223 



APPENDIX A 



'17 



aRcmfnt, soil- and water-conserving tillage, and genetic improvement of crops. The 

 NRC found, among other things, that only a small number of U.S. farmers currently 

 use alternative farming systems, in large pan because federal policies work against 

 environmentally benign practices. 



Plant biology research is the subject of another National Research Council 

 repon that was requested by NSF, USDA, and DoE. The study examines the mech- 

 anisms of research funding, the balance of plant biology research between basic 

 and applied research, and the commitment to building and maintaining a strong 

 infrastructure and personnel base."' The repon recommends establishing a National 

 Instiruie of Plant Biology within USDA, promoting better cooperation among 

 agencies engaged in plant biology research, and forming an independent advisory 

 group of nongovernment scientists to help give direction and focus to USDA's re- 

 search program. 



Like EPA, USDA has been criticized for concentrating its efforts on shon- 

 term, applied research to the detriment of a basic research program. The National 

 Research Initiative and the eflfons to study alternative agriculture and plant biology 

 aim to overcome this criticism and fill voids in the current USDA research program. 



DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 



The Department of Defense (DoD) houses a considerable envirorunental research 

 program involving all three branches of the military. This program is divided into 

 two major categories: the natural environment and environmental quality. Researchers 

 evaluate the natural environment in order to gather information necessary for de- 

 fense operations. Research related to environmental quality addresses the countless 

 training, testing, storage, and disposal sites used by the military in its routine ac- 

 tivities. R&D efforts are required to maintain and improve the environmental quality 

 of those sites."' The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Enviroruncnt) provides 

 guidance and broad research coordination between the services, although individual 

 projects are fairly autonomous. Environmental R&D spending at DoD totaled nearly 

 $600 million in 1991.. 



The largest environmental research program at DoD is within the Office 

 of Naval Research (ONR) in the Department of the Navy. ONR's mission is basic 

 research, which it supports through grants to universities and industry at a funding 

 level of approximately $500 million per year. Oceanography is the primary focus 

 of the ONR research program, including ocean pollution from ships, marine 

 meteorology, and research on tides. ONR also conducts arctic research with an em- 

 phasis on ice flows and ocean conditions beneath arctic ice. 



Senator Sam Nunn and others have led an effon to redirect a significant 

 amount of DoD resources toward a Strategic Environmental Research and Devel- 

 opment Program (SERDP). This initiative proposes that the capabilities of the de- 

 fense establishment be used now for existing environmental cleanup activities and 

 in the longer term for understanding environmental problems such as global cli- 



