Government & Policy Roundup

The National Nuclear Security Administration says 139 lb of highly enriched uranium in spent nuclear fuel, which could be used in a nuclear device or as part of a "dirty bomb," has been securely returned to Russia from Uzbekistan since January.

Craig E. Williams, 58, founder and director of the anti-incineration Chemical Weapons Working Group, received the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize. Named after philanthropist Richard N. Goldman, the $125,000 is awarded annually to six grassroots "environmental heroes" from each of the six continents.

The National Research Council has released "Overcoming Challenges to Develop Countermeasures Against Aerosolized Bioterrorism Agents: Appropriate Use of Animal Models." The report identifies challenges in selecting animal models, generating and characterizing the agent, characterizing the dose, and selecting and delivering the dose, and it offers recommendations for overcoming them.