Office of Science, as part of its grant regulations, requires 
at 10 CFR 605.11(b) that a recipient receiving a grant to perform 
research involving recombinant DNA molecules and/or organisms and 
viruses containing recombinant DNA molecules shall comply with the 
National Institutes of Health ``Guidelines for Research Involving 
Recombinant DNA Molecules'', which is available via the world wide web 
at: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/odhsb/biosafe/nih/rdna-apr98.pdf, (59 FR 
34496, July 5, 1994), or such later revision of those guidelines as may 
be published in the Federal Register.

Collaboration

    Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with researchers in other 
institutions, such as universities,

[[Page 4855]]

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.

Merit and Relevance Review

    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. 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.
    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 EMSP which include protecting 
the health of the populations that live near or work at DOE sites. 
Additional information on the EMSP can be obtained at http://
www.em.doe.gov/science; on the World Wide Web.

Environmental Management Science Program Overview

Purpose

    The need to build a stronger scientific basis for the Environmental 
Management effort has been established in a number of recent studies 
and reports. The Galvin Commission report (``Alternative Futures for 
the Department of Energy National Laboratories,'' February 1995) also 
provided the following observations and recommendations:

    There is a particular need for long term, basic research in 
disciplines related to environmental cleanup . . . Adopting a 
science-based approach that includes supporting development of 
technologies and expertise . . . could lead to both reduced cleanup 
costs and smaller environmental impacts at existing sites and to the 
development of a scientific foundation for advances in environmental 
technologies.

    The Environmental Management Advisory Board Science Committee 
(Resolution on the EMSP, May 2, 1997) made the following observations:

    EMSP results are likely to be of significant value to EM . . . 
Early program benefits, include: improved understanding of EM 
science needs, linkage with technology needs, and expansion of the 
cadre of scientific personnel working on EM problems . . . Science 
program has the potential to lead to significant improvement in 
future risk reduction and cost and time savings.

    The objectives of the EMSP 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 wide-ranging 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.

Representative Research Areas

    The EMSP solicits basic research in all areas of science that have 
the potential for addressing one or more of the areas of concern to the 
Department's Environmental Management Program. Overall, the scientific 
disciplines relevant to the EMSP include, but are not limited to:
     Biology (including cellular and molecular biology, 
ecology, bioremediation, genetics, biochemistry, and structural 
biology).
     Chemistry (including analytical chemistry, catalysis, 
heavy element chemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, 
physical chemistry, and separations chemistry).
     Computational sciences (including research and development 
of mathematical/numerical, informatics, and communication procedures 
and software technology, e.g., for deterministic simulations and 
optimization).
     Engineering sciences (including control systems and 
optimization, diagnostics, transport processes, thermophysical 
properties and bioengineering).
     Geosciences (including geophysical imaging, 
physicochemical dynamics and chemical transport in fluid-rock systems, 
and hydrogeology).
     Health sciences.
     Materials science (including condensed matter physics, 
metallurgy, ceramics, waste minimization, welding and joining, 
degradation mechanisms, and remote sensing and monitoring).
     Physics (including atomic, molecular, optical, and fluid 
physics).
     Plant science (including mechanisms of mineral uptake, 
intercellular transport, and concentration and sequestration).

Major Environmental Management Challenges.

    This research notice is part of a long-term program within 
Environmental Management to provide continuity in scientific knowledge 
that will more effectively protect workers and the public and 
revolutionize approaches for solving DOE's most complex environmental 
problems. The following is an overview of the major technical 
challenges facing the Environmental Management Program. More detailed 
descriptions of the specific technical work performed at DOE sites can 
be found in the background section of this Notice.
    The Department is the guardian of over 300 large storage tanks 
containing over 100 million gallons of highly radioactive wastes, that 
include organic and inorganic chemical compounds, in solid, colloidal, 
slurry, and liquid phases. The environment within the tanks is highly 
radioactive and chemically harsh. A few of the tanks have leaked to the 
environment while others are corroding. The contents of these tanks 
need to be characterized, removed from the tanks, treated, and 
converted to safe forms for disposal.
    The Department is the custodian of several thousand metric tons of 
spent nuclear reactor fuels, resulting primarily from weapons 
fabrication activities during the Cold War, but also including fuel 
from research and naval reactors. The long-term containment performance 
of the fuel under storage and disposal conditions is uncertain. Such 
uncertainties affect the ability to license disposal methods.
    The Office of Environmental Management is the custodian of large 
quantities of fissile materials which were left in the manufacturing 
and processing facilities after the United States halted its nuclear 
weapons production activities. These materials include plutonium 
solutions, plutonium metals and oxides, plutonium residues and 
compounds, highly enriched uranium, and nuclides of other actinides. 
Additional scientific information is required to choose

