38 Assessments in Press as of October 1, 1982 Industrial and Commercial Cogeneration Assessment Report and The need to reduce U.S. dependence on expensive and scarce petroleum as a primary fuel in the industrial, commercial, and electric utility sectors has created a resurgence of interest in cogeneration--the combined production of both electric power and heat or steam in one technological process. Cogenerators can contribute to our Nation's efforts to use fuel more efficiently; moreover, problems faced by the electric utility industry--including rapidly rising capital costs, long lead times for powerplant construction, and difficulties in finding suitable sites--may make cogenerators an attractive alternative to conventional central station powerplants. This report examines the role that cogenerators could play in providing electric and thermal energy for industrial and commercial facilities while distributing electricity to the utility grid. It reviews and evaluates the economic, environmental, social, and institutional consequences of cogeneration, with a special emphssis on the potential effects on the planning and operations of the electric utility industry. A major focus of this evaluation is the potential effects of oil- and gas-fired cogenerators on overall oil and gas use. A series of issues on the incentives for cogeneration in the industrial and commercial sectors are examined. Finally, the study analyzes policy options that Congress may wish to consider in addressing the issues about the development of cogeneration systems. Requested by: House Committees: Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs; Medical Technologies Under Proposals to Increase Assessment Report and The indiscriminate use and rising cost of medical technology have figured prominently in discussions of problems that characterize the financing and delivery of medical care. But the development and use of medical technology have also been prominent features of modern medical care in the United States. Thus, it is important to examine the positive and negative implications for medical technology of proposals to restructure the financial incentives of the medical marketplace. This study analyzes the implications for medical technology of two categories of proposals to increase competition: increased cost sharing by patients when they use medical care; and greater competition among plans that provide health insurance and deliver medical care. After describing the provisions of the two strategies, the study examines the likely effects of each approach on the use and innovation of medical technology, the quality of care provided, 39 and the needs of consumers for information and the availability of information. Although policy options are not provided, the policy implications are raised and discussed. Requested by: House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Endorsed by: Senate Postmarketing Surveillance of Prescription Drugs Assessment Report This report reviews the history and objectives of postmarketing surveillance activities, provides an explanation of the methods used in premarketing and postmarketing testing of prescription drugs, and describes current activities in postmarketing monitoring. Current interest is focused on the premarketing approval process and the length of time it takes for a drug to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and FDA has recently proposed rules to accelerate the drug approval process. The report provides criteria to help evaluate the effects such changes might have compared to the current regulations in detecting adverse drug reactions prior to approval of a drug for marketing. Legislative options are also identified that could strengthen FDA's powers in the postmarketing period. Requested by: House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Alternatives for a National Computerized Assessment Report and The assessment of national information systems includes three information system case studies and an overview study. The overview study examined the use of computer technology in national information systems, computer-related public policy issues that Congress is likely to face over the next few years, and key trends in the underlying technology and industry structure. The case study on electronic message systems (EMS) examined the impacts of EMS on the mailstream and on a possible U.S. Postal Service role in electronic mail. The case study on electronic funds transfer (EFT) analyzed the possible impacts of EFT on privacy, security, and equity. The case study on computerized criminal history (CCH) records assesses the major issues and impacts associated with the principal alternatives for a national CCH system. Requested by: House Committees: Judiciary; Post Office and Civil Service. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Patents and the Commercialization of New Assessment Report and The climate for generating new technologically based enterprises in the 40 In their appraisals of the exact contribution such firms make to innovation, employment, and economic progress; however, it is possible that the contribution level is high and that technologically based enterprises are essential to the growth and revitalization of our society. Fledgling entrepreneurs and independent innovators are frequently dependent on, and influenced by, the patent system to a much greater degree than are large, established firms. almost all aspects of the patent system--e.g., prosecution, interferences, licensing, litigation--small firms and individual inventors face far more difficult obstacles and economic choices than do the large firms. The importance of new technologically based firms to the future economic vitality of the United States underscores the need to assess the impact of the patent system on the generation and stimulation of such entreprises. Requested by: House Committee on the Judiciary. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Endorsed by: House Committee on Small Business. Information Technology and Its Impact on Assessment Report Over the past decade, the educational system has been increasingly pressed to meet a variety of new needs on a constant or even shrinking budget. The Federal and State governments now require that schools provide equal educational opportunities to groups traditionally outside the mainstream, such as the handicapped. Changing needs for job skills and changing demographic conditions also present new demands for education and training beyond the ages traditionally considered as the educational years. Information technology potentially provides opportunities for education systems to improve productivity and quality of instruction, and to offer more flexibility both in content and in the time and place of offering. Previous attempts to enlist technology in education have had mixed outcomes, but the markedly lower cost and increased capability of new and projected computer technology, coupled with advances in telecommunication services, imply the need for a new look at educational uses of technologies. The study identifies and projects relevant technology and R&D activity, and the providers and users of curricula and educational technology, and assesses the likely impacts of selected alternative policies on the use of information technology. Requested by: House Committee on Education and Labor. Endorsed by: House Committee on Science and Technology. Managing Commercial High-Level Radioactive Waste Assessment Report More than three decades into the nuclear age, this country still has no permanent disposal facilities for commercial high-level radioactive waste. This report focuses on technologies for disposal of commercial high-level waste (spent fuel or solidified waste from reprocessing). A clear understanding of the problem of managing radioactive waste from its generation to final disposal requires comprehensive analysis of the interactive relationships among possible storage and disposal technologies; transportation systems; 11-489 - 83 - 7 41 regulatory considerations, and Federal, State, and local jurisdictional prerogatives. The OTA study used systems analysis technique to evaluate a range of strategies for developing and deploying a commercial high-level radioactive waste disposal system. Other waste forms are considered to the extent needed to determine how their management and disposal will affect commercial high-level waste disposal plans and to provide a basis for analysis of the impacts of, and management problems presented by, a full-scale waste disposal system. Requested by: House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. Endorsed by: House Committees: Science and Technology; Foreign Affairs. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Technological Innovation and Health, Safety, and Assessment Report This report examines the effects of health, safety, and environmental regulation on the rate of productivity growth and on technological innovation in several sectors of the economy. The study also examines alternative regulatory policies with regard to their likely effects on private sector innovation. Requested by: Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. |