[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 28 (Friday, February 9, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4975-4978]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-2877]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Research
Office of Environmental Management


Energy Research Financial Assistance Program Notice 96-10; 
Environmental Management Science Program

AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice inviting grant applications.

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SUMMARY: The Offices of Energy Research (ER) and Environmental 
Management (EM), U.S. Department of Energy, hereby announce their 
interest in receiving grant applications for performance of innovative, 
fundamental research to support the management and disposal of DOE 
radioactive, hazardous chemical, and mixed wastes.
    This basic research should contribute to environmental management 
and restoration actions that would decrease risk for the public and 
workers, provide opportunities for major cost reductions, reduce time 
required to achieve EM's mission goals, and, in general, should address 
problems that are considered intractable without new knowledge. This 
program is designed to inspire ``breakthroughs'' in areas critical to 
the EM mission through long-term research and will be managed in 
partnership with ER. ER's well-established procedures, as set forth in 
the Energy Research Merit Review System, as published in the Federal 
Register, March 11, 1991, Vol. 56, No. 47, pages 10244-10246, will be 
used for merit review of applications submitted in response to this 
notice.

DATES: Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a brief 
preapplication. All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 96-10, 
should be received by DOE by 4:30 p.m. e.s.t., February 28, 1996. A 
response discussing the potential program relevance of a formal 
application generally will be communicated to the applicant within 15 
days of receipt. The deadline for receipt of formal applications is 
4:30 p.m., e.d.t., May 8, 1996, in order to be accepted for merit 
review and to permit timely consideration for award in fiscal year 
1996.

ADDRESSES: All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 96-10, 
should be sent to Ms. Bobbi Parra, Office of Health and Environmental 
Research, ER-74, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, 
Germantown, Maryland 20874-1290, 301-903-3316, fax 301-903-8519, or by 
the internet e-mail address [email protected].
    After receiving notification from DOE concerning successful 
preapplications, applicants may prepare formal applications and send 
them to: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Research, Grants 
and Contracts Division, ER-64, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, 
Maryland 20874-1290, Attn: Program Notice 96-10. The above address for 
formal applications must also be used when submitting formal 
applications by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail, any commercial mail 
delivery service, or when hand carried by the applicant. Please note 
that notification of a successful preapplication is not indication that 
an award will be made in response to the formal application.
    It is anticipated that up to $20,000,000 will be available for 
grant awards during FY 1996 that will enable innovative fundamental 
research contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds. 
Multiple-year funding of grant awards is expected and is also 
contingent upon the availability of funds. Award sizes are expected to 
be on the order of $100,000-$300,000 per year for total project costs 
for a typical three year grant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Michelle Broido, Office of Health 
and Environmental Research, ER-74, Office of Energy Research, 19901 
Germantown Road, Germantown, Maryland 20874-1290. Telephone: (301) 903-
3281, or Dr. Carol Henry, Office of Science and Risk Policy, Office of 
Environmental Management, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20585, Telephone: (202) 586-7150.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Environmental Management, in 
partnership with the Office of Energy Research, is initiating an 
Environmental Management Science Program to fulfill DOE's continuing 
commitment for the cleanup of DOE's environmental legacy. Funding to 
initiate this program was established in the Conference Report 
accompanying the FY 1996 Energy and Water Development Appropriation 
Bill.

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. Among the important observations and recommendations made 
by the Galvin Commission (``Alternative Futures for the Department of 
Energy National Laboratories,'' February 1995) are the following:

    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 objectives of the basic science program are to: 
    
[[Page 4976]]

     Provide scientific knowledge that will revolutionize 
technologies and clean-up approaches to significantly reduce future 
costs, schedules, and risks; and
     ``Bridge the Gap'' between broad fundamental research that 
has wide-ranging applicability such as that performed in DOE's Office 
of Energy Research 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

    Basic research is solicited for areas of concern to the 
Department's environmental management programs including but not 
limited to: chemical characterization of wastes and contaminants on an 
atomic and molecular level; development of knowledge of the physical 
and chemical behavior of such species; physical and chemical basis for 
waste separations and treatment; characterization and modeling of 
multi-phase chemical systems in natural systems, waste tanks and 
process streams; and monitoring, controlling, and assessing these 
processes. Understanding the fate of contaminants already in the 
environment includes the identification of the biological and 
geochemical reactions that sequester or degrade contaminants; 
understanding colloids or complexes of associated contaminants; and 
quantifying the impacts of geologic heterogeneity on the effectiveness 
of various remediation strategies. Indirect characterization of the 
geological environment by geophysical techniques provides the basic 
structural information essential in planning and monitoring remedial 
actions. Also important are studies to characterize flow and reactive 
transport through fractured and porous rocks and soils, and to 
characterize the physiological, biochemical, and genetic mechanisms for 
the uptake, transport, and sequestering of inorganic ions and organic 
molecules related to the use of plants and microorganisms for the 
cleanup of hazardous wastes.
    Advances in information and monitoring technologies will also allow 
evaluation of progress in addressing these problems and devising new 
solutions. In the future, the focus will be on increasing efficiency in 
terms of materials and energy use. Better means of monitoring and 
controlling present system operations will significantly improve 
process efficiency and reduce waste outputs.
    Specific examples illustrating the general subject areas, above, 
are found in the background section of this document.
    Applicants in this program are strongly encouraged to collaborate 
with researchers in industry and/or the DOE National Laboratories, when 
appropriate, and to incorporate cost sharing and/or consortia wherever 
feasible. Grant applications are encouraged from all disciplines.

