Government & Policy Roundup

The Department of Energy has designated Sandia National Laboratories to coordinate technical and scientific work at the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada. Bechtel SAIC, the project contractor, will be responsible for design efforts, while Sandia will concentrate on integrating all "post-closure" science once the waste canisters are stored at the facility.

FDA has announced a new prescription drug information format for package inserts, designed to provide specific graphical requirements and organization of data so physicians and patients can find information more easily. The new regulations go into effect for drug manufacturers on Jan. 30.

The Departments of Agriculture and Energy say they will share resources and coordinate the study of plant and microbial genomics. DOE will tackle sequencing of the soybean genome as the first project resulting from the agreement. Soybean is of particular interest to DOE because it is the principal source of biodiesel, which has the highest energy content of any renewable, alternative fuel.