June 1976 OFFICE OF RECOMBINANT DNA ACTIVITIES (ORDA) ESTABLISHED 
To facilitate implementation of the Guidelines, NIH established ORDA 
in June 1976 to administer and coordinate intramural and extramural 
activities at the NIH, to review the institutional biohazards committees 
and certification statements, and to monitor reports and information 
concerning accidents, containment, and safety innovation. This office 
is also responsible for establishing a national registry of recombinant 
DNA research, which includes projects from other agencies. 
July 1976 PROPOSED EXTENSION OF GUIDELINES 
In July 1976 a letter from Senators Javits and Kennedy to President 
Ford recommended that the NIH Guidelines be extended to the entire 
•Nation's research community by appropriate executive or legislative 
action. This letter prompted the later establishment by the President 
of the Federal Interagency Committee. 
August 1976 VOLUME 1 PUBLISHED 
In August 1976 the NIH published a compilation of documents relating 
to the Guidelines for the period of February 1975-June 1976. This 
volume contains the transcript of the February NIH public hearing on 
the proposed Guidelines, copies of correspondence received by the 
Director, NIH, on this matter, and the results of relevant meetings 
held prior to the release of the Guidelines. 
September 9, 1976 DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT PUBLISHED 
The NIH, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA), undertook an environmental impact assessment to review 
environmental effects, if any, of research that may be conducted 
under the Guidelines. The NIH Guidelines were released prior to the 
completion of the assessment because they provide greater protection 
for the public and the environment than do the Asilomar Guidelines 
which they replaced. The NIH Guidelines require, in a number of 
instances, more stringent safety and containment measures, contain 
an extension of the list of prohibited experiments, and provide 
a specific ban on the deliberate release of recombinant molecules 
into the environment. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement was 
filed and published in the Federal Register on September 9, 1976 
in order to provide for additional public review and comment. 
October 1976 FEDERAL INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED 
In October 1976, with the approval of the President, the Secretary for 
Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), established an Interagency 
Committee on Recombinant DNA Research, chaired by the Director of NIH. 
The Committee is chartered to review the nature and scope of Federal 
and private-sector activities related to recombinant DNA research, to 
determine the applicability of tne extension of the NIH Guidelines 
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