Merit Review and Evaluation Criteria

    Formal applications will be subjected to formal merit review (peer 
review) and will be evaluated against the following evaluation criteria 
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.

    Examples of the considerations associated with determining the 
scientific and/or technical merit of the project include, but are not 
limited to:

--Potential for addressing problems identified by DOE, with meaningful 
progress within the proposed time frame.
--Benefits and merits of an application e.g. public purpose, time 
savings, extent of applicability, cost and risk reduction.

    DOE shall also consider, as part of the evaluation, program policy 
factors such as an appropriate balance among the program areas.
    Note, 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.

Preapplications

    The brief preapplication, in accordance with 10 CFR 600.10(d)(2), 
should consist of two to three pages of narrative describing the 
research objectives and methods of accomplishment together with a brief 
summary of the principal investigator's publication and research 
background. The preapplications will be reviewed relative to the scope 
and research needs of the DOE's Environmental Management Science 
Program by qualified DOE program managers from both ER and EM. 
Telephone and FAX numbers are required parts of the preapplication, and 
electronic mail addresses are desirable.

Information

    Information about the development, submission of applications, 
eligibility, limitations, evaluation, the selection process, and other 
policies and procedures may be found in 10 CFR Part 605, and in the 
Application Guide for the Office of Energy Research Financial 
Assistance Program. The Application Guide is available from the U.S. 
Department of Energy, Office of Energy Research, ER-74, 19901 
Germantown Road, Germantown, Maryland 20874-1290. Telephone requests 
may be made by calling (301) 903-3316. Electronic access to ER's 
Financial Assistance Application Guide is possible via the World Wide 
Web at: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html.

Background

    The justification for such a program is grounded in the long-term 
costs for the Environmental Management program estimated at $200-350 
billion over 75 years; in 10 years at current budget projections, $60 
billion will have been spent, with over two thirds of the program yet 
remaining. This is the largest legacy from the Cold War of any other 
Federal program, dwarfing the Department of Defense's DOD's legacy by 
ten-fold. 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. The Office 
of Energy Research addresses fundamental, frequently long-term, 
research issues related to the many missions of the Department. The 
Environmental Management Science Program will use ER's experience in 
managing fundamental research to address the needs of technology 
breakthroughs in EM's programs.
    This research agenda has been initiated for Fiscal Year 1996, along 
with a development process for a long term program within the Office of 
Environmental Management, with the objective of providing continuity in 
scientific knowledge that will revolutionize technologies and clean-up 
approaches for solving DOE's most complex environmental problems.
    Specific examples of areas of interest for research under this 
solicitation are: 

[[Page 4977]]

