Commercialization government role

DONALD M. CARLTON, President, Radian Corporation All of you talked about the need for a government role in the commercialization of this type of technology. I would be interested in what you think are good approaches for the government s participation. 

Assessing the Government Role in the Commercialization of Federally Fimded R D... 

Despite the attractions of economic forces driving environmental protection, some cautions and failures have been noted. Firstly, the export of hazardous waste to countries where costs for treatment are lower enhances environmental risks during transport and has the potential for transboundary export in the event of pollution. At the same time, the loss of raw material may deprive the home market of an adequate supply of feedstock for the home-based industry. Secondly, there is considerable scepticism that self-regulation of TBT-based antifoulants could be achieved in a timely manner by the shipping industry. This is an instance where the cost benehts to one industry are born by another commercial sector, notably aquaculture. Thus, protection of the marine environment is likely to be aided by economic factors but the role of government, via taxation and standard setting, is not likely to be usurped. Public education and, in turn, pressure, can promote and support corporate environmentalism. 

The NMFS role in fisheries development is catalytic in nature by encouraging and assisting in the achievement of full utilization of U.S. fishery resources to derive maximum economic and social benefits from those resources under U.S. jurisdiction. In practical terms, this will require greater initiative on the part of the commercial and recreational fishing industries to utilize America s non-traditional fish species, while the Federal Government will work to reduce foreign fishing in our fishery conservation zone and remove or reduce other impediments. 

Just as World War I had revealed the U.S. dependence on German organic chemicals and provided both the commercial market and the government support for the mining and chemical industries. World War II played an equally impressive role in promoting the domestic materials industries. The war revealed how critically the nation s security rested on access to materials. The Japanese advances in the Pacific were particularly damaging. In a short time the United States lost its access to a quarter of its supplies of chromite, three-quarters of its imports of tin, and almost all of its supplies of natural rubber. 

A thirty-second spot for cereal is just a commercial. Other than the occasional complaint that it encourages children to eat sugared foods or demand some tie-in toy, there s not much dispute about commercials for cereals. An ad for an allergy or arthritis drug, on the other hand, is a window into medical ethics, the role of government, the cost of health care, self-medication, and the doctor-patient relationship. 

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