August 29, 2011
Capitol Update

In this issue:

 

 

NASA HOSTS AERONAUTICS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY ROUNDTABLE

NASA officials will met with senior aeronautics industry, academia, and government leaders on August 25 to kick off a series of Aeronautics Research and Technology Roundtable (ARTR) discussions about the future of NASA’s aeronautics research portfolio.  NASA Administrator Charles Bolden addressed the participants, along with NASA's Associate Administrator for Aeronautics Research, Jaiwon Shin, and Program Directors for each of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorates Programs.  ASME’s NASA Task Force was represented at the event by Paul Fakes from ASME staff and Professor Inderjit Chopra from the University of Maryland.

The roundtable, sponsored by NASA and organized by the National Research Council, was designed to facilitate dialogue on aeronautics technology challenges among participants and to foster greater partnership among the NASA-related aeronautics community.  The 25-member panel includes a broad range of executives, entrepreneurs and experts representing airframe and engine manufacturers, general aviation companies, academia, industry associations, and other federal agencies. 

While the panel will not produce its own report or vote on official recommendations, the group will provide candid dialogue, feedback, and informal recommendations on the future of NASA’s aeronautics research portfolio.  At least two additional roundtable meetings are anticipated in early and mid-2012.   NASA aeronautics staff will produce a white paper on outcomes from the series of roundtables. 

The first roundtable session focused on providing participants a detailed briefing on NASA’s current aeronautics research activities and included a discussion on the state of the aviation industry, major needs and opportunities for aeronautics in the next 10 to 20 years, promising areas for integrated systems-level research to motivate rapid technology transition, and public-private partnership success stories.  Subgroups of the ARTR will meet over the next few months, culminating with a plenary session in the summer of 2012. 

Additional information on the membership and meetings of the ARTR is available at:  http://sites.nationalacademies.org/DEPS/ASEB/DEPS_061276

Paul Fakes handles NASA R&D public policy related issues for ASME.  He can be reached at fakesp@asme.org. 

 

 

NRC SEEKS PROMPT ACTION ON JAPAN TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has directed its staff to complete several actions within the next 45 days in response to recommendations from the agency’s Near-Term Task Force examination of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident in Japan.
The Commission established the Task Force to examine the agency’s regulatory requirements, programs, processes, and implementation in light of information from the accident following the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. The Task Force presented its report to the Commission on July 12th, proposing 12 recommendations on improving several safety-related areas. The recommendations covered areas including loss of electrical power, earthquakes, flooding, spent fuel pools, venting and preparedness.
The Commission has asked the staff for a series of papers in the next two months covering various aspects of the Task Force’s work, including:

  • The staff has until September 9th to produce a paper outlining which of the Task Force’s recommendations the staff recommends should be implemented without unnecessary delay. The 21-day effort will include a public dialogue on the staff’s proposal, and the staff expects to announce a public meeting in late August;
  • The staff also has an October 3rd deadline to produce a paper which prioritizes Task Force recommendations two through 12. This paper is expected to lay out all agency actions to be taken in responding to lessons learned from the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident. The paper is also expected to lay out a schedule for interacting with the public, other stakeholders and the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS).
  • The staff will also have 18 months to consider the Task Force’s first and broadest recommendation, a call for revising the NRC’s regulatory approach. The Task Force felt the NRC, in order to create a coherent regulatory framework, should seek to identify a better balance between the use of risk analysis to inform regulation and the “defense in depth” concept that underlies many of the agency’s original requirements. The paper is expected to provide options, including a recommended course of action, in dealing with the Task Force’s first recommendation.

The Commission’s direction to the staff is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/cvr/2011/2011-0093vtr.pdf
The Task Force Report may be viewed at: http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1118/ML111861807.pdf

Robert Rains handle public policy-related energy issues for ASME.  He can be reached at: rainsr@asme.org

 

 

CBO ESTIMATES CEDA TO COST $1.1 BILLION BY 2016

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently released its cost estimate of the Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA) proposed by Senate Energy and National Resources Chair Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). Bingaman’s proposal calls for $10 billion in initial funding; however, CBO estimates that “obligations for CEDA’s administrative expenses and credit assistance would total about $2.5 billion over the 2012-2016 period, with outlays totaling about $1.1 billion by 2016.” 

