Clinton Orders Major Transformation Of Federal Laboratories

The Clinton Administration has issued—five months late—its report on the future of three sets of federal laboratories—those of the Department of Defense, the National Aeronautics & Space Administration, and the Department of Energy. The White House report and a statement by Clinton accompanying it represent a ringing endorsement of the labs' existence, while reflecting several harsh criticisms of them made by separate task forces commissioned by the agencies. The report, "Interagency Federal Laboratory Review," was issued by the Administration's National Science & Technology Council (NSTC), a Cabinet-level body chaired by the president. The review bases its findings on the Administration's five major themes for its national science and technology policy: fundamental science, national security, environmental protection and cleanup, industrial competitiveness, and space exploration and aeronautics. For all its importance, the report is modest in appearance. Its presentation by the White House was similarly ...