[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]
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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.
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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
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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