The “Clean Energy Financing Act of 2011,” reported by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on July 11th, would expand the scope of federal financial assistance for clean energy projects relative to existing law. CEDA would be authorized to provide direct loans, loan guarantees, letters of credit, insurance, and other forms of credit enhancement for clean energy projects. Such assistance would be available for investments in the energy, transportation, manufacturing, commodities, residential, commercial, municipal, and other sectors of the economy. This assistance would supplement DOE’s existing credit programs for energy and automotive projects that use advanced technologies and meet certain environmental emissions standards.

Other provisions in the legislation would modify the eligibility criteria and administrative procedures governing DOE’s existing title 17 loan guarantee program. CBO estimates that those changes would increase outlays by about $20 million over the 2012-2016 period. Under this bill, DOE could guarantee debt for new segments of the nuclear power industry.

Last spring, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on this proposal.  One of the main reasons that Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) endorsed the legislation was because of the “recycling” provision that made the bill “revenue neutral.”  Funding from one project could be allocated to support another project, rather than needing an annual appropriation.  Based on publicly available information, CBO estimates that the types of projects authorized by the bill—such as facilities to manufacture components of nuclear power plants and modular nuclear power plants—would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build. While enacting this bill would significantly increase the volume of loans eligible for federal guarantees, CBO expects that most of that increase would occur after 2016 because of the long lead times associated with the construction of new nuclear power plants and the development of new technologies. For this estimate, CBO assumes that DOE would guarantee an additional $500 million over the next five years for newly eligible projects and that most of the outlays for the subsidy cost of the guarantees would occur after 2016.
The full CBO cost estimate may be viewed at: http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/123xx/doc12386/s-ceda.pdf


Robert Rains handle public policy-related energy issues for ASME.  He can be reached at: rainsr@asme.org

 

 

DOE ANNOUNCES $39 MILLION TO STRENGTHEN UNIVERSITY-LED NUCLEAR ENERGY R&D

Earlier this month, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it has awarded up to $39 million in research grants aimed at developing cutting-edge nuclear energy technologies and training and educating the next generation of leaders in the U.S. nuclear industry.   Speaking at the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Nuclear Energy University Programs (NEUP) workshop in Chicago, DOE Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy Peter Lyons said the grants would support up to 51 projects at colleges and universities around the country.

The 51 awards are led by 31 U.S. universities in more than 20 states.  Other universities, industry leaders, and national laboratories will serve as collaborators and research partners.  The projects selected for negotiation of award cover four nuclear energy research fields including:

  • Fuel Cycle Research and Development ($12.4 million): Under this program researchers will develop and demonstrate methods to recycle used fuel to enable the safe, secure and sustainable expansion of nuclear energy, while minimizing proliferation and terrorism risks. Research conducted through this program is focused on developing options that use resources efficiently, reduce waste generation and enable effective waste management;
  • Reactor Concepts Research, Development and Demonstration ($11.9 million): This program aims to develop new and advanced reactor designs and technologies that broaden the applicability of nuclear reactors while addressing the technical, cost, safety and security issues associated with different reactor concepts;
  • Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation ($4.9 million): Under this program, researchers aim to develop cross-cutting tools used to efficiently design and engineer next generation nuclear energy technologies. Advanced modeling and simulation tools help improve the safety and efficiency of reactor operations while reducing the costs associated with building prototypes and running large-scale experiments; and
  • Transformative Research ($9.8 million): This research focuses on innovative nuclear science and engineering projects that encourage the development of game-changing nuclear energy technologies, including advanced reactor and fuel cycle concepts.

For the full list of projects selected for award and for additional information about NEUP, visit https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt/community/neup_home/600/2011_R&D_Abstracts


Robert Rains handle public policy-related energy issues for ASME.  He can be reached at: rainsr@asme.org

 

 

ANSI RELEASES REPORT ON STANDARDS NEEDED TO SUPPORT ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN THE U.S.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system, recently submitted a report to the Department of Energy (DOE) outlining priority areas where standards and conformance activities are needed to facilitate the safe, effective, and large-scale deployment of electric vehicles (EV) in the U.S. The report details findings from the April 5-6 ANSI Workshop, “Standards and Codes for Electric Drive Vehicles,” which ANSI convened on behalf of DOE and the Idaho National Laboratory.

According to the “ANSI Workshop Report: Standards and Codes for Electric Drive Vehicles,” the issues of safety and consumer confidence – and the conformance and training programs needed to support them – are key priorities for the widespread acceptance of EDVs and the continued growth of the market. The overarching conclusion of the April workshop was a call for better coordination and harmonization of standardization efforts, and for a public-private partnership to move this work forward quickly and effectively. Participants agreed that a standardization roadmap for North America would help to establish priorities for the work that needs to be done. A matrix of the various coordinating bodies and standards activities would also help stakeholders to navigate the various activities taking place and facilitate global harmonization.

