The National Academies' National Research Council undertook this study in response to a request from the Under Secretary of Energy to provide strategic advice on how the Department of Energy could improve its Environmental Quality R&D portfolio. The committee recommends that DOE develop strategic goals and objectives for its EQ business line that explicitly incorporate a more comprehensive, long-term view of its EQ responsibilities. For example, these goals and objectives should emphasize long-term stewardship and the importance of limiting contamination and materials management problems, including the generation of wastes and contaminated media, in ongoing and future DOE operations.

You want to recruit quality leadership talent to give your company the ultimate advantage, but the candidate who looks ideal on paper may not be right for your business. Skills, qualifications, and background are never enough. You need to look beyond the resume, focus on human factors like values, vision, and purpose, and hire leaders The Y Scouts Way. Cofounders of the cutting-edge executive recruiting agency, Y Scouts, Max Hansen and Brian Mohr provide powerful strategies for shifting your hiring philosophy. This groundbreaking guide will help you cut through the usual interview and resume BS to recognize and attract innovative problem-solvers who fit perfectly with your company's culture, mission, and DNA. The wrong hire at a top level can cause conflicts, chaos, and disaster. But if you want to acquire and retain leaders who'll drive results and move your business forward, The Y Scouts Way is the way to go.

Facilities now owned by the Federal Government are valued at over $300 billion. It also spends over $25 billion per year for acquisition, renovation, and upkeep. Despite the size of these sums, there is a growing litany of problems with federal facilities that continues to put a drain on the federal budget and compromise the effectiveness of federal services. To examine ways to address these problems, the sponsoring agencies of the Federal Facilities Council (FFC) asked the National Research Council (NRC) to develop guidelines for making improved decisions about investment in and renewal, maintenance, and replacement of federal facilities. This report provides the result of that assessment. It presents a review of both public and private practices used to support such decision making and identifies appropriate objectives, practices, and performance measures. The report presents a series of recommendations designed to assist federal agencies and departments improve management of and investment decision making for their facilities.

Towering over the White House, the colossal granite Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) was first constructed to house the departments of State, War, and Navy in the nineteenth century, and it now serves as the home of the Executive Office of the President. Having outlasted decades of plans threatening alteration or outright demolition, the building survives as one of the foremost examples of Second Empire design in the United States. Palace of State details the building's rich architectural and historical legacy -- from the beginnings of federal civic architecture in Washington to its construction as the world's largest office building after the Civil War, and culminating in the recently completed restoration process that began in the 1980s. Featuring beautifully rendered architectural drawings, historic images, and lush contemporary photography, this illustrated history presents a comprehensive study of an iconic landmark that continues to serve in its role as a monumental setting for statecraft.