The Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced that it is seeking proposals for high-risk research projects to develop innovative technologies for inspecting, monitoring and evaluating critical components of the nation's roadways, bridges, and drinking and wastewater systems. The competition for cost-shared research and development (R&D) support is the first to be announced by NIST's newly established Technology Innovation Program (TIP) in an effort to address critical societal challenges. Proposals for the current TIP competition must be received by NIST by 3 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008. Review, selection, and award processing is expected to be completed by the end of November 2008.

In cooperation with the EPA's 21M² Initiative, the USGS has completed a guide on the use of tree coring as a tool to examine subsurface VOCs. The guide examines some of the factors influencing the use of tree coring for that purpose and summarizes some case studies in which tree coring has been used to examine subsurface VOCs. Typical VOCs that have been detected in tree cores include benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene isomers, trimethyl benzene, MTBE, TCE, PCE, and cDCE. The method is inexpensive, portable, rapid, and uncomplicated.

The 27th quarterly update of literature contains new citations related to the needs areas. A list of these citations and accompanying abstracts is found under View New Entries. These citations are also part of the searchable master database.

This workshop has presentations on DIAL and SOF surveys done in the Houston, Texas area, monitoring for pipeline gas leaks with an aircraft mounted DIAL system, the results of an ongoing two-year continuous fenceline FTIR activity at a petrochemical plant, the use of VRPM to measure landfill fugitive gas emissions and mercury emissions from a chlor-alkali plant, a fully automated VRPM TDLAS system for continuous monitoring of lagoons at consolidated animal feeding operations, the use of FTIR fenceline monitoring MGP cleanups, and a research update on equipment being developed to detect in the mid to far IR spectrum that does not require cryogenic cooling. Also discussed were the implications for facility monitoring as these cutting edge tools become more common place and how to promote their use to reduce overall emissions. The workshop resulted in suggestions and recommendations for future actions to be taken by the various entities represented at the meeting.

The 26th quarterly update of literature contains new citations related to the needs areas. A list of these citations and accompanying abstracts is found under View New Entries. These citations are also part of the searchable master database.