To offer a neutral forum where public and private sector stakeholders can work cooperatively toward solutions that will help build the market for EDVs, ANSI formed the Electric Vehicles Standards Panel (EVSP) in March 2011.  The goal of the EVSP is to produce a strategic roadmap by year’s end that will define the standards and conformity assessment programs that are needed to support this major shift in our national automotive landscape.

The EVSP began the groundwork for the standardization roadmap at its plenary meeting on June 20-21 in Detroit. The “ANSI Workshop Report: Standards and Codes for Electric Drive Vehicles” will serve as a key input document to the continued efforts of the EVSP.

The full workshop report, as well as the speaker presentations and webinar recordings of the April 5-6 workshop, are available at www.ansi.org/edv

Robert Rains handle public policy-related standards issues for ASME.  He can be reached at: rainsr@asme.org

 

 

USPTO REQUESTS COMMENTS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE "AMERICA INVENTS ACT"

The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA), H.R. 1249, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on June 23, 2011, and currently pending before the U.S. Senate, proposes significant and far-reaching changes to U.S. patent law. Although patent reform legislation is still pending before Congress and neither its passage nor enactment can be presumed, the USPTO is proactively engaging with the public to best prepare for the timely and effective implementation of the legislation should it be enacted.

If this legislation is enacted, the USPTO will need to undertake a series of rulemakings to implement the Act.  Because several provisions of the AIA require implementation within a period of one year from enactment, expeditious rulemaking proceedings will be required.  Given this tight time frame, preliminary input from key stakeholders and the public on implementation of the key provisions would facilitate this process even before the legislation has been enacted.

USPTO has established a website to provide information to stakeholders and the public on the legislation and USPTO’s actions to implement the provisions of the AIA, and to request preliminary input and comments.  The website will be updated throughout the implementation process. 

Documents posted on the website under “Implementation documents” are organized by topic area:

  • Patents;
  • Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI);
  • Fees and Budgetary Issues;
  • Congressionally-Directed Studies and Reports; and,
  • Miscellaneous.

For additional information, go to: http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/aia_implementation.jsp

Paul Fakes handles public policy-related research and development (R&D) issues for ASME.  He can be reached at: fakesp@asme.org

 

NSF ISSUES CALL FOR 2012 ALAN T. WATERMAN AWARD NOMINATIONS

The National Science Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2012 Alan T. Waterman Award. Each year, the Foundation bestows the Waterman Award to recognize the talent, creativity, and influence of a singular young researcher.  The annual award recognizes an outstanding young researcher in any field of science or engineering supported by the National Science Foundation. In addition to a medal, the awardee receives a grant of $500,000 over a three year period for scientific research or advanced study in the mathematical, physical, biological, engineering, social, or other sciences at the institution of the recipient's choice.

Eligibility and selection criteria include the following:

  • Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and must be 35 years of age or younger or not more than 7 years beyond receipt of the Ph.D. degree by December 31 of the year in which they are nominated. For example, candidates eligible for the 2011 award must be born on or after 1975, or received their Ph.D. on or after 2003; and,
  • Candidates should have demonstrated exceptional individual achievements in scientific or engineering research of sufficient quality to place them at the forefront of their peers. Criteria include originality, innovation, and significant impact on the field.

Nomination requirements include:

  • Nomination packages consist of a nomination and four letters of reference submitted via FastLane https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/honawards/;
  • The names of four references are required for each nomination. The references cannot come from the nominee’s home institution. References must be requested by the nominator and submitted by the established FastLane deadline;
  • Nominations will not be reviewed by the Committee unless all the requirements are met; and,
  • Institutions may nominate an unlimited number of individuals.

Nominees are accepted from any field of science or engineering that NSF supports. The deadline for accepting nominations is October 31, 2011.

The Waterman Award fact sheet is available at: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=102999

A PDF version of the call for nominations is available at: http://www.nsf.gov/od/waterman/nsf_watermanaward_2012callfornominations_110728.pdf

 

THE ARTICLES CONTAINED IN CAPITOL UPDATE ARE NOT POSITIONS OF ASME OR ANY OF ITS SUB-ENTITIES, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY NOTED AS SUCH. THIS PUBLICATION IS DESIGNED TO INFORM ASME MEMBERS ABOUT ISSUES OF CONCERN BEING DEBATED AND DISCUSSED IN THE HALLS OF CONGRESS, IN THE STATES, AND IN THE FEDERAL AGENCIES.

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