[CPEO-MEF] Comprehensive Report Evaluates Ten Years of Innovative Technology D

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Contact:
Ann Dempsey
Pacific Rim Enterprise Center
Ph:  (206) 224-9934  x21
Fx:  (206) 224-9935
www.pacific-rim.org 

 
 Comprehensive Report Evaluates Ten Years of Innovative Technology
 Deployment at U.S. DOE, Offers Recommendations	
 
 Seattle, WA, January 5, 2001--Representatives from several state agencies
have just released a comprehensive report that evaluates the first ten
years of the Department of Energy's (DOE) environmental technology
deployment efforts as conducted by the Office of Science and Technology
(OST) within the Office of Environmental Management (EM). Since the end of
the Cold War, DOE/EM has concentrated its efforts on the cleanup of the
nation's former nuclear weapons production facilities, and key to the
success of these endeavors has been the use of innovative technologies that
reduce costs and accelerate the cleanup schedule, all the while ensuring
the health and safety of the public and the environment. 
> 
> The report, Approaches to Improve Innovative Technology Deployment at the
U.S. Department of Energy:  Lessons Learned and Recommendations for a Path
Forward, evolved as a result of three workshops held on the subject of
technology deployment at DOE/EM. The workshops brought together state and
interstate groups, regulators, DOE site contractors, federal officials, and
various stakeholder groups with the goal of facilitating dialogue about the
deployment process. 
> 
 "This is the first comprehensive overview of EM's past programs," notes
project manager and contributing author, Michael Jacobson, "and it draws on
a number of different perspectives. Due to this diverse participation, the
report offers a broad spectrum of recommendations for improving the
deployment process. At the same time, it reveals certain universal themes
that emerged during the workshops and describes the collective proposals
that arose as a result."
> 
> Approaches provides an overview of the significant achievements made and
challenges faced by OST during the first decade of its program. Based
largely upon the workshops' findings, the report captures the concerns of
the various participants and identifies opportunities to improve the
working relationships between DOE and its stakeholders. In addition,
Approaches offers suggestions for paths forward with regard to nine aspects
of the technology development and deployment process, such as technology
assessment, information management, contract reform, and regulatory
acceptance. Among the recommendations made to OST in the report are the
following:
> 
> ·	Increase funding of deployment assistance projects by two to three
times current levels, allocating additional funds above and beyond the
existing research and development program. 
> 
> ·	Improve contracting mechanisms by aligning financial incentives with
clearly defined performance specifications, to help create	market demand
for innovative technologies.
> 
> ·	Require third-party verification of innovative technology
> performance in order to address regulatory and contractors' concerns
about using new technologies. 
> 
> ·	Increase the involvement of DOE technical staff with the Interstate
Technology and Regulatory Cooperation network with the aim of improving
DOE's multi-site deployment rate.
> 
> ·	Continue to fund and support the Accelerated Site Technology
> Deployment program, regarded by many as one of EM's most 	successful
deployment efforts to date.
> 
> "The Approaches report could prove to be a useful template for those in
the new Administration's transition team charged with understanding EM's
technology deployment process," concludes Jacobson. "To deploy technologies
successfully, numerous factors must work simultaneously, much like multiple
gears working in unison. Approaches provides recommendations on how to
optimize these working relationships."
> 
> The technology deployment workshops and production of the report were
conducted under the auspices of the Western Governors' Association, the
Southern States Energy Board, and the Interstate Technology and Regulatory
Cooperation Work Group. Pacific Rim Enterprise Center served as project
manager and publisher. To obtain a copy of the report, contact Ann Dempsey
of Pacific Rim, a non-profit organization that develops innovative,
practical solutions to complex regional, national, and international
 environmental problems. To view an online version, please go to
 www.pacific-rim.org/pub/approaches.pdf. 
 
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Ann Dempsey
Pacific Rim Enterprise Center
The Maritime Building
911 Western Ave., Ste. 508
Seattle, WA  98104-1047
(206) 224-9934 X 21
(206) 224-9935 (fax)
adempsey@pacific-rim.org

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