40 
Dr. McGarrity said he wished to place in perspective the responses of the 
Working Group on Release into the Environment to the Gore Report. The 
working group bock exception to only two of the seven recommendations in 
the Gore Report; the third recommendation vhich suggested that field testing 
experiments should not be approved until an interagency task force is 
established and the fifth recommendation vhich suggested that NIH should 
cease its practice of evaluating and approving proposals for deliberate 
release from commercial biotechnology companies. As no interagency review 
task force exists, the working group felt a vacuum would be created if the 
NIH accepted these recommendations of the Gore Report. 
Mr. Mitchell agreed any response RAC would send bo Representative Gore must 
be well considered. The document should address deficient or overlooked 
topics from a scientific standpoint. RAC should also offer the benefit 
of its members ' feelings, attitudes, and experience in working in this area 
for almost ten years. 
Dr. Fedoroff called the question. By a vote of seventeen in favor, none 
opposed, and no abstentions, the question was called. 
Mr. Rifkin asked to be recognized. Mr. Mitchell said a RAC member had 
called the question and the RAC had unanimously support of this action. 
He said he would abide by this vote inless a RAC member wished to appeal 
his decision. No appeal was made. Dr. Harvin pointed out that several 
individuals had commented from the floor during this discussion. 
Dr. Fedoroff reiterated that the motion is to accept the responses of the 
Working Group on Release into the Environment to the recommendations of the 
Gore Report and to direct a subgroup of the working group to compose a docu- 
ment which spells out the rationale underlying those responses. The docu- 
ment should offer an exposition of the criticisms of the Gore Report raised 
by the working group and the RAC. The document would be discussed by RAC 
at it next meeting and if adopted by RAC would be communicated to Mr. Gore. 
Dr. Fedoroff said she preferred to consider the responses to Dr. Talbot's 
questions as a separate issue. 
By a vote of twenty in favor, none qpposed, and one abstention, the RAC 
accepted Dr. Fedoroff' s motion. 
VIII. FUTURE MEETING DATES 
Dr. Gartlard said the next meeting of the RAC would probably be held in mid 
to late October. 
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