Government & Policy Roundup

NSF's Directorate for Engineering will be reorganized as of Oct. 1 to increase agility, broaden multidisciplinary research, and enable frontier research. The changes include merging the Divisions of Chemical & Transport Systems and of Bioengineering & Environmental Systems to form the Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental & Transport Systems Division.

The Senate has approved Dale E. Klein to lead the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Klein, a former nuclear engineering professor, most recently served as assistant to the secretary of defense for nuclear and chemical and biological defense programs.

Six brominated flame retardants are subject to new regulatory controls announced on June 13 by EPA. Companies that intend to manufacture or import diphenyl ether compounds containing four to nine bromines must notify the agency first.