Document 36 
My response, as I read the Draft Environmental Impact Statement on 
"Recombinant DNA Research Guidelines," was growing horror. This reaction 
is not a matter of superstitious fear deriving from any religious or phil- 
osophical conviction that this is sacred ground, with investigation debarred. 
In fact, I am deeply interested in and enthusiastic about many of the 
developments in genetic research. I am also, in principle, in favor of 
maximum freedom in the search for knowledge. Nevertheless, I am horrified 
by the Draft Statement's seeming to establish firm control guidelines while 
actually slighting the degree of potential danger involved. Given the present 
concentration of environmental hazards, I feel we should be extremely 
hesitant about adding to that concentration. Thus, I urge much more stringent 
controls on the sources of DNA allowable for research, on the type of 
laboratory facilities acceptable for this research, and especially on 
"shotgun" experimentation. 
Howard V. Starks 
Department of English and Humanities 
Southeastern Oklahoma State University 
Appendix K — 180 