     Advanced characterization methods that accelerate 
treatment and immobilization of high-level wastes. Pretreatment and 
separation methods that lead to a significant reduction in the amount 
of immobilized high-level waste requiring long-term isolation. 
Innovative separations for solids and for liquids, needed to 
significantly reduce projected high-level waste volume.
     In-situ characterization of dense non-aqueous phase liquid 
to allow comparative risk assessments of alternative treatment methods. 
In situ immobilization of subsurface contaminants to reduce pump and 
treat costs. Permeable in situ treatment barriers and factors governing 
in situ treatment processes to replace unsatisfactory, extant 
alternatives for treatment of large plumes. Degradation and extraction 
methods for radioactive and hazardous contaminants from soil/water. 
Dissolution of water-soluble sludge; washing of water soluble sludge, 
with recovery of cesium, strontium, technetium.
     Characterization of heterogeneous wastes needed to 
optimize decontamination and decommissioning recycling alternatives. 
Surface stabilization to reduce the ultimate waste volume and to 
enhance recycling. Selective and non-selective removal of contaminants 
from surfaces or bulk materials. Recycling of valuable commodities into 
general commerce.
     Non-destructive and in situ characterization methods to 
characterize the hazard of landfills. Innovative immobilization and 
transformation concepts that significantly reduce the cost of 
remediation. Ex-situ separation and treatment concepts to rapidly and 
safely destroy or immobilize landfill constituents.
     Emission-free destruction of organic wastes. Off-gas 
treatment that eliminates emissions in the environment that exceed 
Environmental Protection Agency requirements. Non-thermal treatment 
concepts for mixed waste. Bioremediation, enzymatic reactions, enzyme 
redesign, genetic engineering, microbial gene sequencing.
     Plutonium behavior in mixed matrices. Long-term monitoring 
concepts for plutonium.
     New concepts for waste stabilization of spent nuclear 
fuel. Long-term monitoring and performance assessment of spent nuclear 
fuel. Physics and chemistry of radionuclides in mixed matrices.
     Specialized waste forms. Performance assessment concepts 
for nuclear waste disposal.
     Ecology. Comprehensive understanding of the flow and use 
of materials and energy in our environmental system and the 
implications of those flows with respect to the environment. Ecosystem 
restoration and management; conduct monitoring, modeling, and process 
research to improve understanding of threatened and damaged ecosystems, 
technologies to restore the productivity and quality of these 
ecosystems.
     Biomarkers and sensors of exposure to contaminated media. 
Multi-site epidemiology studies. Effort to address current health 
concerns while continuing to conduct research that will promote a 
better future understanding of the relationship between exposure and 
health impacts.
    The program will be competitive and offered to investigators in 
universities or other institutions of higher education, or other non-
profit or for-profit organizations, non-Federal agencies or entities, 
or unaffiliated individuals. Apart from this notice, the program also 
will be offered to DOE national laboratories and other Federal 
laboratories, which will compete separately for appropriated funds. To 
ensure that the program is mission-oriented and that its achievements 
are recognized and used by EM, the Environmental Management Science 
Program will be closely integrated with EM's Technology Development 
Focus Areas and will also be closely coordinated with the Office of 
Energy Research to ensure use of broad-based fundamental research and 
development supported by that office.
    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 as guidance when 
considering areas of research to be proposed.
    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 an 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. The Department estimates that the remedial actions at 
Department sites (not including groundwater cleanup, currently 
operating facilities and Naval facilities) could cost a total of $200-
350 billion and take at least 75 years to complete. According to the 
estimates of the total program cost, 49% would go to waste management 
and 28% to environmental restoration, 10% to nuclear material and 
facility stabilization, and 5% to research and technology development 
with the remaining 8% for activities such as site security, 
transportation, and other landlord activities. The estimated life cycle 
costs over 75 years for the seven highest cost problem areas within the 
programs in descending order are as follows:

--Decommissioning
--High Level Waste
--Remedial Actions
--Low Level Waste
--Transuranic Waste
--Mixed Low Level Waste
--Spent Nuclear Fuel

    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. For example, improved 
understanding of the principles of pollutant transport in groundwater 
is required for important advancement in the development of effective 
groundwater-remediation technology. There is a need to involve more 
basic science researchers in the challenges of the Department's 
remediation effort.

References for Background Information on the Mission 
Responsibilities of the Office of Environmental Management

    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 Dr. Carol 
Henry at the address listed in the contacts section.

    DOE. 1995. Closing the Circle on 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, 

[[Page 4978]]
Washington, DC. http://www.em.doe.gov/circle/index.html
    DOE. 1995. Estimating the Cold War Mortgage: The 1995 Baseline 
Environmental Management Report. Volume I, March 1995. U.S. Department 
of Energy Office of Environmental Management, Washington, DC. http://
www.em.doe.gov/bemr/index.html
    DOE. 1995. Environmental Management 1995: Progress and Plans of the 
Environmental Management Program. The U.S. Department of Energy, Office 
of Environmental Management, Washington, DC. http://www.em.doe.gov/
em95/index.html
    DOE. 1995. Risks and the Risk Debate: Searching for Common Ground 
``The First Step''. The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of 
Environmental Management, Washington, DC. http://
raleigh.dis.anl.gov:81/cgi-bin/dispdoc--return.pl?rrd+1
    DOE. 1995. Technology Summary Reports, June 1995 (Rainbow Books) 
http://www.em.doe.gov/emnet5.html
    DOE. 1995. Office of Science and Technology EM-50. http://
www.em.doe.gov/emnet5.html
    National Academy of Sciences. Allocating Federal Funds for Science 
and Technology. 1995. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. http://
www.nas.edu/nap/online/fedfunds/
 National Commission on Superfund Members. Final Consensus Report of 
the National Commission on Superfund. March 1994. Keystone Center and 
the Environmental Law Center of Vermont Law School. N/A
    National Environmental Technology Strategy. Bridge to a Sustainable 
Future. April 1995. National Science and Technology Council, 
Washington, DC. http://iridium.nttc.edu/env/envstrat.txt
    National Research Council. Improving the Environment: An Evaluation 
of DOE's Environmental Management Program. 1995. National Academy 
Press, Washington, DC. N/A
    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. N/A
    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this program 
is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10 CFR Part 
605.

    Issued in Washington, DC January 31, 1995.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director for Resource Management, Office of Energy Research.
[FR Doc. 96-2877 Filed 2-8-96; 8:45 am]
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