WHAT'S NEW (in my opinion), Friday, 21 Jan 1994    Washington, DC

1. GEORGE BROWN ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR REELECTION TO THE HOUSE.  The Chair
of the Science, Space and Technology Committee since 1991, Brown has served
on the Committee for almost 30 years.  His impact on the nation's science
policy structure during that time has been immense.  He led efforts to
create the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, the Office of Technology
Assessment in 1972, and the White House Office of Science and Technology
Policy in 1976.  In the 103rd Congress, Brown rallied the House to resist
academic earmarks.  The effort was partially successful; earmarks were down
about 50% in the FY 1994 appropriations (WN 26 Nov 93).  Although his battle
against pork gained national attention, it was just part of a struggle
against attempts by appropriations committees to use appropriations report
language to set science policy (WN 17 Dec 93).  In announcing his candidacy
for a 12th term, Brown said he feels that "my job is not yet done."

2. OINK, OINK!  ROBERT ROE HAS BEEN REINCARNATED AS A LOBBYIST!  Roe, who
preceded Brown as chair of SS&T, went on to chair the Public Works and
Transportation Committee (WN 7 Dec 90).  Before his retirement in 1992, he
authored a major transportation bill.  Now, according to press reports, the
government of his old Bergen County, NJ, district voted to hire Roe to lobby
his former Hill colleagues for a slice of pork from the barrel he
authorized.

3. PANEL CALLS FOR AUTOMATIC DECLASSIFICATION--AFTER 40 YEARS!  In July,
President Clinton directed the Information Security Oversight Office to lead
an interagency task force in drafting a revised classification system (WN 23
Jul 93).  Alas, the director of ISOO, Steven Garfinkel, has been in charge
of secrecy for 12 years, a period in which the number of classified
documents grew faster than the national debt.  Garfinkel's task farce
submitted a draft report calling for documents to be automatically
declassified after 40 years!  Presumably, that is long enough to ensure that
middle-aged bureaucrats will go on to their reward before their mistakes are
let out of the vault.  Under this rule, many of the records on human
radiation experiments, released under Hazel O'Leary's openness initiative,
could still be kept secret.

4. ALTERNATIVE SCIENCE: ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS ATTRACT SHARKS!  An article
in this month's Journal of the American Bar Association alerts lawyers to
the potential of litigation over health effects from EMF.  It could dwarf
the asbestos claims of the past decade according to the article. "Public
concern over alleged EMF hazards," the article correctly observes, "is
rising irrespective of its validity."  Even studies that do not confirm a
risk can arouse public concern.   Hence, loss of property value is the best
bet for damage claims, since no proof of actual EMF danger is required.  The
article concludes with a chilling assessment:  "The alleged hazards of EMF
exposure almost certainly will be resolved not in the scientific laboratory,
but in the courtroom."

Robert L. Park  opa@aps.org         The American Physical Society