Government & Policy Roundup

The Department of Energy says it plans to prepare an environmental impact statement for the technology demonstration program of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership initiative. The analysis will examine the potential environmental impacts associated with the program to develop and demonstrate new technologies to recycle spent nuclear fuel.

The Supreme Court allowed to stand an appellate court ruling that had reinstated Steven Hatfill's libel lawsuit against the New York Times over columns that Hatfill said implicated him in the 2001 anthrax attacks. Hatfill, a bioterrorism expert, was named "a person of interest" by the FBI investigating the attacks but was never charged. The crime has not been solved.

Robert Cresanti has been confirmed as the undersecretary of commerce for technology. Cresanti's new responsibilities include overseeing NIST and managing the National Technical Information Service. Previously, Cresanti was vice president of public policy at the Business Software Alliance.