"Given the importance of federal R&D investments to the nation, states, and localities, amazingly little information is available about them that is complete, detailed, and current." - new RAND report on Federal R&D
After reports last year of cost overruns and mismanagement in construction of the National Ignition Facility (NIF), DOE was forced to restructure the project. Congress, in its FY 2000 appropriations bill, demanded new cost and schedule estimates for NIF.
During the recently-completed U.S.-Russian summit in Moscow, the two countries announced a formal agreement on disposal of excess nuclear weapons-grade plutonium. The agreement was announced in a joint statement on June 4.
Earlier this year, the Council of the American Astronomical Society issued the following open letter, which appeared in this month's AAS Newsletter. The impetus for this statement was the Kansas State Board of Education decision on the teaching of evolution. This open letter was signed by AAS President Robert D. Gehrz.
Test Amendment Last week, the Senate voted 52-48 against an amendment offered by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), to require "operationally- realistic testing against countermeasures for national missile defense." This amendment to the defense authorization act was supported by all Senate Democrats and three Republicans: Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine and James Jeffords of Vermont.
