From Red Tape to Results in Science Policy

Earlier this fall, Vice President Gore released the report of his National Performance Review, entitled, “From Red Tape to Results: Creating a Government That Works Better and Costs Less.” While the report covers all areas and agencies of the government, it suggests two major actions of consequence for the science community. One puts more teeth into the interagency process for coordinating science and technology policy, the other deals with the Cold War legacy of the Department of Energy. Selected portions of the report are quoted below:

“ACTION: The President should issue a directive and propose legislation to reconstitute the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology as the National Science and Technology Council, giving it a broader role in setting science and technology policy.

“Progress in science and technology is a key ingredient of national economic success. President Clinton’s A Vision of Change for America, released in February, cities studies showing that `investments in research and development (R&D) tend to be the strongest and most consistent positive influence on productivity growth.’ In an increasingly competitive world economy, the American people need the best possible return on federal R&D investments.

“The Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET) is a White House-managed team that helps set policy for technology development. With representatives from more than a dozen agencies, it develops interagency projects, such as biotechnology research and the high-performance computing initiative. Unfortunately, FCCSET lacks the teeth to set priorities, direct policy, and participate fully in the budget process. It can’t compel agencies to participate in its projects, nor can it tell agencies how to spend funds. Its six funded projects will account for just 16 percent of Washington’s $76 billion R&D budget in 1994. At a time of declining federal resources, experts in business, academia, and government recognize the need for one-stop shopping for science and technology policy.

“A new National Science and Technology Council would direct science and technology policy more forcefully, and would streamline the White House’s advisory apparatus by combining the functions of FCCSET, the National Space Council, and the National Critical Materials Council.”

“ACTION: The Department of Energy will consolidate and redirect the mission of its laboratories, production, and testing facilities to meet post-Cold War national priorities.

“For the first time in 50 years, the United States is not engaged in producing or testing nuclear weapons. Significant reductions in funding for these programs are already underway- $1.25 billion in fiscal year 1994 alone. Yet, the Department of Energy’s weapons laboratories and production plants represent an irreplaceable investment in world-class research and development, intellectual, and computing capabilities, carefully cultivated over five decades. As the department redirects its facilities, the challenge is to eliminate unnecessary activities, while shifting appropriate resources to meet non-defense objectives.

“Under Secretary of Energy Hazel O’Leary’s leadership, DOE will review its labs, weapons production facilities, and testing sites in the context of its mission- and will recommend the phased consolidation or closure of obsolete or redundant facilities. The secretary will also identify facilities that other government agencies may find useful, encourage laboratory managers to bid on contracts with other agencies, and increase cooperation with the private sector.”

Formation of the National Science and Technology Council is expected to be announced by the White House soon. Consolidation of the DOE national labs is being considered by the House science committee, which recently marked up H.R. 1432, a bill that specifies new missions for the labs and requires DOE to present a plan for their reorganization and consolidation (see FYI #104.)

The National Performance Review also provides the following science-related recommendations:

For the National Science Foundation, it recommends continuing automation of NSF research support functions, and proposes a demonstration project structured between several universities and five federal agencies as a model for a program to reduce administrative overhead on research grants.

NASA is urged to improve contracting practices, strengthen and restructure NASA management, clarify objectives of Mission to Planet Earth, and increase technology transfer efforts.