[[Page 4856]]

processes for converting these materials to stable forms.
    The Department currently has on its sites over one hundred sixty 
thousand cubic meters of waste containing both radioactive and 
hazardous materials. This mixed waste contains a wide variety of 
materials, as varied as protective clothing, machining products and 
wastes, packaging materials, and process liquids. Fundamental 
scientific data are needed to improve processes associated with 
treatment systems, such as characterization, pre-treatment, and 
monitoring.
    The Department is committed to the safe disposal of all radioactive 
wastes, including high-level wastes, mixed wastes, and fissile 
materials. Safe disposal of these materials requires that the wide 
range of potential waste streams be converted into insoluble materials 
for long term storage. Some radioactive material-containing forms have 
been successfully developed and are being produced; however, at 
present, research challenges still exist in developing suitable forms 
for each material to be stored.
    The Department is currently conducting cleanup activities at many 
of its sites, and is preparing plans for additional remediation work. 
There is much scientific uncertainty about the levels of risk to human 
health at the end stages of the DOE clean-up effort. This notice for 
new research in FY 1999 is intended to address these uncertainties.

Background

    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 begun the environmental remediation of the complex 
encompassing radiological and nonradiological hazards, vast volumes of 
contaminated water and soil, and over 7,000 contaminated structures. 
The Department must characterize, treat, and dispose of hazardous and 
radioactive wastes that have been accumulating for more than 50 years 
at 120 sites in 36 states and territories.
    By 1995, the Department had spent about $23 billion in identifying 
and characterizing its waste, managing it, and assessing the 
remediation necessary for its sites and facilities. Over the next ten 
years at current budget projections, another $60 billion will be spent. 
The DOE cleanup of the Cold War legacy is the largest cleanup program 
in the Federal Government, even larger than that of the Department of 
Defense legacy.
    The Office of Environmental Management is responsible for waste 
management and cleanup of DOE sites. The EM operations have been 
historically compliance-based and driven to meet established goals in 
the shortest time possible using either existing technologies or those 
that could be developed and demonstrated within a few years. 
Environmental Management is also responsible for conducting the program 
for waste minimization and pollution prevention for the Department.
    The variety and volume of the Department's current activities make 
this effort a challenge itself. In some cases, fundamental science 
questions will have to be addressed before a technology or process can 
be engineered. There is a need to involve more basic science 
researchers in the challenges of the Department's remediation effort. 
The Office of Science addresses fundamental, frequently long-term, 
research issues related to the many missions of the Department. The 
EMSP uses SC's experience in managing fundamental research to address 
the needs of technology breakthroughs in EM's programs.
    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; and at the extensive links contained therein. 
These 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 for Background Information

    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 Mr. Mark A. 
Gilbertson at the address listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section.

DOE 1998. Accelerating Cleanup: Paths to Closure
    http://www.em.doe.gov
DOE 1998. Report to Congress on the U.S. Department of Energy's EMSP: 
Research Funded and Its Linkages to Environmental Cleanup Problems.
    http://www.doe.gov/em52
DOE 1998. EMSP Workshop.
    http://www.doe.gov/em52
DOE 1997. Research Needs Collected for the EM Science Program--June 
1997.
    http://www.doe.gov/em52/needs.html
DOE 1997. U.S. Department of Energy Strategic Plan
    http://www.doe.gov/policy/doeplan.html
DOE 1998. Office of Science and Risk Policy EM-52 and EMSP.
    http://www.em.doe.gov/science/
DOE 1998. Office of Science and Technology EM-50.
    http://em-50.em.doe.gov/
DOE 1998. Office of Science and Risk Policy, Risk Policy Program.
    http://www.em.doe.gov/irm/index.html
DOE 1998. Office of Environment, Safety, and Health.
    http://www.eh.doe.gov/
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
National Research Council 1997. Building an EMSP: Final Assessment. 
National Academy Press, Washington, DC.
    http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/envmanage/
National Research Council 1995. Improving the Environment: An 
Evaluation of DOE's Environmental Management Program. National Academy 
Press, Washington, DC
    http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/doeemp/
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.doe.gov/html/doe/whatsnew/galvin/tf-rpt.html
U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. Complex Cleanup: The 
Environmental Legacy of Nuclear Weapons Production, February 1991. U.S. 
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC NTIS Order number: 
PB91143743. To order, call the NTIS sales desk at (703) 487-4650.
    http://www.wws.princeton.edu:80/ota/disk1/1991/
9113__n.html
National Science and Technology Council 1996. Assessing Fundamental 
Science, Council on Fundamental Science.
    http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/ostp/assess/
 The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this program 
is

[[Page 4857]]

81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10 CRF part 605.

    Issued in Washington, DC January 22, 1999.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director of Science for Resource Management.
[FR Doc. 99-2310 Filed 1-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P